''Hopeless'' () is a 2023 South Korean neo-noir thriller film directed by Kim Chang-hoon and starring Hong Xa-bin in his film debut. The film also features Song Joong-ki and

Bibi Bibi is a given name, nickname and surname. Notable people with this name As a nickname or stage name * Bibi Andersson (1935-2019), Swedish actress * Bibi (artist) (born 1964), French visual artist Fabrice Cahoreau * Bibi Baskin (born 195 ...

. The film depicts a teenage boy, Yeon-gyu, who while wanting to escape from his hellish reality, meets the middle boss of a local gang, Chi-geon, and ends up in the world of crime. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the

2023 Cannes Film Festival The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival was a film festival that took place from 16 to 27 May 2023. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund served as jury president. With the French film ''Anatomy of a Fall'' winning the Palme d'Or, the festival's top pr ...

. The film was released theatrically in South Korea on October 11, 2023.

Premise

Although he never had what he wants in his 18 years life, he still struggles to grasp a hope, Yeon-gyoo is a teenage boy who wants to escape his hometown where violence is commonly enacted among neighbors. He only hopes to have a peaceful life with his mother. However, the world never allows him to have a dream nor hope for life. When Yeon-gyoo needs a hand from grown-ups, Chi-geon, a thug of the town, offers a favor. The simple favor leads Yeon-gyoo to explore the world of Chi-geon. It ironically results Yeon-gyoo gradually falling into Chi-geon's life. Grasping a hope to run away from where he is, he struggles between the border. Can he escape from the town at the end?

Cast

* Hong Xa-bin as Yeon-gyu * Song Joong-ki as Chi-geon *

as Hayan * Jung Jae-kwang as Seung-mu *

Jung Man-sik Jung Man-sik (; born December 11, 1974) is a South Korean actor. His name is also romanized as ''Jeong Man-sik'' or ''Joung Man-sik''. Filmography Film Television series * ''Jungle Fish 2'' (KBS2, 2010) * '' Athena: Goddess of War'' (SBS, ...

as the owner of the Chinese restaurant *

Park Bo-kyung Park Bo-kyung is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Now, We Are Breaking Up'', '' Beyond Evil'', '' Link: Eat, Love, Kill'', and '' Little Women''. She also appeared in movies '' Hello, Schoolgirl'', '' Mr. XX ...

as Mo-kyung, Yeon-gyu's mother * Kim Jong-soo as Joong-beom, the boss of the organization

Release

''Hopeless'' premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the

on May 24, 2023. It was also invited to the

28th Busan International Film Festival 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

in 'Korean Cinema Today - Special Premiere' section.

Reception

As of October 14, 2023, the film has grossed at the local box office and accumulated 135,178 admissions from 976 screens.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopeless 2023 films 2023 thriller films 2020s Korean-language films 2020s South Korean films South Korean thriller films 2023 directorial debut films