Doomsday Book
In-lyu-myeol-mang-bo-go-seo
2012 · South Korea · 109 min
- Director
- Kim Ji-woon, Yim Pil-sung
- Screenplay
- Kim Ji-woon, Yim Pil-sung
- Music
- Mowg
- Cinematography
- Kim Ji-yong
What the critics say
80 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviewsCast
What it is about
Three self-contained stories make up this South Korean science-fiction anthology. In the first, a lonely young researcher throws out some rotten waste, and it ends up in the food chain with unexpected results. In the second, a technician is sent to a Buddhist monastery to check a robot that claims to have reached enlightenment. The third follows a family that must take refuge underground when a threat arrives from space.
How it was made
Conceived as a trilogy with three directors, Kim Jee-woon, Yim Pil-sung and Han Jae-rim, filming began in 2006, but financing collapsed and the project was shelved. Han's segment was never shot. In 2010, with a new investor, production resumed, with Yim as lead director and Kim in a guest role. The film was pre-sold to six countries at the Berlin market.
Reception and legacy
It won the top prize at the 2012 Fantasia Festival and the Cheval Noir for best film, which the jury praised for its intelligence and originality. At the 2013 Asian Film Awards it earned a nomination for best visual effects.
Stills
Trivia
An unfilmed episode
Han Jae-rim's third segment, a science-fiction musical based on an O. Henry story, was never shot.
Pre-sales
Before it was finished, the film was pre-sold to six countries at the Berlin market and screened at Cannes.
More films by Kim Ji-woon
The Last Stand
I Saw the Devil
A Tale of Two Sisters
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
A Bittersweet Life
The Age of ShadowsOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.