A Werewolf Boy

A Werewolf Boy
Hangul 늑대소년
Hanja 늑대少年
Revised Romanization Neukdae Sonyeon
McCune–Reischauer Nŭkdae Sonyŏn
Directed by Jo Sung-hee
Produced by Kim Su-jin
Yu in-beom
Jeong Tae-seong
Written by Jo Sung-hee
Starring Song Joong-ki
Park Bo-young
Music by Shim Hyun-jung
Cinematography Choi Sang-muk
Edited by Nam Na-yeong
Production
company
Bidangil Pictures
Distributed by CJ Entertainment
Release dates
  • September 11, 2012 (2012-09-11) (TIFF)
  • October 31, 2012 (2012-10-31) (South Korea)
Running time
 122 minutes
Country South Korea
Language Korean
Box office US$41,336,378[1]

A Werewolf Boy (Hangul: 늑대소년; RR: Neukdae Sonyeon; lit. "Wolf Boy") is a 2012 South Korean fantasy romance film in which a beautiful teenage girl (Park Bo-young) is sent to a country house for her health, where she befriends and attempts to civilize a feral boy (Song Joong-ki) she discovers on the grounds — but the beast inside him is constantly waiting to burst out.[2][3][4]

Director Jo Sung-hee first wrote the script while studying at the Korean Academy of Film Arts and the script went through several rewrites before it was finalized in its current form. This is Jo's commercial debut; he previously directed the arthouse flick End of Animal and the short film Don't Step Out of the House.[5][6]

A Werewolf Boy had its world premiere in the "Contemporary World Cinema" section of the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival,[7][8][9][10] then screened at the 17th Busan International Film Festival before its theatrical release on October 31, 2012.[11][12] It quickly rose up the box office charts to become the most successful Korean melodrama of all time.[13]

Plot

Kim Sun-yi, an elderly woman in her sixties living in the US, receives a phone call about the sale of her old family home back in South Korea. Returning to her homeland, she's met by granddaughter Eun-joo, and they drive to the house in the country and stay the night. Sun-yi recalls how 47 years ago when she was a teenage girl in 1965, she moved from Seoul along with her widowed mother and sister Sun-ja to a remote valley to undergo a period of convalescence after suffering problems with her lungs. The Kims lived in genteel poverty at the mercy of their arrogant and foppish landlord, Ji-tae, son of the business partner of Sun-yi's late father. Because of her delicate health, the beautiful yet introverted Sun-yi lives an isolated life in the country home, without any friends her age.

One night, Sun-yi glimpses a shadow in the outhouse; the next day, she discovers a feral boy of about 19 crouching in their yard. The boy's body temperature is 46 degrees Celsius, his blood type unidentifiable, and he can neither read nor speak. Even though he behaves like a wild beast, Sun-yi's kindhearted mother adopts him and names him Chul-soo, assuming he's one of more than 60,000 children orphaned in the Korean War.

At first Sun-yi considers him a nuisance, but eventually has fun taming him according to a dog-training manual. She teaches him how to wait patiently before a meal, how to wear clothes, how to speak, how to write and other human behavior so that he could one day live like a normal man. Chul-soo demonstrates unswerving loyalty and superhuman brawn, thus inspiring the envy of Ji-tae, who lusts after Sun-yi.

As Sun-yi attempts to "civilize" the beast, the two eventually become very close. Sun-yi opens her heart to Chul-soo, and he in turn falls in love with her, the only person to ever show him affection. But their relationship is fraught with difficulties, as Ji-tae begins to cause trouble. Feeling threatened, Chul-soo lets loose his bestial instincts, and in their fear the town villagers turn on him. In order to save the life of the boy who risked his to be by her side, Sun-yi leaves him with a promise: "Wait for me. I’ll come back for you".[14][15][16][17]

Returning to present day, Sun-yi decides to stay the night. In the middle of the night she walks into the shed to find Chul-soo sitting there, still as young as he was 47 years ago. He hands her the note that she wrote. She realizes that he's been there waiting all along. He reads her the book that she asked him to when he can speak, as she sleeps. The next day she wakes up with Chul-soo nowhere in sight. She leaves with her granddaughter. In the car they receive a call from the county asking about the property. Sun-yi tells him that she's not selling the place and hangs up. Chul-soo stares from afar as the car drives away.

A sequence in the ending credits shows Chul-soo building a snowman.

