The Peach Tree
The Peach Tree | |
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Korean name | |
Hangul | 복숭아 나무 |
Revised Romanization | Boksunga namu |
McCune–Reischauer | Poksunga namu |
Directed by | Ku Hye-sun |
Written by | Ku Hye-sun |
Produced by | Cho Dae-eun |
Starring | Cho Seung-woo Ryu Deok-hwan Nam Sang-mi |
Cinematography | Kim Sun-yong |
Edited by | Kim Hyeok |
Music by | Ku Hye-sun Choi In-young |
Production company | Joy & Content Production |
Distributed by | Next Entertainment World |
Release dates |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
The Peach Tree (Korean: 복숭아나무; RR: Boksunga namu) is a 2012 South Korean film directed by actress Ku Hye-sun.[1][2][3] It stars Cho Seung-woo and Ryu Deok-hwan as conjoined twin brothers who fall in love with the same woman played by Nam Sang-mi.[4][5]
The film premiered at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival,[6][7] and was released in theaters a year later.[8][9] In 2013 it was also invited to the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival,[10][11] Taiwan's Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival,[12] and the New York Asian Film Festival.[13]
Plot
Sang-hyun and Dong-hyun were born as conjoined twins with two heads sharing one body. Dong-hyun has the full control of their shared body, except his brother's head which is attached to the back of his. They can never look at each other directly since their heads are always turned in opposing directions. Dong-hyun looks "normal" as long as he wears his hoodie, which fully covers his brother's face. The two have lived nearly 30 years in a remote house with their father, who tells them not to go outside the property. However, things change when their father brings Seung-ah, a bubbly, good-hearted young artist, to the house to help Dong-hyun publish a children's book ― one of his lifelong dreams.[14]
Despite having the same body, the brothers share little else. While Sang-hyun is patient and generous, Dong-hyun is always questioning something and extremely selfish. Dong-hyun gradually builds a grudge against Sang-hyun, blaming him for his unhappiness and isolated life. Sang-hyun, who lets his brother do whatever he wants, does not recognize his own wants and needs until he gets to know Seung-ah. And things worsen as Dong-hyun, who wants to appear as a "normal writer" for his upcoming book, desperately tries hiding what he thinks as his ultimate flaw ― his own brother.[14]
Throughout the film, peaches appear frequently.[15] Before the twins were born, their parents enjoyed a date near a peach tree. Near the same tree is where the young twins saw their mother for the last time, since she gradually lost her sanity and health after giving birth to them. The tree and its fruits are witness to Sang-hyun and Dong-hyun's history; it sees the twins' beginning, their loss, and their isolated dreams and experiences.[14]
Cast
- Cho Seung-woo - Sang-hyun
- Ryu Deok-hwan - Dong-hyun
- Nam Sang-mi - Park Seung-ah
- Choi Il-hwa
- Kim Hye-na - Ji-hyun
- Kim Byung-oh - Reporter Kim
- Shin Hye-jung - publishing company manager
- Baek Gyeong-min - Tae-seong
- Jeon Mi-ra
- Sun Yeong-sun
- Choi Daniel - cameo
- Lee Joon-hyuk - cameo
- Seo Hyun-jin - cameo
- Im Ji-kyu - cameo
Music
Cho Seung-woo sang the track to the film's music video.[16]
References
- ^ "Actress-turned-director Ku Hye-sun shines behind the lens in new film"[usurped]. Korea JoongAng Daily. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ "Young actress leaps roles in entertainment". Yonhap via The Korea Times. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ Park, Eun-jee (16 November 2012). "Korean actors find satisfaction off-camera". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Ku Hye-sun Returns to Director's Chair". The Chosun Ilbo. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ "Cho Seung-woo Set to Return to the Big Screen". The Chosun Ilbo. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ Lee, Ji-hye (13 October 2011). "Ku Hye-sun: The appeal to being a director is that you get to do everything together". TenAsia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ "감독 구혜선, 하룻만에 BIFF 컴백..왜?". Starnews. 10 October 2011.
- ^ Hong, Lucia (19 September 2012). "Ku Hye-sun Sets The Peach Tree Opening Date". TenAsia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (19 September 2012). "Ku Hye-sun's film to open soon". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Lee, Claire (11 November 2012). "Koo's The Peach Tree invited to BIFFF". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ Jang, Sung-ran (16 November 2012). "Korean All-rounder Goes to Brussels". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (1 April 2013). "Taipei to Plant THE PEACH TREE". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
- ^ Lee, Eun-ah (1 July 2013). "Ku Hye-sun's Directorial Feature Invited to New York Asian Film Fest". TenAsia. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
- ^ a b c Lee, Claire (25 October 2012). "Koo Hye-sun presents conjoined twins tale on screen". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ Ahn, Yi-seul (24 October 2012). "Ku Hye Sun says, "Peach of Peach Tree means blessing"". Star News. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (17 October 2012). "Jo Seung Woo Sings for Ku Hye Sun's Movie The Peach Tree". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)
- The Peach Tree at HanCinema
- The Peach Tree at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
- The Peach Tree at IMDb