Modern Boy

This article is about the 2008 South Korean film. For the 1930s British magazine, see The Modern Boy. For Japanese fashion, see Modern girl.

Modern Boy (Korean: 모던 보이; RR: Modeon boi) is a 2008 South Korean period drama film written and directed by Jung Ji-woo. It follows a rich, hedonistic playboy (Park Hae-il) who cannot care less that his country was colonized, and falls head over heels in love with a beautiful independence fighter (Kim Hye-soo).

Modern Boy
Theatrical release poster
Hangul	모던 보이
RR	Modeon boi
MR	Modŏn poi
Directed by	Jung Ji-woo
Written by	Jung Ji-woo
Produced by	Kang Woo-suk
Starring	Park Hae-il Kim Hye-soo
Cinematography	Kim Tae-gyeong
Edited by	Eom Yun-ju Wang Su-an
Music by	Lee Jae-jin
Distributed by	CJ Entertainment
Release date	October 2, 2008 (2008-10-02)
Running time	121 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Box office	US$3.8 million[1]

Plot

In 1937, during the Japanese occupation, Lee Hae-myeong, a top-level secretary of the Government-General of Chōsen [ja; ko], becomes instantly captivated by a dancer named Jo Nan-sil, whom he sees for the first time at a secret club he visits with his best friend Shinsuke. After using all sorts of methods, he begins a dreamlike romance with her, but the happiness is short-lived. A lunchbox packed by Nan-sil explodes at the Government-General building, and she vanishes without a trace after ransacking Hae-myeong's home. Desperate to find her, Hae-myeong scours Gyeongseong, only to discover that Nan-sil is a woman of many names, many jobs, and even many lovers. Despite the mounting sense of danger, Haemyung cannot quell his longing for her.

Cast

• Park Hae-il as Lee Hae-myeong
• Kim Hye-soo as Jo Nan-sil
• Kim Nam-gil as Shinsuke Hidaka, Japanese detective
• Kim Joon-bae as Baek Sang-heo
• Kim Young-jae as Okai
• Shin Goo as Lee Hae-myeong's father
• Kwak Min-suk as Japanese detective
• Joo Seok-tae as Policeman
• Hong Seung-jin as Cheol-kwon
• Do Ji-won as Ishida Yoko
• Moon Won-joo as Detective

Release

Modern Boy was released in South Korea on 2 October 2008,^[2] and topped the box office on its opening weekend with 329,956 admissions.^[3] As of 26 October, the film had received a total of 761,090 admissions,^[2] and as of 9 November had grossed a total of $3,839,780.^[1]

Awards and nominations

2008 Blue Dragon Film Awards^[4]

• Technical Award - Insight Visual
• Nomination - Best Cinematography - Kim Tae-gyeong
• Nomination - Best Art Direction - Jo Sang-gyeong, Park Ju-yeong
• Nomination - Best Music - Lee Jae-jin

2008 Korean Film Awards

• Nomination - Best Art Direction - Jo Sang-gyeong, Park Ju-yeong
• Nomination - Best Music - Lee Jae-jin
• Nomination - Best Sound - Seo Yeong-jun

2009 Grand Bell Awards

• Nomination - Best Supporting Actor - Kim Nam-gil
• Nomination - Best Art Direction - Jo Sang-gyeong
• Nomination - Best Costume Design - Jo Sang-gyeong
• Nomination - Best Visual Effects - Kang Jong-ik, Son Seung-hyeon
• Nomination - Best New Actor - Kim Nam-gil

17th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards

• won - Best New Actor - Kim Nam-gil