''A Normal Family'' () is a 2023 South Korean

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

Hur Jin-ho Hur Jin-ho (; born August 8, 1963) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Hur graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in philosophy and went on to study filmmaking at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. His first steps as ...

and written by Park Eun-kyo and Park Joon-seok, based on the 2009 novel '' The Dinner'' by

Herman Koch Herman Koch (; born 5 September 1953) is a Dutch writer and actor. He has written short stories, novels, and columns. His best-selling novel '' The Dinner'' (2009) has been translated into 21 languages. He has acted for radio, television, and fi ...

. It is the fourth

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of the novel, following the 2013 Dutch film '' Het Diner'', the 2014 Italian film ''I nostri ragazzi'', and the 2017 American film '' The Dinner''. The film stars

Sul Kyung-gu Sul Kyung-gu (; born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Upon his graduation in 1994, he appeared in numerous theatrical productions, such as the hit Korean adaptation of the German rock musical '' Subway Line 1'', and productions of Sam Shep ...

Jang Dong-gun Jang Dong-gun (born March 7, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films ''Friend'' (2001) and '' Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War'' (2004). Jang is one of the highest-paid actors and celebrity endorsers in ...

Kim Hee-ae Kim Hee-ae (; born April 23, 1967) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in Korean dramas such as ''Sons and Daughters'' (1992), ''Perfect Love'' (2003), '' My Husband's Woman'' (2007), '' How Long I've Kissed'' (201 ...

, and

Claudia Kim Kim Soo-hyun (; born 25 January 1985), better known by the stage name Claudia Kim, is a South Korean actress and model. She has appeared in Western films such as ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'' (2015), ''The Dark Tower (2017 film), The Dark Tower'' ...

. It centres on two wealthy families who meet for dinner to discuss and decide how to handle a violent crime committed by their children. The film premiered at the

2023 Toronto International Film Festival The 48th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 7 to 17, 2023.Victoria Ahearn"TIFF reveals new programmers and other 2023 festival details" '' Playback'', April 20, 2023. The most noted change from past years was tha ...

on September 14, 2023, and was released in South Korea on October 9, 2024.

Plot

Jae-wan is a successful lawyer who is hired to defend a wealthy executive's son who intentionally killed a man and severely injured the man's daughter. Jae-wan's younger brother, Jae-gyu, is a principled

paediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their yout ...

who prioritizes his patients' health over personal gain and profit. The brothers and their wives meet monthly and enjoy luxurious meals at high-end restaurants, but when they learn of a violent crime committed by their teenagers, it challenges their

moral values Morality () is the categorization of intentions, decisions and actions into those that are ''proper'', or ''right'', and those that are ''improper'', or ''wrong''. Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduc ...

and changes the tone of their usual dinner discussions. As the situation escalates, their seemingly close brotherly bond starts to fade.

Cast

as Yang Jae-wan *

as Yang Jae-gyu *

as Lee Yeon-kyung *

as Ji-su * Hong Ye-ji as Hye-yoon * Kim Jung-chul as Yang Si-ho * Byun Joong-hee as Jae-wan and Jae-gyu's mother * Choi Ri as Seon-ju *

Yoo Su-bin Yoo Su-bin (born 6 November 1992) is a South Korean actor. Career Yoo made his drama debut in ''Prison Playbook'' in 2017, as Yang Jung-suk, who was involved in the back story of Jung Hae-in's character. In 2019, he had a major supporting r ...

as Hyung-cheol * Yoo In-sun as Na-rae's father

Release

The film was officially invited to the Gala Presentation section of the 48th Toronto International Film Festival, where it was screened on September 14, 2023 worldwide, and was invited to 19 overseas film festivals, including the 26th Udine Far East Film Festival, the 18th

London Korean Film Festival The Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) is a branch of the South Korean Korean Cultural Centers that first opened on 31 January 2008 just off London's Trafalgar Square. Exhibitions The KCCUK holds regular exhibitions at its centre throughout the ...

, the 35th

Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 19 ...

, and the 26th

Taipei Film Festival The Taipei Film Festival (TFF; ) is a film festival promoted by the city of Taipei, Taiwan, through the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Taipei City Government. It was first held in 1998, from September 28 to October 5. Currently chaired by ...

. It won Best Screenplay Award at the Director's Fortnight at the 44th Fantasporto International Film Festival and the Screenplay Award at the 39th Mons International Film Festival. It had domestic premiere in the 'Korean Cinema Today - Special Premiere' at the

29th Busan International Film Festival The 29th Busan International Film Festival () opened on October 2 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, with South Korean film ''Uprising (2024 film), Uprising'' by Kim Sang-man, and screened 278 films from 63 countries, including 224 officially ...

in October 2024, before its release in theaters.

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Normal Family, A 2023 drama films 2020s Korean-language films 2020s South Korean films Films about brothers Films about dysfunctional families Films about juvenile delinquency Films about parent–child relationships Films about violence Films based on Dutch novels Films directed by Hur Jin-ho South Korean drama films