Epitaph (2007 film)

Epitaph (Korean: 기담; RR: Gidam) is a 2007 South Korean film directed by brothers Jung Sik and Jung Bum-shik. The film is a horror film set primarily in 1942, while Korea was under the colonial rule of Japan. It is framed by scenes set in 1979.

Epitaph
Hangul	기담
Hanja	奇談
RR	Gidam
MR	Kidam
Directed by	Jung Sik Jung Bum-shik
Written by	Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik
Produced by	Jang So-jeong
Starring	Jin Goo Kim Tae-woo Kim Bo-kyung Ko Joo-yeon
Cinematography	Yoon Nam-joo
Edited by	Kim Sang-bum Kim Jae-bum
Music by	Park Yeong-ran
Release date	August 1, 2007 (2007-08-01)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean、Japanese
Budget	US$2.8 million
Box office	US$4,443,849[1]

Plot

Dr. Park Jung-nam finds a photo album dating back to his days as an intern at the Ansaeng Hospital. This triggers memories of his life. In 1942, as a young medical intern, Jung-nam's arranged marriage ended when his fiancée, whom he had never met, committed suicide. Later he was assigned to monitor the morgue late at night. There he fell in love with a corpse, which is later revealed as the body of his deceased fiancée. Soon other mysterious events take place in the hospital, involving a young girl haunted by ghosts and a serial killer targeting Japanese soldiers.

Cast

• Kim Bo-kyung as Kim In-yeong
• Jin Goo as Park Jeong-nam
• Lee Dong-kyu as Lee Su-In
• Kim Tae-woo as Kim Dong-won
• Ko Joo-yeon as Asako
• Park Ji-a as mother
• David McInnis as father
• Kim Ju-hyeon as Aoi
• Kim Eung-soo as Akiyama
• Choi Jae-hwan as Jae-hwan
• Jeon Moo-song as Professor Park Jung-nam
• Choi Dae-woong as Professor Jung
• Jung Ji-ahn as Nurse Choi
• Ye Soo-jung as Director of Ansang Hospital
• Kong Ho-suk as Japanese General
• Son Young-soon as old woman
• Kim Ja-young as head nurse
• Uhm Tae-goo as Japanese soldier 1
• Son In-yong as Japanese soldier 2

Critical reception

The cinematography, directing and acting by horror film mainstays Kim Eung-soo and Ye Soo-jeong have earned the film praise as "visually as well as intellectually impressive, with some gorgeous cinematography and wonderfully composed shots,"^[2] and "a significant contribution to rehabilitating K-horror's international reputation."^[3]

Awards and nominations

2007 Blue Dragon Film Awards^[4][5]

• Best Cinematography: Yoon Nam-joo
• Best Art Direction: Kim Yu-jeong, Lee Min-bok
• Nomination - Best New Director: Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik
• Nomination - Best Lighting: Kim Ji-hoon
• Nomination - Technical Award: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum (Editing)

2007 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards

• Best New Director: Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik

2007 Korean Film Awards

• Nomination - Best Art Direction: Kim Yu-jeong, Lee Min-bok
• Nomination - Best Sound: Jang Gwang-su, Seo Yeong-jun
• Nomination - Best New Actress: Ko Joo-yeon

2007 Director's Cut Awards

• Best New Director: Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik

2008 Asian Film Awards

• Nomination - Best Art Direction: Kim Yu-jeong, Lee Min-bok

2008 Baeksang Arts Awards

• Nomination - Best New Director: Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik

2008 Grand Bell Awards

• Nomination - Best Music: Park Yeong-ran
• Nomination - Best Visual Effects: Kim Gwang-su

2008 Golden Cinematography Awards

• Best New Actor: Jin Goo