''Antarctic Journal'' is a 2005 South Korean film. It is the

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Debu ...

by director

Yim Pil-sung Yim Pil-sung (born May 13, 1972) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed ''Antarctic Journal'' (2005), ''Hansel and Gretel'' (2007), and ''Scarlet Innocence'' (2014). Career Short films Yim Pil-sung began directin ...

. The film mixes elements of

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between t ...

thriller and classical

horror films Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoc ...

while showing the hardships met by a modern Korean

antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

expedition trying to reach the

pole of inaccessibility A pole of inaccessibility with respect to a geographical criterion of inaccessibility marks a location that is the most challenging to reach according to that criterion. Often it refers to the most distant point from the coastline, implying a ...

. The film generated some buzz before its release due to its large budget (over ) and notable cast, but wasn't a box office hit.

Plot

During their journey to the

Pole of Inaccessibility A pole of inaccessibility with respect to a geographical criterion of inaccessibility marks a location that is the most challenging to reach according to that criterion. Often it refers to the most distant point from the coastline, implying a ...

(POI), the remotest point of the Antarctic, the expedition of six men, led by Captain Choi Do-hyung, discovers a

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

that was left behind by a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

expedition 80 years earlier. The journal was remarkably preserved in a box in the snow and Kim Min-jae, another member of the expedition, gets the job of examining it. It turns out that the two expeditions shared the same goal and soon other strange similarities between them start to show up. Will they make it to their destination before the sun goes down for the Antarctic winter?

Cast

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997 ...

- Choi Do-hyung *

Yoo Ji-tae Yoo Ji-tae (born April 13, 1976) is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. After a stint as a fashion model, Yoo launched his acting career in 1998 then rose to fame through the films ''Attack the Gas Station'' (1999) and ''Ditto' ...

- Kim Min-jae *

Choi Deok-moon Choi Deok-moon (born 1970) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Film Theater References External links * * * Choi Deok-moonat Daum Choi Deok-moonat Naver Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Deok-moon 1970 births Livin ...

- Seo Jae-kyung * Kim Kyeong-ik - Yang Geun-chan *

Park Hee-soon Park Hee-soon (; born February 13, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He graduated with a Theater degree from Seoul Institute of the Arts, and was a member of the Mokwha Repertory Company from 1990 to 2001. He became active in film beginning 2002, a ...

- Lee Young-min *

Yoon Je-moon Yoon Je-moon (born March 9, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He appears in theater, film and television, notably in the movies ''The Man Next Door'' (2010) and ''Dangerously Excited'' (2012), and the TV series '' The End of the World'' (2013). F ...

- Sung-hoon *

Kang Hye-jung Kang Hye-jung (born January 4, 1982) is a South Korean actress. Making her film debut in arthouse film ''Nabi'' (2001), she rose to stardom and critical acclaim in Park Chan-wook's 2003 revenge thriller '' Oldboy''. A rising star early in her c ...

- Yoo-jin *

Sam Hammington Samuel Mayer Russ Hammington (born 31 July 1977) is a New Zealand-born Australian comedian who is primarily active in South Korea. Hammington hosted radio show ''Drivetime'' with Annabelle Ambrose from 2008 to 2012. He was a cast member of popul ...

- English expedition party (voice) *

Oh Hee-joon Oh Hee-joon is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Gangnam Beauty'', '' How to Buy a Friend'', '' 365: Repeat the Year'', ''Cheese in the Trap'' and ''All of Us Are Dead''. He also appeared in movies '' The Acci ...

as Person

Reception

Derek Elley Derek Elley (born c. 1955) is an American film and music critic and author, best known as the resident film critic for ''Variety'' until his departure in March 2010. With over 1200 reviews to his credit as of December 2014 on ''Rotten Tomatoes'', h ...

from ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote, "Some awesome widescreen lensing, with New Zealand convincingly repping the polar wastes, can't compensate for the dramatic emptiness of ''Antarctic Journal'', in which the script gets lost along with the explorers."

References

External links

* * *
Kyu Hyun Kim's review at Koreanfilm.org
2005 films 2000s adventure drama films South Korean adventure drama films South Korean thriller drama films South Korean mystery thriller films Films set in Antarctica Films shot in New Zealand Films directed by Yim Pil-sung Films with screenplays by Bong Joon-ho 2000s Korean-language films 2005 thriller drama films 2000s mystery thriller films Showbox films 2005 directorial debut films 2000s South Korean films {{SouthKorea-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links