Coin Locker Girl (Korean: 차이나타운; RR: Chainataun; lit. "Chinatown") is a 2015 South Korean film written and directed by Han Jun-hee, starring Kim Hye-soo, Kim Go-eun, Uhm Tae-goo with Park Bo-gum and Go Kyung-pyo.[3][4][5] It was selected to screen in the International Critics' Week section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[6][7]
Coin Locker Girl | |
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Directed by | Han Jun-hee |
Written by | Han Jun-hee |
Produced by | Ahn Eun-mi Cho Dong-ki |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Lee Chang-jae |
Edited by | Shin Min-kyung |
Music by | Jang Young-gyu Kim Sun |
Production company | Pollux Pictures |
Distributed by | CGV Arthouse[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
Box office | US$10.7 million[2] |
A baby is found abandoned inside a coin locker at Western Seoul train station in 1996. A beggar takes her and names her Il-young (Kim Go-eun), then when she turns 10, she is taken by the corrupt detective who sells her off to a woman referred to simply as Mother (Kim Hye-soo) as part of his loan payment. Mother is the boss of a loan shark and organ trafficking crime ring in Chinatown, Incheon; she has held on to her position of power by being dispassionate and calculating, and by keeping by her side only those of use to her. Mother decides to raise the young child after she shows toughness and smarts, eventually grooming her for a position in her organization as her personal debt collector. One day, Il-young is given a task to collect debt from Suk-hyun (Park Bo-gum), the son of a debtor. Over the course of a few days, she is initially taken aback by the boy who is not afraid of her and shows her kindness and openness from his own struggles from the past and current with unyielding spirit that she starts to develop special feelings for him. But when his father flees from the debt, Mother orders her to kill Suk-hyun. Il-young cannot go through with it. However, mother's other goons kills and harvests Suk-hyun. Il-young is beaten down and readied to be shipped for Japanese flesh trade. The only family she has ever known falls through the cracks of grief. Il-young escapes and makes her way back to mother, and kills her. Il-young pays respect to her adopted and murdered mother, and runs the business.
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
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2015 | 68th Cannes Film Festival | Caméra d'Or | Han Jun-hee | Nominated | |
19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival | Jury's Choice for Feature Film | Coin Locker Girl | Won | [8] [9] [10] | |
45th Giffoni Film Festival | Gryphon Award for Best Film (Generator 18+ section) | Won | |||
British Film Institute Certificate | Won | ||||
35th Golden Cinema Festival | Best Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Won | ||
2nd Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Won | ||||
24th Buil Film Awards | Nominated | ||||
Kim Go-eun | Nominated | ||||
Best Supporting Actor | Uhm Tae-goo | Nominated | |||
Best New Director | Han Jun-hee | Nominated | |||
35th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Won | [11] | |
Best New Director | Han Jun-hee | Nominated | |||
Top 10 Films of the Year | Coin Locker Girl | Won | |||
52nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated | ||
Best New Director | Han Jun-hee | Nominated | |||
36th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated | ||
Best New Director | Han Jun-hee | Nominated | |||
Best Art Direction | Lee Mok-won | Nominated | |||
2016 | 11th Max Movie Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated | |
10th Asian Film Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
52nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Uhm Tae-goo | Nominated | |||
Best New Actor | Go Kyung-pyo | Nominated | |||
Park Bo-gum | Nominated | ||||
Best New Director | Han Jun-hee | Won | |||
21st Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Won |