| Breathless | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 똥파리 |
| RR | Ddongpari |
| MR | Ttong‘ari |
| Directed by | Yang Ik-Jun |
| Produced by | Jang Seong-jin |
| Written by | Yang Ik-Jun |
| Starring | Yang Ik-Jun Kim Kkot-bi |
| Music by | Park Ji-woong |
| Cinematography | Yun Jong-Ho |
| Editing by | Lee Yeon-jung |
| Release date(s) | April 16, 2009 |
| Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
Breathless (똥파리 Ddongpari literally Poop Fly) is 2009 South Korean film by Yang Ik-Jun which revolves about child abuse and loan sharks. A loan shark named Sang Hoon who finds himself striking a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl, Yeon Hee, as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.
Breathless has won the Grand Prize at the 2009 Tokyo Filmex, the Silver Screen Award at the 2009 Singapore International Film Festival and the Tiger Prize at the 2009 Rotterdam International Film Festival.
Sang Hoon is a foul-mouthed and violent gangster working for an illegal money-lending organisation run by his long-time friend, Man Sik. He is first seen attacking protestors who are disrupting the work of a construction company with the other members of the organisation.
Sang Hoon has a nephew, Hyung In, who he adores, but his sister cares about him, even inviting him to dinner, he is on less friendly terms and tries to avoid her. It is revealed that when he was a kid, his abusive father once had a quarrel with his mother and stabbed his sister by accident. His mother was then hit by a car. It is implied that his father has remarried and hence
One day, after visiting his nephew, he spits on a high school student, Han Yeon Hee, accidentally. She demands that he do something to make up for it. They get into a fight and he hits her, knocking her unconscious. When she wakes up, she realises that Sang Hoon was waiting for her to awake and has wiped her clothes clean. Undaunted by his ferocity, she demands compensation from him. He is intrigued by her spunk and they form a tenuous friendship.
While Sang Hoon believes that Yeon Hee comes from a rich family, they have trouble paying the rent. Her father is a war veteran who has delusions that Yeon Hee's mother is still alive. Both her father and brother, Han Young Jae, abuses her verbally frequently.
In order to earn money, Young Jae works as a debt collector at Man Sik and Sang Hoon's. On his first day, he tags along with Sang Hoon and his friend to get money. He is seen to be timid and Sang Hoon berates him for following them just for fun. Despite this, they collect most of the debt, putting them in good stead with Man Sik.
One day, as Sang Hoon visits his father - who Sang Hoon beats up for being the cause of his unhappy childhood - his father has already cut his own wrists. It is then that he realises how much he still loves his father. That same day, Yeon Hee's father is even more paranoid and threatened her with a knife. Sang Hoon and Yeon Hee meet up for a drink and their bond deepens.
Eventually, Sang Hoon acknowledges his feelings for Yeon Hee and he is determined to start a new life. He tells Man Sik that it will be his last day as a gangster and invites him to meet Yeon Hee, his sister and Hyung In. Man Sik also decides that he has had enough and wants to open a gogi gui restaurant.
On his last day as a debt collector, he is doing the rounds with Young Jae. Young Jae has taken enough abuse from Sang Hoon and attacks him with a hammer, being unaware that Sang Hoon and his sister are in love. As he lays bleeding on the road, his final thoughts are of a normal life with Yeon Hee.
In the epilogue, it is revealed that Sang Hoon died. Yeon Hee, Hyung In, Sang Hoon's sister and father are enjoying dinner together at Man Sik's restaurant. Yeon Hee finally finds out that her brother is working at the same job as Sang Hoon, and she thinks of him.