Bedevilled (Korean: 김복남 살인사건의 전말; Hanja: 金福南 殺人事件의 顚末; RR: Kim Bok-nam Salinsageonui Jeonmal; lit. "The Whole Story of the Kim Bok-nam Murder Case") is a 2010 South Korean horror film starring Seo Young-hee and Ji Sung-won. The film premiered as an official selection of International Critics' Week at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
Bedevilled | |
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![]() Theatrical poster | |
Hangul | 김복남 살인사건의 전말 |
Hanja | 金福南 殺人事件의 顚末 |
Revised Romanization | Kim Bok-nam salinsageonui jeonmal |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Pok-nam sarinsakŏnŭi jŏnmal |
Directed by | Jang Cheol-soo |
Written by | Choi Kwang-young |
Produced by | Park Kyu-young |
Starring | Seo Young-hee Ji Sung-won |
Cinematography | Kim Gi-tae |
Edited by | Kim Mi-joo |
Music by | Kim Tae-seong |
Distributed by | Sponge ENT |
Release dates |
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Running time | 115 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
Budget | US$636,363 |
Box office | US$1.1 million[1] |
It is the feature directorial debut of Jang Cheol-soo, who worked as an assistant director on the Kim Ki-duk films Samaritan Girl and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring.[2] The film was a runaway hit in Korea, with the box-office returns far exceeding its ₩700 million (US$636,363) budget.[3]
Hae-won works in a Seoul bank. A stern, tense woman, her work status and hyper competitive mentality make her apathetic to the plight of other people. After witnessing violence against a woman resulting in the death of the victim, she refuses to identify the culprit because it's not her problem, even after the offender tries to sexually harass her. In the office, she is accidentally locked in the toilet by the janitor and assumes it's one of her co-workers pranking her. She slaps her co-worker in public, realizing she is wrong right after. These incidents cause her boss to fire her. Hae-won takes up a friend's offer to take a vacation in Mudo, a desolate and socially-backward Southern island where she spent her childhood.
At the island, she is warmly welcomed by Bok-nam, with whom she had a close friendship when they were teenagers, but whose constant letters she's since ignored. Life on the undeveloped regressive island is hard, and Bok-nam is treated as little more than a slave by her abusive husband Man-jong, his lustful brother, and the local mean women. Bok-nam's love is reserved for her young daughter Yeon-hee, with whom she tries to escape for a better life. Man-jong is secretly making Yeon-hee into a sexual object for his own sick pleasure much to Bok-man's rage. Her daughter is accidentally killed after she tries to defend her mother against Man-Jong. Bok-nam cries and reveals that Yeon-Hee may not be his daughter as Bok-nam was raped by many men on the island before. In a flashback, it's revealed that Hae-won was teaching Bok-nam how to play a tune on her recorder when four local boys on the island began harassing them. Hae-won fled and witnessed the boys assault the knocked-out Bok-nam.
The locals lie to police when questioned about the death of Yeon-hee and Hae-won does not support Bok-nam. Bok-nam finally snaps and kills anyone she finds, armed with a sickle. After murdering three mean old women, she chases her mother-in-law to the cliff. The old woman tries to jump into the sea but lands on the rock, killing herself. Bok-nam then decapitates her brother-in-law. Man-jong decides to kill Bok-nam, causing Hae-won to snap out of her apathy and threaten to call the police. Eventually, Bok-nam brutally finishes off Man-jong. Terrified, Hae-won runs to the boat to escape but Bok-nam catches up and drowns the boat driver for letting her husband keep abusing her, leaving Hae-won to escape to the mainland.
Bok-nam travels to Seoul with the recorder from their childhood and tries to kill Hae-won in police custody because she refused to help her or her daughter. It is revealed that Hae-won did witness Yeon-hee's murder and had lied to the investigator about being asleep. A policeman shoots Bok-nam multiple times. Bok-nam kills him with a sledgehammer. Hae-won kills Bok-nam with the broken recorder; she dies in Hae-won's lap. On the island, all the murdered victims have been buried and cremated by Bok-nam, leaving the island void of human life.
Traumatized and guilt-ridden, Hae-won realizes the repercussion of her apathy and points out the culprits of the sexual assault she'd witnessed to the police. She takes Bok-nam's letters out of the trashcan and reads them, regretting not helping Bok-nam when she had the chance.[4][5][6][7]
2010 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival[8][9]
2010 Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival[10]
2010 Fantastic Fest[11]
2010 AFI Fest[12]
2010 Grand Bell Awards[13]
2010 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards
2010 Korean Film Awards[14]
2010 Director's Cut Awards
2011 KOFRA Film Awards (Korea Film Reporters Association)
2011 Gerardmer International Fantastic Film Festival
2011 Fantasporto Oporto International Film Festival[15][16]
2011 Imagine: Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival[17]
2011 Golden Cinematography Awards