''Antarctic Journal'' is a 2005 South Korea

survival Survival or survivorship, the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things ...

psychological horror film In films and television series, psychological horror creates tension through exploiting the shared psychological and emotional vulnerabilities of the human psyche, differing from traditional horrors, where the source of the fear are material th ...

. It is the

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Debu ...

by director

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 directi ...

. The film mixes elements of

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

and classical

horror films Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

while showing the hardships met by a modern Korean

antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

expedition trying to reach the

pole of inaccessibility In geography, a pole of inaccessibility is the farthest (or most difficult to reach) location in a given landmass, sea, or other topographical feature, starting from a given boundary, relative to a given criterion. A geographical criterion of i ...

. The film generated some buzz before its release due to its large budget (over ) and notable cast, but wasn't a box office hit.

Plot

During their journey to the

Pole of Inaccessibility In geography, a pole of inaccessibility is the farthest (or most difficult to reach) location in a given landmass, sea, or other topographical feature, starting from a given boundary, relative to a given criterion. A geographical criterion of i ...

(POI), the remotest point of the Antarctic, the expedition of six men, led by Captain Choi Do-hyung, discovers a

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...

that was left behind by a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

expedition 80 years earlier. The journal was remarkably preserved in a box in the snow and Kim Min-jae, another member of the expedition, gets the job of examining it. It turns out that the two expeditions shared the same goal and soon other strange similarities between them start to show up. Will they make it to their destination before the sun goes down for the Antarctic winter?

Cast

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (; born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Regarded as one of the most influential actors in Korean cinema, he has appeared in critically acclaimed films across various genres. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, i ...

- Choi Do-hyung *

Yoo Ji-tae Yoo Ji-tae (; born April 13, 1976) is a South Korean actor. After a stint as a fashion model, Yoo launched his acting career in 1998 then rose to fame through the films '' Attack the Gas Station'' (1999) and '' Ditto'' (2000). In the succeeding ...

- Kim Min-jae *

Choi Deok-moon Choi Deok-moon (born 1970) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Film Theater References External links * * * Choi Deok-moonat Daum Choi Deok-moonat Naver Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Deok-moon 1970 births Livin ...

- Seo Jae-kyung * Kim Kyeong-ik - Yang Geun-chan *

Park Hee-soon Park Hee-soon (; born February 13, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He graduated with a Theater degree from Seoul Institute of the Arts, and was a member of the Mokwha Repertory Company from 1990 to 2001. He became active in film beginning 2002, ...

- Lee Young-min *

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). ...

- Sung-hoon *

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 ...

- Yoo-jin *

Sam Hammington Samuel Mayer Russ Hammington (born 31 July 1977) is a New Zealand-born Australian comedian who is primarily active in South Korea. Hammington hosted radio show ''Drivetime'' with Annabelle Ambrose from 2008 to 2012. He was a cast member of popul ...

- English expedition party (voice) *

Oh Hee-joon Oh Hee-joon is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Gangnam Beauty'', '' How to Buy a Friend'', '' 365: Repeat the Year'', '' Cheese in the Trap'' and ''All of Us Are Dead''. He also appeared in movies '' The Acc ...

as Person

Reception

Derek Elley Derek Elley (born ) is an American film and music critic and author, best known as the resident film critic for '' Variety'' until his departure in March 2010. With over 1200 reviews to his credit as of December 2014 on ''Rotten Tomatoes'', he spe ...

from ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote, "Some awesome widescreen lensing, with New Zealand convincingly repping the polar wastes, can't compensate for the dramatic emptiness of ''Antarctic Journal'', in which the script gets lost along with the explorers."

References

External links

* * *
Kyu Hyun Kim's review at Koreanfilm.org
2005 films 2000s adventure drama films South Korean adventure drama films South Korean mystery thriller films Films set in Antarctica Films shot in New Zealand Films directed by Yim Pil-sung Films with screenplays by Bong Joon Ho 2000s Korean-language films 2005 thriller films 2000s mystery thriller films Showbox films 2005 directorial debut films 2000s South Korean films {{2000s-SouthKorea-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links