''Set Me Free'' () is a 2014 South Korean

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English p ...

coming-of-age film Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

directed by

Kim Tae-yong Kim Tae-yong (born December 9, 1969) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. After his feature directorial debut ''Memento Mori'' (1999), he helmed the critically acclaimed ''Family Ties'' (2006), and the English-language remake '' Lat ...

Choi Woo-shik Choi Woo-shik (; born March 26, 1990) is an South Korean-Canadian actor based in South Korea. He first gained widespread recognition for his leading role in the film '' Set Me Free'' (2014). He then co-starred in the films '' Train to Busan'' (20 ...

won Actor of the Year at the

19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festiv ...

, where the film also received the Citizen Critics' Award. ''Set Me Free'' was released in theaters on November 13, 2014, and drew 23,979 admissions.In South Korea, an

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

that reaches 10,000 admissions is already considered a success.

Plot

Yeong-jae grew up at Isaac's Home, a

group home A group home, congregate living facility, or care home (the latter especially in British English and Australian English) is a residence model of medical care for those with complex health needs. Traditionally, the model has been used for childre ...

where he was entrusted as a child by his immature and reckless father. Now a sixteen-year-old high school student, he is told that he is now too old to remain at the group home. Yeong-jae will do anything than return to his father, so to extend his stay, he lies that he wants to become a priest and enter a Catholic boarding school. In fact, Yeong-jae doesn't believe in God, having learned to rely only on himself, and even secretly steals then resells donated goods. To show his religious faith, he attends mass regularly while fawning over the facility director and curate. Beom-tae, Yeong-jae's only friend at the home, disapproves of this insincerity, but he also understands since he himself has reached the home's maximum age. Having found nowhere else to go, Yeong-jae gets so desperate to stay that in the face of the director's growing suspicion of him, Yeong-jae turns his back on Beom-tae. Then one day, his father visits the group home, this time to leave his younger brother Min-jae there, and Yeong-jae's rage and despair reaches its breaking point.

Cast

as Yeong-jae * Kim Su-hyeon as Chang-won *Jang Yoo-sang as Min-jae *Kang Shin-chul as Director *

Shin Jae-ha Shin Jae-ha (born April 2, 1993) is a South Korean actor. Personal life Military service Shin enlisted in the mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people ...

as Beom-tae *

Park Joo-hee Park Joo-hee is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as '' Tomorrow, with You'', '' The Ghost Detective'', '' My Golden Life'', '' Watcher'' and '' Happiness''. She also appeared in movies '' Set Me Free'', '' Illan ...

as Yoon-mi *Lee Min-ah as Chang-won's mother-in-law *Park Keun-rok as Curate *Park Myung-shin as Yoon-mi's mother *

Kim Jae-hwa Kim Jae-hwa (born September 1, 1980) is a South Korean actress. Career Kim made her acting debut in 2009 in the film ''Harmony'' and she started to gain recognition following her role as Deng Yaping, Chinese champion of table tennis comp ...

as Yeong-jae's mother *Seo Gil-ja as Yeong-jae's aunt *

Yang Ik-june Yang Ik-june (born October 19, 1975) is a South Korean actor and film director. He is best known for the 2009 film ''Breathless'', which he wrote, directed, edited, and starred in. Career Born in Seoul in 1975, Yang graduated from the Departmen ...

as Beom-tae's father *Yoon Seung-hoon as Homeroom teacher *

Bang Eun-jung Bang Eun-jung is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''The Sensible Life of Director Shin'', ''My Roommate Is a Gumiho ''My Roommate Is a Gumiho'' () is a 2021 South Korean television drama series starring ...

as Choir member *

Lee Jae-joon Lee Jae-joon (born 20 October 1990) is a South Korean actor and model. Lee received favourable reviews for his first lead coming-of-age film '' Night Flight'' (2014) for which he was nominated Best New Actor at the 2nd Wildflower Film Awards a ...

as Preacher

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * *{{HanCinema film, Set_Me_Free, Set Me Free 2010s coming-of-age drama films South Korean coming-of-age drama films 2014 films 2010s South Korean films 2010s Korean-language films