''Architecture 101'' (; lit. ''Introduction to Architecture'') is a 2012
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n
romance film
Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...
written and directed by
Lee Yong-ju
Lee Yong-ju (born June 6, 1970) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter.
Career
Filmography
*'' A.F.R.I.K.A.'' (2002) - production dept
*''Memories of Murder'' (2003) - assistant director
*''Spider Forest'' (2004) - production d ...
. The film tells the story of two students who meet in an introductory architecture class and fall in love. Fifteen years later, the girl tracks down her first love to seek his help in building her dream house.
Plot
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, the present day. Out of the blue, architect Lee Seung-min (
Uhm Tae-woong
Uhm Tae-woong (born April 5, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in 1998, but initially struggled to emerge from under the shadow of his older sister, popular singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa. After several years of small roles an ...
) is approached by Yang Seo-yeon (
Han Ga-in
Han Ga-in (born Kim Hyun-joo on February 2, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She starred in television series ''Yellow Handkerchief'' and ''Terms of Endearment'' early in her career, and became a sought-after model in commercials. Her projects in ...
), whom he knew at college some 17 years previously, to design a new house for her on the site of her 30-year-old family home on
Jeju island. Seung-min reluctantly agrees but can't come up with a design that pleases her. In the end, they decide to renovate and expand the existing house, and he and Seo-yeon spend a considerable amount of time together down in Jeju, to the growing annoyance of his fiancée Eun-chae (
Go Joon-hee
Go Joon-hee (born Kim Eun-joo on August 31, 1985) is a South Korean actress. She made her entertainment debut as a school uniform model in 2001, then launched an acting career in 2003.
Background
Kim adopted the stage name Go Joon-hee in 2008, ...
), with whom he is soon to be married and move to the US. As Seo-yeon cares for her dying father (Lee Seung-ho) and Seung-min learns more about what became of Seo-yeon in the intervening years, he recalls their initial meeting at college in the early 1990s.
Seung-min and Seo-yeon (
Lee Je-hoon
Lee Je-hoon (born July 4, 1984) is a South Korean actor. He started his career in indie films, then went on to appear in commercial films like '' The Front Line'' (2011), ''Architecture 101'' (2012) and '' My Paparotti'' (2013), and television ...
and
Suzy) had lived in the same neighborhood (
Jeongneung-dong
Jeongneung-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Seongbuk-gu in Seoul, South Korea.
See also
*Administrative divisions of South Korea
South Korea is made up of 17 first-tier administrative divisions: 6 metropolitan cities (''gwangyeoksi'' ...
, Seoul) and attended the same architecture class. He remembers her liking rich student Jae-wook (
Yoo Yeon-seok
Yoo Yeon-seok (born Ahn Yeon-seok on April 11, 1984) is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 2003 with a small role in '' Oldboy'', he resumed his acting career in 2008. His notable works include the films '' Re-encounter'' (2 ...
), his inability to declare his attraction to her, and the times being coached by his best friend, Nab-ddeuk (
Jo Jung-suk
Jo Jung-suk (born December 26, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He began his career in theater, starring in '' Spring Awakening'', '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', and the stage adaptation of '' The Harmonium in My Memory'', among many other musi ...
) in how to get girls. Hoping to confess his feelings to her at the perfect timing, Seung-min asks Seo-yeon to meet him at the abandoned house they frequent, on the first day that it snows that coming winter. But one night he catches Jae-wook and a drunk Seo-yeon entering her house together. Fearing the worst, he ends his friendship with Seo-yeon due to his pain of believing she had chosen Jae-wook. The first day of snow arrives, and Seo-yeon is left waiting in the abandoned house alone. Heartbroken, she leaves behind her
portable CD player
A portable CD player is a portable audio player used to play compact discs. The first audio player released was the Discman D-50 by Sony.Lungu, R"History of the Portable Audio Player." 2008-11-27.
Features
The basic features of a portable CD ...
with a CD of her favorite artist.
Seo-yeon in the present day receives that very same CD player and CD from Seung-min, meaning that he actually went to the house later and remembered their promise. But despite the bitter-sweetness of their first love, in the end, Seung-min still chooses his fiancée Eun-chae and flies with her to America, while Seo-yeon sits in the house he built for her, listening to the CD.
["Box office, April 1-30"]
''Korean Film Biz Zone''. May 30, 2012.
