Han Jae-rim (born July 14, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed '' Rules of Dating'' (2005), ''

The Show Must Go On "The show must go on" is a phrase in show business, meaning that regardless of what happens, whatever show has been planned still has to be staged for the waiting patrons. There is no evidence to suggest that it is the abbreviation of a longer phra ...

'' (2007), '' The Face Reader'' (2013), '' The King'' (2017), and '' Emergency Declaration'' (2021).

Career

Born in 1975, Han Jae-rim graduated from

Seoul Institute of the Arts Seoul Institute of the Arts is a prominent educational institution specializing in the Arts located in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The school has nurtured many graduates who are actively working in art related fields within Korea as ...

in 1998. He began his filmmaking career in 2003 as an assistant director and script editor for Min Byung-chun's ''

Natural City ''Natural City'' () is a 2003 South Korean science fiction film, set in a dystopianNatural City Review

''. Han was the runner-up for Best Screenplay at the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) Screenplay Contest in 2003 with ''To Do or Not to Do'', which he had co-written with Go Yoon-hee. Retitled '' Rules of Dating'', it became his directorial debut in 2005. Featuring sexually frank dialogue between teacher colleagues played by

Park Hae-il Park Hae-il (born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with ''Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' and ''Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took off, ...

and

Kang Hye-jung Kang Hye-jung (born January 4, 1982) is a South Korean actress. Making her film debut in arthouse film '' Nabi'' (2001), she rose to stardom and critical acclaim in Park Chan-wook's 2003 revenge thriller '' Oldboy''. A rising star early in he ...

, the film explored controversial

gender politics Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon these i ...

, sexual harassment and moral relativism in a cynical and unsettling take on the

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

. ''Rules of Dating'' drew critical praise and became a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little prom ...

with 1.6 million admissions. Han won Best Screenplay at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, along with Best New Director at the Busan Film Critics Awards and the Grand Bell Awards. Han,

Kim Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon (; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Kim started out directing theater but has worked with increasing levels of success in cinema, showing accomplished acting and a detailed stylization in ...

and

Yim Pil-sung Yim Pil-sung (born May 13, 1972) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed ''Antarctic Journal'' (2005), ''Hansel and Gretel'' (2007), and ''Scarlet Innocence'' (2014). Career Short films Yim Pil-sung began directin ...

then signed on to each shoot a

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

for the omnibus ''

Doomsday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

'' in 2006. Han's segment "The Christmas Gift" was supposed to have been a

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

musical retelling of O. Henry's ''

The Gift of the Magi "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental ...

'', but it was never shot after financing fell through. The film was later released in 2012, but without Han's involvement (Kim and Yim co-directed the third short with a completely new script). In 2007, he wrote and directed his second film, ''

''. Starring Korea's top actor

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997 ...

as a mid-level

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

dealing with family and work troubles, Han injected off-kilter comedy and pathos into the Korean film noir genre. ''The Show Must Go On'' won Best Film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the

Korean Association of Film Critics Awards The Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (), also known as the Critics Choice Awards (), is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It was established in 1980 by the Korean Association of Film Critics (KAFC). The c ...

. Han entered pre-production for his purported third film, ''Trace'' in 2009. Based on the

webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...

of the same title, it follows a young man who wakes up from a coma with superpowers after an assault that took his father's life. But despite winning the Kodak Award (with a cash prize of ) at the

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festiv ...

's Pusan Promotion Plan, Han was unable to secure financing for the blockbuster, and the project was shelved. Six years after his last completed film, Han returned to the big screen in 2013 with

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

'' The Face Reader''. The film delved into the philosophical question whether character determines fate or vice versa, in a story about a Joseon fortuneteller skilled in

physiognomy Physiognomy (from the Greek , , meaning "nature", and , meaning "judge" or "interpreter") is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the genera ...

who becomes swept up in court intrigues and power struggles. Again starring Song Kang-ho as the titular character opposite

Lee Jung-jae Lee Jung-jae (; born December 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor and filmmaker. Considered one of the most successful actors in South Korea, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cri ...

as the ambitious Grand Prince Suyang, ''The Face Reader'' scored 9.1 million admissions at the local box office, making it the 13th highest grossing Korean film of all time. It won six trophies at the 50th Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Han. Han also produced Roh Deok's films ''

Very Ordinary Couple ''Very Ordinary Couple'' () is a 2013 South Korean romantic comedy film written and directed by Roh Deok (alternatively spelled Noh Deok), starring Kim Min-hee and Lee Min-ki as a recently separated couple who, being employees at the same bank, m ...

'' (2013) and ''Journalist'' (2015).

Filmography

*''

Natural City ''Natural City'' () is a 2003 South Korean science fiction film, set in a dystopianNatural City Review

'' (2003) - assistant director, script editor *'' Rules of Dating'' (2005) -

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, script editor *''

'' (2007) - director, screenwriter *''

'' (2013) - producer *'' The Face Reader'' (2013) - director, script editor *''Journalist'' (2015) - producer *'' The King'' (2017) - director, screenwriter *'' Emergency Declaration'' (2021) - director, screenwriter

Awards

*2005

26th Blue Dragon Film Awards The 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony was held on November 29, 2005 at the KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea. Hosted by actors Jung Joon-ho and Kim Hye-soo Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim was ...

: Best Screenplay ('' Rules of Dating'') *2005 6th Busan Film Critics Awards: Best New Director ('' Rules of Dating'') *2006 43rd Grand Bell Awards: Best New Director ('' Rules of Dating'') *2013 50th Grand Bell Awards: Best Director ('' The Face Reader'') *2017 54th Grand Bell Awards: Best Screenplay ('' The King'')

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Jae-rim 1975 births Living people South Korean film directors South Korean screenwriters South Korean film producers Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni People from Jeju Province