Cast

Music

The film's music video featured John Park's single "철부지" ("Childlike").[30]

"My Prince," the song that Sun-yi sings in the film, was released as a digital single and included in the soundtrack. It was composed by music director Shim Hyun-jung with lyrics by director Jo Sung-hee.[31]

Soundtrack

  1. 나의 왕자님 ("My prince") - Park Bo-young
  2. Time she's forgotten
  3. 47 years ago
  4. A boy in the house
  5. Decision to train him
  6. Sun-yi's family
  7. Chul-soo in the bath
  8. First love
  9. Training
  10. Let's go to play
  11. Cosplay
  12. Where there's love
  13. Special power
  14. Turning to wolf
  15. Discover the secret
  16. She collapses
  17. Ji-tae's anger
  18. Chul-soo in chains
  19. Evil plan
  20. Searching for guitar
  21. Out of control
  22. To the forest
  23. Love unreached
  24. Don't leave me
  25. Walking away
  26. For a long time
  27. A werewolf boy

Reception

After premiering at number one in the South Korean box office with more than 100,000 admissions,[32][33] A Werewolf Boy broke the 1 million mark after five days,[34][35][36] 2 million after nine days,[37] and 3.6 million in twelve days.[38][39][40][41] Not only were these numbers remarkably high for November, considered a slow season for moviegoing in Korea, but it was also a rare feat for its melodrama genre.[42]

The film also has the distinction of setting a new box office record for "suneung day," the date on which high school seniors take their College Scholastic Ability Test. Each year large numbers of students book tickets for films in the evening after the exam has finished, but A Werewolf Boy's one-day score of 341,475 tickets on November 8 outpaced the totals of any film in previous years.[43][44]

On November 15, its 4.12 million admissions surpassed Architecture 101 to become the most successful Korean melodrama of all time.[13][45] Ticket sales reached 5 million on November 18,[46][47] 6 million on November 26,[48][49][50] then 7 million on December 16,[51][52] making it the third highest Korean top grosser of 2012, behind The Thieves and Masquerade, and also the fourth best selling film of the year overall.[53]

The film also became a sleeper hit when it was released in Taiwan on December 28, 2012, grossing NT$4 million (US$138,000) at the Taipei box office after 17 days on release.[54]

The film also made its premiere in the Philippines on September 18, 2013 as part of the Korean Movie Festival 2013.

Alternate ending

After director Jo Sung-hee revealed during one of the film's Q&A sessions that they had shot an alternate ending, due to popular demand, the movie was re-released on December 6, 2012 with that ending.[55][56] The alternate finale involves Park Bo-young's Sun-yi, and among the deleted scenes are moments from Ji-tae's (Yoo Yeon-seok) childhood as well as more focus on the neighborhood in which the plot unfolds.[57][58]