Cast
Main
*
Uhm Tae-woong
Uhm Tae-woong (born April 5, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in 1998, but initially struggled to emerge from under the shadow of his older sister, popular singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa. After several years of small roles an ...
as Lee Seung-min in the present
*
Han Ga-in
Han Ga-in (born Kim Hyun-joo on February 2, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She starred in television series ''Yellow Handkerchief'' and ''Terms of Endearment'' early in her career, and became a sought-after model in commercials. Her projects in ...
as Yang Seo-yeon in the present
*
Lee Je-hoon
Lee Je-hoon (born July 4, 1984) is a South Korean actor. He started his career in indie films, then went on to appear in commercial films like '' The Front Line'' (2011), ''Architecture 101'' (2012) and '' My Paparotti'' (2013), and television ...
as Lee Seung-min in the past
*
Suzy as Yang Seo-yeon in the past
Supporting
*
Yoo Yeon-seok
Yoo Yeon-seok (born Ahn Yeon-seok on April 11, 1984) is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 2003 with a small role in '' Oldboy'', he resumed his acting career in 2008. His notable works include the films '' Re-encounter'' (2 ...
as Jae-wook, Seo-yeon's sunbae and Seung-min's rival
*
Jo Jung-suk
Jo Jung-suk (born December 26, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He began his career in theater, starring in '' Spring Awakening'', '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', and the stage adaptation of '' The Harmonium in My Memory'', among many other musi ...
as Nab-ddeuk, Seung-min's best friend
*
Go Joon-hee
Go Joon-hee (born Kim Eun-joo on August 31, 1985) is a South Korean actress. She made her entertainment debut as a school uniform model in 2001, then launched an acting career in 2003.
Background
Kim adopted the stage name Go Joon-hee in 2008, ...
as Eun-chae, Seung-min's fiancée
* Kim Dong-joo as Seung-min's mother
* Lee Seung-ho as Seo-yeon's father
*
Kim Eui-sung
Kim Eui-sung (; born December 17, 1965) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in films ''The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), ''Office'' (2015), '' The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo'' (2015) and ''Train to Busan'' (2016); ...
as Professor Kang
*
Park Soo-young
Park Soo-young is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as ''My Beautiful Bride'' (2015), '' Listen to Love'' (2016), ''Hi Bye, Mama!'' (2020) and ''Record Of Youth
''Record of Youth'' () is a South Korean television ...
as Architect Koo
* Park Jin-woo as the taxi driver
Production
Director
Lee Yong-ju
Lee Yong-ju (born June 6, 1970) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter.
Career
Filmography
*'' A.F.R.I.K.A.'' (2002) - production dept
*''Memories of Murder'' (2003) - assistant director
*''Spider Forest'' (2004) - production d ...
has a bachelor's degree in architecture from
Yonsei University
Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...
, and collaborated with architect Gu Seung-hoe to accurately depict the architectural details shown and mentioned in the film. The film was shot on location in the Seoul neighborhood of
Jeong-neung and in
Jeju Island.
It was chosen as the closing film at the 15th
Shanghai International Film Festival
The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia.
"China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...
.
In late August 2012,
Typhoon Bolaven, regarded as the most powerful storm to strike the
Korean Peninsula
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
in nearly a decade, severely damaged Seo-yeon's house that was constructed especially for the movie. The house was rebuilt and renovated, designed by architect Gu Seung-hoe (executive consultant of construction for the film), with the
interior design
Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...
by Woo Seung-mie (the film's art director). It opened in March 2013 as a cafe, called Cafe Seo-yeon's House.
Music
The film reignited 1990s throwback fever among Koreans and made the fashion, music and celebrities of the period cool once again. Songs from the '90s, including duo
Exhibition
An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...
’s "Etude of Memory" were included on the score. Characters also use
pager
A pager (also known as a beeper or bleeper) is a wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays alphanumeric or voice messages. One-way pagers can only receive messages, while response pagers and two-way pagers can also acknow ...
s,
hair mousse
Hair mousse, also referred to as styling foam, is a hairstyling product to protect, control, and style hair. "Mousse" originates from a French term meaning foam. Hair mousse originated in France and was brought to the North American retail ma ...
, and
portable CD player
A portable CD player is a portable audio player used to play compact discs. The first audio player released was the Discman D-50 by Sony.Lungu, R"History of the Portable Audio Player." 2008-11-27.
