The Russian Novel

The Russian Novel
Hangul 러시안 소설
Revised Romanization Reosian Soseol
Directed by Shin Yeon-shick
Produced by Shin Yeon-shick
Written by Shin Yeon-shick
Starring Kang Shin-hyo
Kyung Sung-hwan
Lee Jae-hye
Music by Kim Shin-il
Cinematography Choi Yong-jin
Edited by Kim Jung-hoon
Distributed by KT&G Sangsangmadang
Release date
Running time
 140 minutes
Country South Korea
Language Korean
Budget ₩30,000,000
Box office ₩43,741,400

The Russian Novel (Hangul: 러시안 소설; RR: Reosian Soseol) is a 2012 South Korean film written and directed by Shin Yeon-shick about an aspiring author who wakes up from a 27-year coma as one of his country's finest authors, credited for a book he didn't write.[1][2]

It made its world premiere in 2012 at the 17th Busan International Film Festival where Shin won Best Director from the Director's Guild of Korea.[3]

Plot

Shin-hyo is a frustrated writer who dreams of becoming a great author, but being uneducated and lacking in skill, he finds it difficult to succeed. His inspiration comes from the writer, Kim Ki-jin, who he soon learns is the father of one of his friends, Sung-hwan. Shin-hyo manages to convince Sung-hwan and a talented young writer named Kyung-mi to help him arrange a meeting with Kim Ki-jin to show him his work. He falls into a depression when Kim calls his work "trash" which leads to him throwing his manuscripts into the river. They are rescued by the preacher's daughter, Jae-hye. Jae-hye, who is in love with Shin-hyo, re-types the novels as a form of encouragement. Because of a drug overdose, he ends up in a coma. Twenty-seven years later, Shin-hyo wakes from a vegetative state and learns that he has become a literary sensation and is now a well-respected author in South Korea. The book, The Russian Novel, allowed him to achieve his status in the literary world, however, he realizes that it is not his work. Someone has taken his manuscripts, which have been revised, and delivered them to Sung-hwan who got them published. He tries to find out who the culprit is and who wrote the book, especially the famous last words of the story which he didn't write.

Cast

Reception

Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "There's an interesting film about art and fame buried deep beneath an unwieldy one about an irritating writer."[4] Koreanfilm.org called it "a near-miss" that "could have been a much more powerful cinematic experience."[5] Pierce Conran of Modern Korean Cinema praised it as "one of the 2012's most unique and lush Korean films."[6]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2013 14th Jeonju International Film Festival[7] Moët Rising Star Shin Yeon-shick Won
17th Busan International Film Festival DGK Award for Best Director Shin Yeon-shick Won
33rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best Screenplay Shin Yeon-shick Won
2014 1st Wildflower Film Awards[8][9] Best Film The Russian Novel Nominated
Best Director Shin Yeon-shick Nominated
Best Actor Kang Shin-hyo Nominated
Best New Actor or Actress Kang Shin-hyo Nominated
Best Cinematography Choi Yong-jin Nominated
50th Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actress Lee Jae-hye Nominated
23rd Buil Film Awards[10] Best Screenplay Shin Yeon-shick Won

References

  1. ↑ Conran, Pierce (17 January 2013). "In Focus: The Russian Novel". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  2. ↑ "The Russian Novel". BIFF. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  3. ↑ "BIFF Archive: 17th (2012)". BIFF. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  4. ↑ Kerr, Elizabeth (25 October 2012). "The Russian Novel: Busan Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  5. ↑ Djuna. "The Russian Novel". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  6. ↑ Conran, Pierce (21 May 2013). "Channeling the Classics: The Russian Novel (러시안 소설) 2012". Modern Korean Cinema. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  7. ↑ Jang, Sung-ran (30 April 2013). "JUNG Eun-chae and SHIN Yeon-shick Receive Moet Rising Star Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  8. ↑ Paquet, Darcy. "Wildflower Film Awards". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  9. ↑ Cremin, Stephen (18 March 2014). "Wildflower Awards celebrates Korean indies". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  10. ↑ Kim, June (6 October 2014). "SHIM Eun-kyung, SONG Kang-ho, HONG Sangsoo and ROARING CURRENTS Win at 23rd Buil Film Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
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