''Beautiful Days'' () is a 2018 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 ...

starring Lee Na-young,

Jang Dong-yoon Jang Dong-yoon (; born July 12, 1992) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his Leading actor, leading roles in the popular television series ''School 2017'' (2017), ''The Tale of Nokdu'' (2019), ''Search (South Korean TV series), Searc ...

and

Oh Kwang-rok Oh Kwang-rok (born August 28, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Theater References External links Oh Kwang-rokat SidusHQ iHQ Inc., doing business as SidusHQ () is one of the leading tale ...

. The film premiered as the opening film of the 23rd edition of the

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF; ), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae District, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held fro ...

on October 4, 2018. It was released in theaters on November 21, 2018.

Plot

The film follows the life of a

North Korean defector People defect from North Korea for political, material, and personal reasons. Defectors flee to various countries, mainly South Korea. In South Korea, they are referred to by several terms, including "northern refugees" and "new settlers". To ...

who gives birth to a son at a young age and abandons her husband and child for a better life abroad. The hidden past is revealed after fourteen years when the grown-up son visits her.

Cast

* Lee Na-young as Mother *

as Zhen Chen *

as Zhen Chen's father *Lee Yoo-jun as Pimp *Seo Hyun-woo *Lee Jung-joon

Production

''Beautiful Days'' is director Jéro Yun's debut feature film and lead actress Lee Na-young's first film in 5 years. The film began production on October 31, 2017. Filming wrapped on November 26, 2017.

Reception

In ''

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), ...

'', Peter Debruge says, " Lee Na-young impresses as a North Korean woman tracked down by her long-since-abandoned son". Reviewing it for

Screendaily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned ''Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involve ...

, Wendy Ide noted the film as being structurally a little over-complicated, but still is an impressive drama which feels convincingly rooted in real lives and stories. Clarence Tsui of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' writes, "''Beautiful Days'' certainly lives up to its title with its mesmerizing imagery and very polished production values. But it is weighed down by a clichéd narrative and simplistic moral binaries".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beautiful Days 2018 films 2018 drama films South Korean drama films 2018 directorial debut films Films about North Korean defectors 2010s South Korean films 2010s Korean-language films Korean-language drama films