''The Scarlet Letter'' () is a 2004 South Korean

erotic thriller The erotic thriller is a film subgenre defined as a thriller with a thematic basis in illicit romance or sexual fantasy. Though exact definitions of the erotic thriller can vary, it is generally agreed "bodily danger and pleasure must remain i ...

film about a police detective who investigates a murder case while struggling to hang onto his relationships with his wife and mistress. The film's title is taken from the 1850 novel of the same name. It is the second film by '' La Femis''-graduate and academic

Byun Hyuk Byun Hyuk (born January 1, 1966), also known as Daniel H. Byun, is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He graduated from La Fémis in 1997. Best known for his working on his film debut ''Interview'' (2000) using the Dogme 95 movement, ...

(Daniel H. Byun) after the Dogme 95 film ''Interview'' (2000), and starred Han Suk-kyu,

Lee Eun-ju Lee Eun-ju (December 22, 1980 – February 22, 2005) was a South Korean actress. She was the star of hit films including '' Taegukgi'' and '' The Scarlet Letter''. She died by suicide at age 24. Life and career Born in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, S ...

Sung Hyun-ah Sung Hyun-ah (; born July 23, 1975) is a South Korean actress and beauty pageant titleholder who placed 2nd runner-up at Miss Korea 1994. Biography Sung Hyun-ah placed second runner-up (or third place) at the Miss Korea pageant in 1994. She w ...

and Uhm Ji-won. The film debuted as the closing film of the

Pusan 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 from ...

in 2004. The film is based on novelist

Kim Young-ha Young-ha Kim (c. November 11, 1968) is a modern South Korean writer. Life Kim was born in Hwacheon on November 11, 1968. He moved from place to place as a child, since his father was in the military. As a child, he suffered from gas poisoning ...

's short stories ''A Meditation On Mirror'' and ''Photo Shop Murder''. ''The Scarlet Letter'' was released in October 28, 2004 on South Korea. The film was Lee's last feature-length acting performance before her death in February 2005.

Plot

Lee Ki-hoon is an alpha male homicide detective: intelligent and with animal instincts. His wife, classical cellist Han Soo-hyun, is submissive and seemingly perfect. Meanwhile, he is carrying on a passionate affair with his mistress Choi Ga-hee, a sultry jazz singer at a nightclub. Ki-hoon lives a double life by moving back and forth between these two women, who also happen to be schoolmates from high school. One day Ki-hoon goes to a murder scene and there he meets Ji Kyung-hee, a woman accused of murdering her husband.

Cast

* Han Suk-kyu – Lee Ki-hoon *

– Choi Ga-hee * Uhm Ji-won – Han Soo-hyun *

– Ji Kyung-hee * Kim Jin-geun – Jung Myung-sik * Kim Min-sung – Detective Jo *

Jung In-gi Jung In-gi (born September 12, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Jung made his acting debut in 1990, and has remained active in mainstream and independent film as well as television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for tran ...

– Detective Ahn * Choi Kyu-hwan – Detective Choi * Kim Hye-jin – Oh Yeon-sim * Do Yong-gu – President Han * Seol Ji-yoon – Madam

Reception

Despite

's prior experience with depicting sex and

nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and not ...

in '' Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors'' (2000), she came under the scrutiny of Korean press and

netizen The term ''netizen'' is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and ''citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.

s, for the highly emotional sex scenes and the notorious " trunk scene" in ''The Scarlet Letter'' which is regarded as "one of the most shocking and intense scenes in the history of Korean film." It is speculated her demanding role and its public scrutiny, had compounded and overlapped with an existing variety of family, financial, career, and

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

issues. Her severe depression ended in suicide in February 2005, and the tragic conclusion has since become the central focus in popular

perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous syste ...

and interpretation of the film, this particular one being her last. Director

Kim Ki-duk Kim Ki-duk ( ; 20 December 196011 December 2020) was a South Korean film director and screenwriter, noted for his Idiosyncrasy, idiosyncratic Art film, art-house cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit ...

, no stranger to controversy over his own films, is quoted by Chinese film magazine "Movie Watch" (看電影) as singling out ''The Scarlet Letter'' as among the key Korean dramas from recent years. He subsequently cast

, who had risen to prominence with her role in ''The Scarlet Letter'', as the heroine in his ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''. At the film's premiere in Japan, veteran actress

Kumiko Akiyoshi (born July 29, 1954), better known as , is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best actress at the 1st Hochi Film Award for ''Banka'', ''Saraba natsuno hikariyo'' and ''Brother and Sister''. Filmography Films * '' Tabi no omosa'' (1972 ...

praised the lead performances and likened the film to a landmark in erotic thrillers after ''

Basic Instinct ''Basic Instinct'' is a 1992 erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. Starring Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Wayne Knight, the film follows the detective Nick ...

'' and ''

Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. It follows Dan Gallagher ( Michael Douglas), an attorney who cheats on his ...

''.

Awards and nominations

;2004

Korean Association of Film Critics Awards The Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (), also known as the Critics Choice Awards (), is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It was established in 1980 by the Korean Association of Film Critics (KAFC). The ce ...

*Top Ten Films of the Year ;2004

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

* Nomination – Best Actor – Han Suk-kyu * Nomination – Best Actress –

* Nomination – Best Supporting Actress – Uhm Ji-won * Nomination – Best Music – Lee Jae-jin ;

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the newspaper ''Hankook Ilbo'', ...

* Nomination – Best Actress –

;

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

* Nomination – Best Actress –

* Nomination – Best Art Direction – Kim Ji-soo * Nomination – Best Costume Design – Jo Yun-mi

References

External links

* * * * Production company LJ Film'
profile of Director Daniel H. Byun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarlet Letter, The (2004 film) 2004 films 2000s Korean-language films South Korean LGBTQ-related films 2000s erotic thriller films Erotic romance films South Korean mystery films South Korean erotic thriller films Showbox films 2000s South Korean films Films directed by Byun Hyuk 2004 LGBTQ-related films