''Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' (; lit. “Jealousy is My Strength”) is a 2003 South Korean film. It won Best Film honors at the

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festiv ...

and the

Rotterdam Film Festival The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

and was the directorial debut of

Park Chan-ok Park Chan-ok (born 1968) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. She wrote and directed ''Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' (2003) and ''Paju (film), Paju'' (2009). Career Born in 1968, Park Chan-ok majored in Theater and Film Studies at H ...

. It was inspired by the poem of the same name by Ki Hyung-do.

Plot

Quiet, intelligent, solemn and recently dumped by his girlfriend, graduate student Lee Weon-san (

Park Hae-il Park Hae-il (born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with ''Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' and ''Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took off, ...

) takes a job at a literary magazine, ostensibly to supplement his income, but really to get close to the editor - the reason he's now single. The editor (

Moon Sung-keun Moon Sung-keun (born May 28, 1953) is a South Korean actor and politician. He has won three Blue Dragon Film Awards, two Baeksang Arts Awards, and two Chunsa Film Art Awards for Best Actor. Career Moon was born in Tokyo, Japan. His father was ...

), unaware of who Lee is, takes a shine to him and makes him his personal assistant. He likes having him around as he's the only person he feels comfortable with, which means he often takes advantage of Lee's passive nature, making him run errands for him all over town. The fiercely independent Lee, however, works without complaint, having started a new relationship with part-time photographer/part-time vet Park Seong-yeon (

Bae Jong-ok Bae Jong-ok (born May 13, 1964) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a TV actress after she was recruited by KBS, and has since been active in both film and television. While concurrently maintaining an acting career, Bae completed a doct ...

). When she takes a full-time job at the magazine, however, Lee pleads with her not to get involved with the editor, a plea that goes unheeded and sets Lee thinking once again about vengeance. It's here that the film really starts to veer from the conventional path.

Awards and nominations

;2002

* New Currents Award ;2003 International Film Festival Rotterdam * Tiger Award ;2003 Busan Film Critics Awards * Best New Actor –

;2003

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the early ...

* Best New Actor –

;2003 Blue Dragon Film Awards * Best Screenplay –

;2003 Korean Film Awards * Best New Actor –

;2003

Director's Cut Awards The Director's Cut Awards () is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sha ...

* Best New Actor –

References

External links

* * * 2003 films 2000s Korean-language films Films directed by Park Chan-ok South Korean drama films 2003 directorial debut films 2000s South Korean films {{SouthKorea-film-stub