Book

A novelization was published on October 31, 2012, to coincide with the movie's opening day.[59]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012
20th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards
 Best Supporting Actor Seo Dong-soo Won
4th Pierson Movie Festival
 Best Actress Park Bo-young Won
2013
4th KOFRA Film Awards (Korea Film Reporters Association)
 Discovery Award Jo Sung-hee Won
7th Asian Film Awards[60]
Best Costume Design Kwak Jung-ae Nominated
49th Baeksang Arts Awards[61][62]
 Best Film A Werewolf Boy Nominated
Best New Director Jo Sung-hee Won
Best Actor (Film) Song Joong-ki Nominated
Best Screenplay Jo Sung-hee Nominated
Most Popular Actor (Film) Song Joong-ki Nominated
Most Popular Actress (Film) Park Bo-young Nominated
6th Nickelodeon Korea Kids' Choice Awards
 Favorite Actor Song Joong-ki Won
7th Mnet 20's Choice Awards
 20's Movie Star - Female Park Bo-young Won
20's Movie Star - Male Song Joong-ki Nominated
22nd Buil Film Awards
 Best Supporting Actress Jang Young-nam Won
Best Music Shim Hyun-jung Nominated
50th Grand Bell Awards
 Best Supporting Actress Jang Young-nam Won
Best New Director Jo Sung-hee Nominated
Popularity Award Song Joong-ki Nominated
Park Bo-young Nominated
34th Blue Dragon Film Awards
 Best New Director Jo Sung-hee Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Jang Young-nam Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "A Werewolf Boy Box Office Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  2. ↑ Lee, Claire (27 September 2012). "Werewolf tale brings out beast in Song". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  3. ↑ Park, Eun-jee (26 October 2012). "Uncomplicated relationship central to A Werewolf Boy". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  4. ↑ Paquet, Darcy (5 October 2012). "In Focus: A Werewolf Boy". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  5. ↑ Lee, Claire (5 November 2012). "Director scores debut hit with coming-of-age beast tale". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  6. ↑ "Korean films competing for major awards at international film fests". Korean Film Biz Zone. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  7. ↑ "A Werewolf Boy". TIFF.net. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  8. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (17 August 2012). "Song Joong Ki's A Werewolf Boy Gets Invited to the Toronto International Film Festival". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  9. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (20 August 2012). "A Werewolf Boy gets Toronto invite". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  10. ↑ Hong, Lucia (20 August 2012). "4 Korean movies to head on over to Toronto International Film Festival". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  11. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (26 September 2012). "BIFF to show Song Joong-ki's movie". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  12. ↑ Jeon, Chan-il. "Werewolf Boy". BIFF.kr. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  13. 1 2 Sunwoo, Carla (19 November 2012). "Werewolf Boy the top melodrama". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  14. ↑ "A Werewolf Boy". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  15. ↑ Lee, Maggie (20 September 2012). "A Werewolf Boy". Variety. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  16. ↑ Elley, Derek (2 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  17. ↑ Baek, Byung-yeul (15 November 2012). "Werewolf Boy - witty, tragic tale of romance". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
  18. ↑ Kang, Jung-yeon (21 September 2012). "Innocent man Song Joong-Ki has turned into werewolf". BNTNews. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  19. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji (27 September 2012). "Song Joong-ki "Watched Animal Documentaries to Play Werewolf Boy"". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  20. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (17 October 2012). "Song Joong Ki Says He's Still Thirsty for More Experience as an Actor". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  21. ↑ Yoon, Hee-seong (2 November 2012). "INTERVIEW: The Innocent Man Song Joong-ki - Part. 1". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  22. ↑ Yang, Seo-hee (22 November 2012). "Werewolf Boy gets real: Actor Song Joong-ki talks about his phenomenal year". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
  23. ↑ Ko, Kyoung-seok (15 September 2011). "Park Bo-young, Song Joong-ki may become costars in new film". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  24. ↑ Hong, Lucia (22 December 2011). "Song Joong-ki, Park Bo-young start filming new pic". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  25. ↑ Lim, Ju-hui (27 September 2012). "Wolf Boy Park Bo Young expresses thanks to Song Joong Ki's great care". StarN News. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  26. ↑ "Park Bo-young "Interest on Song Joong-gi, prepared but bittersweet emotions"". Innolife. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  27. ↑ Lee, Jin-ho (9 December 2012). "Park Bo Young Says She Felt Bad about Song Joong Ki's Popularity Once". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  28. ↑ Lim, Ju-hui (27 September 2012). "Wolf Boy Yoo Yeon Seok talks about his character". StarN News. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  29. ↑ Lee, Mi-ji (25 October 2012). "Wolf Boy Yoo Yeon Seok and Song Joong Ki's intense battle coming up". StarN News. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  30. ↑ Kim, Ji-yeon (23 October 2012). "John Park Loved the A Werewolf Boy Music Video for His Single Childlike". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  31. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (13 November 2012). "Park Bo Young Sings for A Werewolf Boy". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  32. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (3 November 2012). "Werewolf Boy rises to number one". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  33. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (1 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Challenges James Bond and Becomes #1 Movie on Opening Day". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  34. ↑ Lee, Tae-ho (5 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Beats off James Bond, Makes Debut atop Local Box Office". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  35. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (5 November 2012). "Song Joong Ki and Park Bo Young Celebrate 1 Million Views with Tears for A Werewolf Boy". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  36. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (7 November 2012). "Song Joong-ki unleashes cuteness to mark movie success". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  37. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (8 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Gathers 2 Million Moviegoers in 9 Days". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  38. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji (12 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Tops Local Box Office for 2 Straight Weeks". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  39. ↑ Moon, Gwang-lip (12 November 2012). "Werewolf transforms into mega-hit". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  40. ↑ Lee, In-kyung (12 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Goes Up While The Peach Tree Falls Down". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  41. ↑ "A Werewolf Boy Lures 3.6 Million Viewers in 12 Days". The Chosun Ilbo. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  42. ↑ "A Werewolf Boy draws 3 million viewers". The Korea Times. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
  43. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (9 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Records Biggest Audience on Sooneung Day". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  44. ↑ Paquet, Darcy (16 November 2012). "Box office, November 1-14". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  45. ↑ Kim, Hyun-min (19 November 2012). "9th 4 Million Movie This Year". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  46. ↑ Jeon, Su-mi (19 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Passes 5 Million Mark and Gets the Cast Celebrating". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  47. ↑ Lee, Tae-ho (19 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Stays Powerful atop Local Box Office for 3 Consecutive Weeks". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
  48. ↑ Kim, Hyun-min (26 November 2012). "More Records Fall at the Korean Box Office". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  49. ↑ Lee, Jin-ho (26 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Scores Again with 6 Million Audience". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
  50. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (27 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy exceeds six million views". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
  51. ↑ Kim, Nemo (17 December 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Breaks Melodrama Record". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  52. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (18 December 2012). "A Werewolf Boy exceeds 7 million tickets sold". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
  53. ↑ Paquet, Darcy (30 November 2012). "Box office, November 15-28". Korea Cinema Today. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  54. ↑ Cremin, Stephen (14 January 2013). "Werewolf Boy is sleeper hit in Taiwan". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  55. ↑ "A WEREWOLF BOY reveals an exclusive alternate ending". CJ Entertainment. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  56. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (6 December 2012). "Werewolf director transforms ending". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
  57. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (29 November 2012). "‘Werewolf Boy’ gets alternate ending". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  58. ↑ Lee, Eun-sun (29 November 2012). "A WEREWOLF BOY to Be Released in the U.S. and Japan". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  59. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (5 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Published as a Book". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  60. ↑ Shackleton, Liz (16 January 2013). "Mystery, Gangster head Asian Film Awards nominations". Screen International. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  61. ↑ Conran, Pierce (9 April 2013). "49th PaekSang Arts Awards Nominations Revealed". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
  62. ↑ Ji, Yong-jin (13 May 2013). "RYU Seung-ryong Wins Grand Prize at Baeksang Arts Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-05-14.

External links

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