''Doomsday Book'' (; lit. "Report on the Destruction of Mankind") is a 2012

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film or a portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of three or more shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme, premise ...

directed by Kim Jee-woon and Yim Pil-sung. It tells three unique stories of human self-destruction in the modern high-tech era, while displaying an alternative form of genuine humanity and compassion. ''A Brave New World'' is a political satire about a viral zombie outbreak; ''The Heavenly Creature'' philosophizes on whether a robot can achieve enlightenment; and in ''Happy Birthday'' a dysfunctional family bonds in the midst of an apocalypse. It won the top prize at the 2012

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 ...

. The jury honored it with the Cheval Noir Award for best film for "its intelligence and originality."

Production

''Doomsday Book'' was originally conceived as a three-part

to be directed by Kim Jee-woon, Yim Pil-sung, and Han Jae-rim. Filming began on May 21, 2006, but shortly after Kim and Yim had shot their segments, financing fell apart and the film was put on hold. Han's third segment titled "The Christmas Gift" (a SF

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

retelling of O. Henry's

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

, about a woman's primal desires emerging when confronted with her last chance to survive after witnessing the end of the world) was never shot, and the two thirds remained unreleased. But in 2010 with backing from new investor TimeStory, shooting restarted quietly with Yim and Kim collaborating on a new third installment to the trilogy with Yim as the lead director and Kim in more of a "guest director" role. It was pre-sold to six countries at the Berlin Film Market and screened at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

Synopsis

A Brave New World

() Left alone after his parents go abroad on a holiday with his sister, geeky research scientist Yoon Seok-woo ( Ryoo Seung-bum) disposes of the accumulated rubbish in the family flat, which includes a rotten apple. Through the waste disposal system, the apple enters the food chain in the form of recycled feed for cows. Seok-woo and his date, Kim Yoo-min ( Go Joon-hee), end up eating the toxic beef during a barbecue one evening, and soon they and the rest of the population become flesh-eating

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...

s. Directed by Yim Pil-sung. Written by Yim Pil-sung, Lee Hwan-hee. Also starring Kim Roi-ha (as Seok-woo's father), Lee Kan-hee (as Seok-woo's mother), Hwang Hyo-eun (as Seok-woo's sister),

Ma Dong-seok Lee Dong-seok (; born March 1, 1971), better known by the stage names Ma Dong-seok () and Don Lee, is an American actor and film producer based in South Korea. He gained early recognition for his supporting roles in '' Nameless Gangster: Rules ...

(as a disorderly student), Jung Woo (as Joong-dong), Choi Deok-moon (as cook),

Kim Mu-yeol Kim Mu-yeol (; born May 22, 1982) is a South Korean actor. Following a successful career in musical theatre, Kim was first cast in minor parts on film and television. After gaining recognition for his performance in ''War of the Arrows'' (2011), ...

(as Ji-ho),

Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon Ho (, ; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean filmmaker. Bong Joon Ho filmography, His work is characterized by emphasis on social and class themes, genre fiction, genre-mixing, black comedy, dark comedy, and sudden tone shifts. ...

(as Lee Joon-ho), Park Ho-young (as Park Ho-young), and

Yoon Je-moon Yoon Je-moon (born March 9, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He appears in theater, film and television, notably in the movies ''The Man Next Door'' (2010) and '' Dangerously Excited'' (2012), and the TV series '' The End of the World'' (2013). ...

(as Joo Je-moon).

The Heavenly Creature

() Park Do-won (

Kim Kang-woo Kim Kang-woo (; born July 11, 1978), who debuted in 2002. He is known for his work in various fields such as movies, dramas, and theater, and is a graduate of Chung-Ang University's Department of Theater and Film. He is best known from his roles ...

), a young technician employed by robotics corporation UR International, is called out to check an RU-4 robot named In-myung (voiced by Park Hae-il) employed at a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

monastery. In-myung has become Buddhist and claims to have achieved enlightenment; the monks want to know whether he really is one or is just a robot with a technical glitch. Do-won gives In-myung a clean bill of technical health but says he is unqualified to do any more. Later, UR chairman Kang (Song Young-chang), and his team led by research executive Min (

Kim Seo-hyung Kim Seo-hyung (; born October 28, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her portrayal as the evil mistress Shin Ae-ri in the SBS revenge drama '' Temptation of Wife'' (2008) and as Coach Kim in the JTBC JTBC (shortened ...

), arrive at the monastery to decommission In-myung, on the grounds that he is an old series. Do-won and

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

Hye-joo ( Kim Gyu-ri) then try to save the robot from its imminent demise. Written and directed by Kim Jee-woon. Original story by Park Seong-hwan. Also starring Jo Yoon-hee (as Ji-eun), Lee Bong-gyu (as Monk Joo-ji), and Jung Jae-jin (as Spiritual Leader).

Happy Birthday

() Young Park Min-seo (

Jin Ji-hee Jin Ji-hee (; born March 25, 1999) is a South Korean actress. She began her career as a child actress, and is best known for her roles in the relationship drama '' Alone in Love'' (2006), the horror fairytale ''Hansel and Gretel'' (2007), the ...

) secretly orders a replacement 8 Ball from a strange website so her

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

-obsessed father ( Lee Seung-joon) and nerdy uncle Hwan ( Song Sae-byeok) won't notice she's damaged it. She throws the original ball out of the window and it drops down a hole in the street. Two years later, South Korea is threatened by an asteroid that looks exactly like a giant version of the 8 Ball. In their underground shelter, the family tries to cancel the order via the extraterrestrial website. Ten years later, the adult Min-seo ( Bae Doona) and her family emerge from their shelter. Directed by Yim Pil-sung. Written by Yim Pil-sung, Jang Jong-ah. Original story by Park Su-min. Also starring Yoon Se-ah (as Min-seo's mother),

Ryu Seung-soo Ryu Seung-soo (born August 12, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Ryu made his acting debut in 1997 with a minor role in Park Chan-wook's film ''Trio'', and has been active as a supporting actor on film and television since. Among his notable films ...

(as male newscaster), Lee Young-eun (as female newscaster Lee Eun-kyung), John Kim (as former

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

researcher), Kevin Lee (as Ministry of Science and Technology resource person), Oh Jae-min (as male home shopping channel host), Kim Ok-jin (as female home shopping channel host), Jung Chul (as home shopping model 1), Jo Seung-min (as home shopping model 2), Nam Yoon-young (as home shopping model 3), Go Joon-hee (as weather girl), Lee Kyung-ho (as signs scholar), and Lee Sang-joon (as Galaxy courier).

Awards and nominations

2012

* Cheval Noir Award

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Asian Film Awards The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Asian Film Awards Academy to recognise the excellence of the film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema. History On January 29, 2007, Wilfred Wong, the Chairman of Hong Kon ...

* Nomination - Best Visual Effects - Kwak Tae-yong, Hwang Hyo-kyun, Im Jung-hoon

References

External links

* * * * * {{Kim Jee-woon 2012 films 2012 science fiction films South Korean science fiction films South Korean zombie films Films about androids Films about impact events Films about Buddhism South Korean anthology films Films set in the future Films set in Seoul Films directed by Yim Pil-sung Films directed by Kim Jee-woon 2010s Korean-language films Lotte Entertainment films 2010s South Korean films