''Coming Out'' () is a 2000 South Korean short film directed by

Kim Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon (; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a theater actor and director before debuting with his self-written and directed film, '' The Quiet Family'' in 1998. Kim has worked with incr ...

Plot

The film opens with a man being interviewed about his sister, who has recorded a video diary in which she makes a shocking confession to her friends and family. Purporting to be a true story, the bulk of the film is presented as a reconstruction of actual events. Hyun-joo announces to her younger brother Jae-min and his girlfriend Ji-eun that she has an important confession to make, and asks them to record it on video. After issuing an apology to her parents, she reveals that she has been hiding a painful secret and is not like normal people; she is in fact a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

. Jae-min and Ji-eun initially think she is playing a prank, but to prove her sincerity Hyun-joo bites into her wrist and starts to suck her own blood. She goes on to disclose further details of her life as a vampire, and dispels many of the common myths associated with the legend. Having heard of others like her overseas, she has decided to join a community of vampires living in England. Going out at night to attract less attention, Jae-min films his sister as she feeds on a young woman in a telephone box. He and Ji-eun later talk to the woman, who remains unharmed, and she tells them that the experience was not painful, likening the sensation to an

electric shock An electrical injury (electric injury) or electrical shock (electric shock) is damage sustained to the skin or internal organs on direct contact with an electric current. The injury depends on the Current density, density of the current, tissu ...

. The events prove to them that Hyun-joo is telling the truth. Some time later, Ji-eun visits Hyun-joo who is now living in England. Curious to know how it feels being bitten by a vampire, she asks Hyun-joo to suck her blood. Choosing the inside of her thigh, Hyun-joo begins to feed on her friend.

Cast

* Gu Hye-ju as Hyun-joo *

Shin Ha-kyun Shin Ha-kyun (; born May 30, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for his role in ''Joint Security Area'' (2000), followed by notable performances in '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' (2002), ''Save the Green Planet!'' (2003 ...

as Jae-min * Jang I-ji as Ji-eun * No Eul as Girl in telephone booth * Kim Il-woong as Interviewer *

Im Won-hee Im Won-hee (; born October 11, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Im was an alumnus of the legendary Daehak-ro theater troupe ''Mokhwa'' (), starring in many of Jang Jin's stage plays. He made his film debut in Jang's black comedy ''The Happenings' ...

as Tutor

Production

Kim Jee-woon wrote and directed ''Coming Out'' as part of a project to distribute three digital short films online. Commissioned by venture group Media 4M, the project also included shorts by

Jang Jin Jang Jin (born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director, theatre director, playwright, screenwriter, film producer, actor, and TV personality. Career Jang dreamed of becoming a musician in middle school, but his ambition changed when ...

and

Ryoo Seung-wan Ryoo Seung-wan (; born December 15, 1973) is a South Korean filmmaker. He made his debut in 1996 with the short film ''Dangerous Head'', then worked as a director under director Park Chan-wook, took film lessons, and made his feature film debut ...

.Paquet, Darcy.
Three comic filmmakers collaborate on digital film project
. ''Korean Film Newsletter #7'', 7 August 2000. Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved on 2 November 2008. ''Coming Out'' was shot with a Canon XL-1 camcorder during a time when digital filmmaking in South Korea was still in its infancy, and went on to inspire many other digital productions.

Release and critical response

''Coming Out'' was first broadcast online on 7 August 2000. In 2001 it was shown at the

Fantasia Festival Fantasia International Film Festival, also known as Fantasia Fest or simply Fantasia, is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. It focuses on fantasy, horror, sci-fi and cult genre films. Regular ...

, and a report for ''

Ain't It Cool News Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book proj ...

'' described the film as a "sexy and funny little short" with "a series of truly hilarious and unnerving scenes", also noting the "unmistakable overtones to the imagery" with regard to the final scene where Hyun-joo draws blood from her friend's thigh. Other festival screenings include the

Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (), or BiFan, formerly known as Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival or PiFan, is an international film festival held annually in July in Bucheon, South Korea. Inaugurated in 1997, the fe ...

in 2001, and the

Thessaloniki International Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) is a film festival held every November in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is organized by the Thessaloniki Film Festival under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture. It features internationa ...

in 2005. ''Coming Out'' was also included as a special feature on the UK DVD release of '' The Quiet Family'', and a review at ''DVDActive'' praised it as "delicate, cerebral and contemporary cinema at its most profound."Sarkar, Bodhi.
The Quiet Family – UK Region 0 (Tai Seng) vs HK Region 0 (Modern)
. ''DVDActive'', 10 September 2005. Retrieved on 2 November 2008.

References

External links