''Summertime'' () is a 2001 South Korean film directed by Park Jae-ho and starring

Ryu Soo-young Ryu Su-young (born Eo Nam-seon on September 5, 1979) is a South Korean actor. He made his first appearance on television as a college student on a cooking show in 1998, then starred in the controversial film '' Summertime'' (2001). This was follo ...

and Kim Ji-hyun. A

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the controversial Philippine film ''

Scorpio Nights ''Scorpio Nights'' is a 1985 Philippine erotic thriller film directed by Peque Gallaga from a screenplay by Rosauro "Uro" Q. Dela Cruz, based on a story concept written by T.E. Pagaspas and art director Romel Bernardino. It is about a love affai ...

'' (1985), the film was also inspired by the

Gwangju massacre The Gwangju Democratization Movement, also known in South Korea as May 18 Democratization Movement (), was a series of student-led demonstrations that took place in Gwangju, South Korea, in May 1980, against the coup of Chun Doo-hwan. The upr ...

Plot

Set in the 1980s, Sang-ho is a student activist hiding out in a small rural village. He accidentally witnesses, through a hole on the floor of his second story room, a married couple having sex. He discovers he is a

voyeur Voyeurism is the Sexual attraction, sexual interest in or Human sexual activity, practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. ...

at heart and becomes bolder and bolder in his actions. One day, he gets an opportunity to play out his fantasies. When the husband is not home, Sang-ho goes downstairs. Imitating the husband's manner of foreplay even down to the sequence, the young man has sex with the wife. She, like Sang-ho, is a prisoner of the house. The second time he comes to her, he touches her in a different way which makes her turn around and discover that there is a stranger in her bed. But this does not deter her as she reaches out to him for an intense embrace. The husband, Tae-yeol, is an ex-policeman fired for alleged corruption, and his wife Hee-ran, who was raped by him as a young girl, for the sake of

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

has ended up as his wife and prisoner.

Cast

as Sang-ho * Kim Ji-hyun as Hee-ran *

Choi Cheol-ho Choi Cheol-ho (; born 2 March 1970) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame after appearing in the hit drama '' Queen of Housewives'' (also known as ''My Wife is a Superwoman'', 2009). Other notable roles include King Seonjo in '' The Immortal ...

as Tae-yeol *

Song Ok-sook Song Ok-sook (; born August 14, 1960) is a South Korean actress. She has appeared in supporting roles in numerous television dramas, including ''Winter Sonata'', '' Beethoven Virus'', ''More Charming by the Day'', and '' Missing You''. Song is ...

as Gi-ok *Bae Jeong-yun as Young-mi *Choi Seong-min *Yun Yeong-keol *Jang Seong-won *Kim Seon-hwa *Lee Seung-hun *Ahn Byeong-kyeong *Park Hoon-jung as child in the playground

Casting and production

Initially, an audition was held to cast the female lead, and a friend of Kim Ji-hyun's brother heard about it. The friend recommended Kim for the role over the phone, and she was given the script for the movie. Receiving the script, Kim was resistant to its explicit content, but she was touched by the storyline and accepted the role. In preparation for the role, she viewed erotic films such as ''

Last Tango in Paris ''Last Tango in Paris'' (; ) is a 1972 Erotic film, erotic Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. The film stars Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider (actor), Maria Schneider and Jean-Pierre Léaud, and portrays a rec ...

'' and '' In the Realm of the Senses'', and read news articles and books from and depicting the 1980s, the time period the film was set in.

, the film's male lead, was also a first-time movie actor, though he had experience appearing in TV dramas. He chose to star in ''Summertime'' because his manager was close with the film's producer, and at the time staff needed more male actors. Ryu was also reluctant to appear in the film, but he accepted after the director urged him it was not just "people taking off their clothes". For the movie, he took on a strenuous diet consisting of only one meal a day. Filming took place inside sets in Yangsu-ri,

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

, in November 2000. The actors filmed the majority of erotic scenes without covering their genitals or employing substitute actors. According to Ryu Soo-young in a 2012 episode of ''

Radio Star Stellar radio sources, radio source stars or radio stars are stellar objects that produce copious emissions of various radio frequency, radio frequencies, whether constant or pulsed. Radio emissions from stars can be produced in many varied ways. ...

'', the movie's script was substantially cut to fit its run time.

References

External links

* * * 2001 films 2000s romantic thriller films South Korean romantic thriller films Erotic romance films 2000s Korean-language films South Korean remakes of foreign films Films set in the 1980s 2000s erotic thriller films South Korean erotic thriller films 2000s South Korean films {{2000s-SouthKorea-film-stub