''Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet'' () is a 2016 South Korean black-and-white biographical period

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Lee Joon-ik and written by Shin Yeon-shick, starring Kang Ha-neul as the titular character, and Park Jeong-min. It was released in South Korea on February 17, 2016.

Plot

During the Japanese colonial period, when names, language, and dreams were forbidden, Dong-ju and Mong-gyu, cousins of the same age, were born and raised together. Dong-ju, a young man who dreams of becoming a poet, sees Mong-gyu, who acts fearlessly for his beliefs, as both his closest friend and a figure difficult to surpass. The two leave their chaotic homeland to pursue studies in Japan, which forces them to adopt Japanese names. There, Mong-gyu becomes even more devoted to the independence movement, while Dong-ju continues to write poetry, mourning the tragedy of their times. This deepens the conflict between them, as Mong-gyu is driven by action, while Dong-ju expresses his despair through words.

Cast

* Kang Ha-neul as Yun Dong-ju * Park Jeong-min as Song Mong-gyu *Kim In-woo as Detective * Choi Hee-seo as Kumi * Shin Yoon-jo as Lee Yeo-jin * Min Jin-woong as Kang Cheo-Joong *Choi Hong-Il as Dong-Ju's father * Lee Bit-na as Yun Dong-Ju's younger sister * Moon Sung-keun as Jeong Ji-yong

Reception

The film was fifth placed on its opening weekend in South Korea, grossing .

Awards and nominations

References

{{Lee Joon-ik Films directed by Lee Joon-ik South Korean black-and-white films 2016 biographical drama films South Korean biographical drama films Biographical films about writers Biographical films about poets Films set in Korea under Japanese rule 2016 drama films 2016 films 2010s South Korean films Films about the Korean independence movement Plus M Entertainment films