Features
The basic features of a portable CD ...
s. The protagonist is even obsessed with ''
GUESS
A guess (or an act of guessing) is a swift conclusion drawn from data directly at hand, and held as probable or tentative, while the person making the guess (the guesser) admittedly lacks material for a greater degree of certainty. A guess is als ...
'' T-shirts - counterfeits that were popular among Koreans in the 1990s. Nostalgia-inducing scenes that feature characters expressing awe at a one
gigabyte
The gigabyte () is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The prefix ''giga'' means 109 in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, one gigabyte is one billion bytes. The unit symbol for the gigabyte is GB.
This defini ...
hard drive computer or communicating with each other via
landline
A landline (land line, land-line, main line, home phone, fixed-line, and wireline) is a telephone connection that uses metal wires or optical fiber telephone line for transmission, as distinguished from a mobile cellular network, which uses ...
telephones also brought the audience back in time.
["I ♥ the '90s"]
. ''Korea Joongang Daily
''Korea JoongAng Daily'' is the English edition of the South Korean national daily newspaper ''JoongAng Ilbo''. The newspaper was first published on October 17, 2000, originally named as ''JoongAng Ilbo English Edition''. It mainly carries news a ...
''. May 3, 2012.
And the movie’s impact on the present-day market was felt.
Exhibition
An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...
, the duo known as ''JeonRamHwe'' in Korea, saw a sudden increase in sales of its first
EP, which was released in 1993, by 70 times in April compared to the previous month, with sales of the duo’s following
EPs also on the rise.
Yes 24 temporarily made a page on its official website that lists EPs from the 1990s alongside contemporary artists who are known to emulate the sentiments of the 1990s.
Release
''Architecture 101'' was released in South Korean theaters on March 22, 2012. It was subsequently released in Hong Kong on October 22, 2012.
Home video
On September 19, 2012, a two-disc limited edition
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
was released containing extra footage shot and edited by the director
Lee Yong-ju
Lee Yong-ju (born June 6, 1970) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter.
Career
Filmography
*'' A.F.R.I.K.A.'' (2002) - production dept
*''Memories of Murder'' (2003) - assistant director
*''Spider Forest'' (2004) - production d ...
,
audio commentary
An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...
by actors
Uhm Tae-woong
Uhm Tae-woong (born April 5, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in 1998, but initially struggled to emerge from under the shadow of his older sister, popular singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa. After several years of small roles an ...
,
Lee Je-hoon
Lee Je-hoon (born July 4, 1984) is a South Korean actor. He started his career in indie films, then went on to appear in commercial films like '' The Front Line'' (2011), ''Architecture 101'' (2012) and '' My Paparotti'' (2013), and television ...
and
Suzy, interviews and trailers, and a book containing pictures and production images from the set.
Among the deleted scenes are a flashback scene of Seung-min and Nab-ddeuk walking side by side; adult Seung-min taking a drunk Seo-yeon to her hotel room; and a longer, deeper kiss between
Lee Je-hoon
Lee Je-hoon (born July 4, 1984) is a South Korean actor. He started his career in indie films, then went on to appear in commercial films like '' The Front Line'' (2011), ''Architecture 101'' (2012) and '' My Paparotti'' (2013), and television ...
and
Suzy. The scenes ended up on the cutting room floor because the director felt they did not fit the movie's tone.
Reception
The film captured viewers’ attention and earned critical plaudits with its restrained style and well drawn characters.
It held the No. 1 spot at the box office for three weeks after its release, attracting over 1 million viewers in only eight days, passing 2 million in seventeen days, and reaching 3 million on April 18. Male moviegoers are the backbone of the movie’s sales, an unusual path to success for a romantic drama. Critics have said that ''Architecture 101'' especially resonates with the nostalgia men feel for their first loves.
It was one of the ten most-watched films in Korea in the first quarter of 2012 (No. 4 with 3.4 million tickets sold). 9 weeks after its theater release, it reached
over 4.1 million admissions, a new box office record for Korean melodramas.
"Over 4 million people viewed ''Intro to Construction Theory''"
''StarN News''. May 15, 2012.
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
* {{Rotten Tomatoes, architecture_101, Architecture 101
2012 films
South Korean romantic drama films
Films about architecture
Films set in the 1990s
Films set in the 2010s
Films set in Seoul
Films set in Jeju
Films shot in Seoul
Films shot in Jeju
Films directed by Lee Yong-ju
Myung Films films
Lotte Entertainment films
2010s Korean-language films
2012 romantic drama films
2010s South Korean films