The Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Railroad is a 2007 South Korean film starring Kim Kang-woo and Son Tae-young. The second feature film of writer and director Park Heung-sik, it was also co-produced and co-edited by his wife, Park Gok-ji. The Railroad won the FIPRESCI
award and Best Actor for Kim Kang-woo at the 25th Torino Film Festival
. The name is taken from the Gyeongui Line
.
, and find themselves stranded in heavy snow at the last stop before the Korean Demilitarized Zone
. With no other choice they are forced to spend the night together, and over time they begin to open up to each other and reveal their inner pains.
who looked suicidal, and he chose her profession as a German-language lecturer having studied German himself.
The Railroad was supported by the 2005 KOFIC Production Support for Low-budget Films program.
in October 2006. The film competed in the New Current section and received a favourable reception from critics and audiences, with Paolo Bertolin of The Korea Times
commenting that while director Park takes his time in delivering the film's subdued climax, he "nevertheless displays an assured command of visual composition and emotional punctuation". It later opened publicly on 10 May 2007 with a limited screening in just ten theatres, accumulating a total of 4,025 admissions and grossing US$
28,737. Lead actor Kim Kang-woo was disappointed with the low level of distribution, and appeared at screenings by himself in an effort to promote the film.
In November 2007, The Railroad screened at the 25th Torino Film Festival
in Italy, where it won the FIPRESCI
award as well as Best Actor for Kim Kang-woo's performance. Although pleased to have won the award, Kim was more thrilled by the positive reaction from the Italian audience, noting that they responded to the film in much the same way as a Korean audience.
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
award and Best Actor for Kim Kang-woo at the 25th Torino Film Festival
25th Torino Film Festival
The 25th Torino Film Festival was held 23 November – 1 December 2007 in Turin, Italy and was directed by Nanni Moretti.-Films in competition:*The Art of Negative Thinking *Away from Her...
. The name is taken from the Gyeongui Line
Gyeongui Line
The Gyeongui Line is one of the oldest railway lines in Korea. When opened in 1906 it linked Seoul in what is now South Korea to P'yŏngyang and Sinŭiju in what is now North Korea...
.
Plot
Man-soo, a railroad engineer, experiences a traumatic accident, while Hanna, a German-language university lecturer who is having an affair with one of her colleagues, also suffers a personal tragedy. The two meet after boarding a train on the Gyeongui LineGyeongui Line
The Gyeongui Line is one of the oldest railway lines in Korea. When opened in 1906 it linked Seoul in what is now South Korea to P'yŏngyang and Sinŭiju in what is now North Korea...
, and find themselves stranded in heavy snow at the last stop before the Korean Demilitarized Zone
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and...
. With no other choice they are forced to spend the night together, and over time they begin to open up to each other and reveal their inner pains.
Cast
- Kim Kang-woo ... Man-soo
- Son Tae-young ... Hanna
- Baek Jong-hak
- Cha Seo-won
- Ji Jong-eun
- Oh Jeong-se
- Kim Dong-hwa
- Ahn Sun-young
- Kim Seung-wuk
- Jeong In-gi
- Lee Ho-jae
- Park Jeong-soo
Production
Following a lukewarm reception to his debut feature, The Twins, director Park Heung-sik wrote the screenplay for The Railroad determined to make a film with a story he wanted to tell. His wife, Park Gok-ji, attached herself to the project as co-producer and co-editor, and used her influence within the local film industry to assist in the production. Director Park drew on his own experiences for the film; the character of Hanna was influenced by a woman he once saw in TaejongdaeTaejongdae
Taejongdae is a natural park of Busan, South Korea with magnificent cliffs facing the open sea on the southernmost tip of island of Yeongdo-gu. It is a representative visitor attraction of Busan where has dense evergreen trees and several facilities for tourists such as an observatory, an amusement...
who looked suicidal, and he chose her profession as a German-language lecturer having studied German himself.
The Railroad was supported by the 2005 KOFIC Production Support for Low-budget Films program.
Distribution and reception
The Railroad made its world premiere at the 11th Pusan International Film FestivalPusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
in October 2006. The film competed in the New Current section and received a favourable reception from critics and audiences, with Paolo Bertolin of The Korea Times
The Korea Times
The Korea Times is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea, along with The Korea Herald and The JoongAng Daily. It is part of the same newspaper group as Hankook Ilbo, a major Korean language daily...
commenting that while director Park takes his time in delivering the film's subdued climax, he "nevertheless displays an assured command of visual composition and emotional punctuation". It later opened publicly on 10 May 2007 with a limited screening in just ten theatres, accumulating a total of 4,025 admissions and grossing US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
28,737. Lead actor Kim Kang-woo was disappointed with the low level of distribution, and appeared at screenings by himself in an effort to promote the film.
In November 2007, The Railroad screened at the 25th Torino Film Festival
25th Torino Film Festival
The 25th Torino Film Festival was held 23 November – 1 December 2007 in Turin, Italy and was directed by Nanni Moretti.-Films in competition:*The Art of Negative Thinking *Away from Her...
in Italy, where it won the FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
award as well as Best Actor for Kim Kang-woo's performance. Although pleased to have won the award, Kim was more thrilled by the positive reaction from the Italian audience, noting that they responded to the film in much the same way as a Korean audience.