''Cassiopeia'' () is a 2022 South Korean

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film, directed by

Shin Yeon-shick Shin Yeon-shick (born 1976) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He directed '' The Fair Love'' (2010), '' The Russian Novel'' (2013), '' Rough Play'' (2013), ''Romans 8:37'' (2017), and ''Cassiopeia'' (2022), as well as wrote the s ...

and starring

Ahn Sung-ki Ahn Sung-ki (; born January 1, 1952) is a South Korean actor. One of the country's most respected actors, he has appeared in more than 130 films during his career of over 60 years. He received Bog-wan Order of Cultural Merit in 2005 Culture Day. ...

Seo Hyun-jin Seo Hyun-jin (; born February 27, 1985) is a South Korean actress and singer. Seo debuted as the vocalist of South Korean girl group M.I.L.K. in 2001 and continued until the group disbanded in 2003. She contributed songs as a solo artist after ...

and

Joo Ye-rim Joo Ye-rim (; born on 11 October 2011) is a South Korean child actress. She began her acting career in 2018, with TV series ''Mistress'' since then, she has appeared in number of television series and films. She is known for her roles as child ...

. The film is about dementia in which a daughter loses her memory due to

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

, and lives a new life with her father. It was released theatrically on June 1, 2022.

Synopsis

Cassiopeia Cassiopeia or Cassiopea may refer to: Greek mythology * Cassiopeia (mother of Andromeda), queen of Aethiopia and mother of Andromeda * Cassiopeia (wife of Phoenix), wife of Phoenix, king of Phoenicia * Cassiopeia, wife of Epaphus, king of Egy ...

is the brightest constellation and is located next to the

North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude t ...

. The W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia circle around North Star in a period of 23 hours and 56 minutes. The North Star is a constellation that usually finds a way (used for navigation), it means the Cassiopeia as its parent constellation floats during the day next to the constellation that finds a way. "Cassiopeia, thus, is an important guide to finding the North Star. When you get lost, you can use Cassiopeia to find the North Star and then use the North Star to determine the direction. The same is true of the meaning of family in the work. Like the North Star, it doesn't tell you the direction of life directly, but like Cassiopeia, it indirectly supports and protects you. It implies that family is always by your side and silently protecting you when you lose your way in life." Su-jin is a successful lawyer. After her divorce, she is having a perfect life as a lawyer and mother. She is preparing her daughter, Gina, to study in the United States. Her father In-woo lives with them and takes care of her granddaughter. She is suddenly diagnosed with Alzheimer's after a car accident. Her father protects her staying by her side as she starts gradually turning into a young child due to loss of memory and a loving accompaniment begins.

Cast

as In-woom, Su-jin's father *

as Su-jin, a lawyer who lost all her memories due to Alzheimer's disease *

as Gina, Su-jin's daughter

Production

In June, 2021 the cast of the film, tentatively titled as ''Dementia'' was confirmed as

and

. The film directed by

was expected to start filming in second half of 2021. With this film Shin Yeon-shick has made a comeback after 2017 film ''Romans 8:37''. Seo Hyun-jin is working in a film after four years, since her last film was '' Because I Love You'' in 2017. Principal photography of the film began on September 9, 2021.

Release and reception

The film was released on 175 screens on June 1, 2022, in South Korea.

Box office

As per

Korean Film Council The Korean Film Council (KOFIC; ) is a state-supported, self-administered organization under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (South Korea), Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea. History KOFIC was la ...

(Kofic) integrated computer network, the film opened at 6th place with 5,344 admissions on the Korean box office. it is at the 29th place among all the Korean films released in the year 2022 in South Korea, with gross of US$148,789 and 22,149 admissions.

Critical response

Kim Na-yeon of Star News reviewing the film praised the performance of the actors Seo Hyun-jin, Ahn Seong-gi and Joo Ye-rim, writing, "thanks to the brilliant performances of the actors." But, other than that Kim didn't find any hold in the film. Kim concluded, "However, it is a pity that there is no particular strength other than the acting of the actors." Lee Yoo-chae of

Cine21 ''Cine21'' is a South Korean film magazine published by ''The Hankyoreh'' newspaper. The magazine was first published on 24 April 1995 in Seoul, and subsequent issues have continued to be released weekly. The first editor-in-chief An editor-in ...

described the film as "parenting journal written by a man who has had a chance to make up for his failures as a father." Lee praised the performance of Seo Hyun-jin writing, "actress Seo Hyun-jin shows off her challenging acting in her first movie starring role." Concluding, Lee revealed that for ''Cassiopeia'' director Shin Yeon-sik got the idea from the similar relationship between Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway in '' The Intern'' so for the director due to his relationship with Ahn Sung-ki, "''Cassiopeia'' had to be the story of a woman who has her father as Ahn Sung-ki." Park Jin-young reviewing for Joy News 24 wrote about the film, "The movie captures the situation of Alzheimer's patients and their families, as well as their companionship, with a calm gaze without exaggeration or belief." Park praised the performances of Seo Hyun-jin, writing, "Seo Hyun-jin's passionate performance, which solidly depicts various roles and swirling emotions, from lawyers to maternal love to Alzheimer's, draws admiration," and Ahn Sung-ki, writing, "Ahn Sung-ki leads the play stably with a heavy presence and deep eyes."

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{IMDb title, 20918806 2022 films 2022 drama films 2020s Korean-language films South Korean drama films South Korean films about Alzheimer's disease Films about father–daughter relationships Films directed by Shin Yeon-shick