''Blood Rain'' () is a 2005

South Korean film The cinema of South Korea refers to the film industry of South Korea from 1945 to present. South Korean films have been heavily influenced by such events and forces as the Japanese occupation of Korea, the Korean War, government censorship, t ...

. A murder mystery set in 1808, it touches on historical prejudice against Roman Catholicism in the Joseon Kingdom. Although primarily a period thriller, director Kim Dae-seung weaves together an unconventional mix of styles—a puzzle-box mystery plot traditionally associated with detective fiction, class-conscious social commentary, lush cinematography, sets and costume design, and a flair for gore.

Plot

It is 1808 on Donghwa Island, a small island with a technologically advanced paper mill. The presence of the mill has spawned a bustling village, and given its townspeople a certain degree of wealth. With climate and trees perfectly suited for papermaking—and a location remote enough to ensure both privacy and secrecy—the island has established a profitable business in high quality paper, with trade routes stretching as far away as China. This isolated and largely autonomous island begins to be plagued by a string of gruesome murders. However, it's not just the mounting death toll that is causing residents to worry, but the sadistic, methodical way in which the victims were killed. With the killer still on the loose, the government sends in special investigator Wonkyu to crack the case. While conducting his dogged investigation, he soon uncovers myriad hidden secrets, tracing the murders back to an incident that occurred some seven years earlier, in which the former owner of the mill was executed for practicing Catholicism. The townspeople, for their part, are convinced that the dead man's ghost has come back for revenge. As the young officer digs deeper into the island's dark past, Wonkyu discovers that there may be something even more frightening than the murders or the murderer—a truth that will make him question the depths of human nature.

Cast

* Cha Seung-won as Wonkyu * Park Yong-woo as In-kwon *

Ji Sung Ji Sung (born Kwak Tae-geun on 27 February 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas '' All In'' (2003), '' Save the Last Dance for Me'' (2004), ''New Heart'' (2007), ''Protect the Boss'' (2011), ' ...

as Du-ho *

Yoon Se-ah Yoon Se-ah (born January 2, 1978) is a South Korean actress best known for her roles in '' The City Hall'', ''Wife Returns'', ''A Gentleman's Dignity'', ''Stranger'', '' Sky Castle'', and '' Snowdrop''. Yoon was paired with Korean-French-Canadian ...

as So-yeon *

Choi Ji-na Choi Ji-na (born May 17, 1975) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1995, and became best known as a supporting actress in television dramas, notably ''My Rosy Life'' (2005), ''A Happy Woman'' (2008), and ''My Too Perfect So ...

as Manshin *

Oh Hyun-kyung Oh Hyun-kyung (born Oh Sang-ji on March 25, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Career Oh Sang-ji won the 1989 Miss Korea beauty pageant, and represented her country at the Miss Universe 1990 pageant. She immediately rose to stardom. Using the s ...

as Kim Chi-sung * Choi Jong-won as Royal emissary Choi * Chun Ho-jin as Commission agent Kang

Awards and nominations

;2005

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the early ...

* Best Film * Best Director – Kim Dae-seung * Best Supporting Actor – Park Yong-woo * Best Cinematography – Choi Young-hwan * Best Editing – Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum * Best Lighting – Kim Sung-kwan * Technical Award – Shin Jae-ho ; 2005 Grand Bell Awards * Best Art Direction – Min Eon-ok * Best Costume Design – Jung Kyung-hee * Nomination – Best Film * Nomination – Best Director – Kim Dae-seung * Nomination – Best Supporting Actor – Park Yong-woo * Nomination – Best Original Screenplay – Lee Won-jae * Nomination – Best Cinematography – Choi Young-hwan * Nomination – Best Editing – Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum * Nomination – Best Lighting – Kim Sung-kwan * Nomination – Best Planning – Kim Mi-hee * Nomination – Best Visual Effects – Han Tae-jeong (Insight Visual), Jeong Do-an (Demolition), Shin Jae-ho (Mage) ; 2005 Blue Dragon Film Awards * Technical Award – Shin Jae-ho (Special Make-up Effects) * Nomination – Best Film * Nomination – Best Director – Kim Dae-seung * Nomination – Best Supporting Actor – Park Yong-woo * Nomination – Best Cinematography – Choi Young-hwan * Nomination – Best Lighting – Kim Sung-kwan * Nomination – Best Art Direction – Min Eon-ok ;2005 Korean Film Awards * Best Supporting Actor – Park Yong-woo * Best Art Direction – Min Eon-ok * Best Visual Effects – Shin Jae-ho * Best Sound – Kim Suk-won, Kim Chang-seop * Nomination – Best Director – Kim Dae-seung * Nomination – Best Supporting Actress –

* Nomination – Best New Actress –

* Nomination – Best Screenplay – Lee Won-jae * Nomination – Best Cinematography – Choi Young-hwan * Nomination – Best Music – Jo Yeong-wook ;2006

Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival The , also sometimes called YIFFF, is held in a resort-like environment in the small town of Yūbari on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō. From 1990 to 1999, the festival was known as the Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Fil ...

* Grand Prize ; 2006

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

* Best Film * Nomination – Best Actor – Cha Seung-won * Nomination – Best Screenplay – Lee Won-jae ;2006 Brisbane International Film Festival *

NETPAC The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) is a worldwide organization of 29 member countries. It was created as the result of a conference on Asian cinema organized by Cinemaya, the Asian Film Quarterly, in New Delhi in 1990 at the ins ...

Award

References

External links

* * * * {{Paeksang Arts Award Best Film 2005 films 2000s mystery thriller films 2000s serial killer films South Korean mystery thriller films South Korean serial killer films Police detective films Films set in 1808 Films set in the Joseon dynasty Films directed by Kim Dae-seung Cinema Service films 2000s Korean-language films South Korean historical thriller films 2000s South Korean films