''Cobweb'' () is a 2023 South Korean

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Period (punctuation) * Era, a length or span of time *Menstruation, commonly referred to as a "period" Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (o ...

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film directed by

Kim Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon (; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a theater actor and director before debuting with his self-written and directed film, '' The Quiet Family'' in 1998. Kim has worked with incr ...

starring

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 ...

Im Soo-jung Im Soo-jung (; born July 11, 1979) is a South Korean actress and former model. After modeling for teen magazines, Im made her acting breakthrough in Kim Jee-woon's horror film ''A Tale of Two Sisters'' (2003), followed by the popular Korean dram ...

Oh Jung-se Oh Jung-se (; born February 26, 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his lead roles in the television series ''It's Okay to Not Be Okay'' (2020), ''Uncle'' (2021), ''Revenant'' (2023), ''Mr. Plankton'' (2024), and '' Good Boy'' ...

Jeon Yeo-been Jeon Yeo-been (; born Jeon Bo-young on July 26, 1989) is a South Korean actress. Jeon rose to prominence for her performance in the independent film '' After My Death'' (2018) which earned her the Actress of the Year Award at the 22nd Busan I ...

, and

Krystal Jung Chrystal Soo Jung (; born October 24, 1994), professionally known as Krystal Jung, is a South Korean and American singer and actress. She debuted in 2009 as a member of the South Korean girl group f(x) and has further participated in SM Enterta ...

. It premiered in the non-competitive section at the

2023 Cannes Film Festival The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2023. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund served as jury president. With the French film ''Anatomy of a Fall'' winning the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, Justine Triet became ...

. The film was released theatrically on September 27, 2023, coinciding with Korean Chuseok holidays.

Premise

In early 1970s Seoul, a film director Kim Ki-yeol is obsessed with the fact that the ending of his already wrapped film ''Cobweb'' would be better if remade. Two series of sequences alternate: scenes in colour depicting the events that happen while the crew is filming under constraints of time and censorship, with somehow reluctant actors, who have been asked to come back in emergency to the film studio for two days; and scenes in black-and-white, that are the results of these studio shooting scenes.

Cast

Main

as Kim-yeol : A movie director who is obsessed with the desire to make ''Cobweb'' into a masterpiece. Based on the motif of

Kim Ki-young Kim Ki-young (; October 10, 1919According to official documents, Kim was born in 1919. However, Kim insisted he was actually born in 1922. – February 5, 1998) was a South Korean film director, known for his intensely psychosexual and melo ...

. *

as Lee Min-ja : A veteran actress who plays Kang Ho-se's wife in ''Cobweb''. *

as Kang Ho-se : Popular playboy actor who is the male protagonist of ''Cobweb''. *

as Shin Mi-do : Person in charge of finance of Shin Sung Film, which produces ''Cobweb''. *

as Han Yu-rim : A new actress who is rapidly growing in popularity in ''Cobweb''.

Supporting

Jang Young-nam Jang Young-nam (; born November 25, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She began her career as an acclaimed actress in theater, then transitioned to supporting roles on television and film, notably in works by director Jang Jin. A member of Jang J ...

as Chairman Baek : A producer of ''Cobweb''. * Jung In-ki as Hunter : A long time colleague of Kim Ki-yeol. * Jang Nam-yeol as Park Joo-sa : A literary scholar who visits the filming site of ''Cobweb''. * Park Jung-soo as Mrs. Oh : Kim Ki-yeol's regular actress who says that she will appear only for money. * Shin Sung-pil as Mr. Baek : A producer of ''Cobweb''. * Kim Min-jae as Chief Kim * Kim Dong-young as an assistant director who worked with Kim Ki-yeol for a long time * Kim Joong-hee as Detective Gu

Special appearance

Jung Woo-sung Jung Woo-sung (; born April 22, 1973) is a South Korean actor. Jung started his career as a fashion model, rising to stardom with the gangster film ''Beat'' (1997). He went on to establish himself as a versatile actor, playing leading roles in a ...

as Shin Sang-ho :Film director who died in an unexpected accident. Based on the motif of

Shin Sang-ok Shin Sang-ok (; 1925 or 1926 – April 11, 2006), anglicized as Simon Sheen, was a South Korean filmmaker who directed 74 films in a career spanning over five decades. He is best known in South Korea for his efforts during the 1950s and 1960s, ...

Production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on March 8, 2022 and concluded on June 6, 2022.

Release

''Cobweb'' has been invited to the out of competition section of the 76th Cannes International Film Festival which premiered worldwide on May 25, 2023. The film was invited to the competition section of the

70th Sydney Film Festival The 70th annual Sydney Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 June 2023. Warwick Thornton's drama film ''The New Boy'' opened the festival and James Mangold's action adventure film ''Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'' was the closing film. A ...

. It will also screen in the Noves Visions section at the

56th Sitges Film Festival The 56th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia took place from 5 October to 15, 2023, in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. The supernatural horror film '' Sister Death'', directed by Paco Plaza, opened the festival. Argentine horror f ...

. The film has had a limited release in Australia on October 4 through Umbrella Entertainment and Dendy Cinemas. It was released in France on November 8, 2023.

Reception

Box office

As of October 14, 2023, the film has grossed at the local box office and accumulated 306,700 admissions from 209 screens.

Critical response

''Variety'' called the film a "frantic, flimsy moviemaking meta-farce".

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{Kim Jee-woon 2023 films 2023 black comedy films 2023 comedy-drama films South Korean black comedy films South Korean historical comedy-drama films Films about actors Films about films Films about filmmaking Films about film directors and producers Films set in studio lots Films set in the 1970s Metafictional works 2020s Korean-language films 2020s South Korean films Films directed by Kim Jee-woon