''My Dictator'' () is a 2014 South Korean film directed and co-written by
Lee Hae-jun
Lee Hae-jun (born August 18, 1973) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed '' Like a Virgin'' (2006), ''Castaway on the Moon'' (2009), and ''My Dictator'' (2014).
Career As screenwriter
Lee Hae-jun studied advert ...
, starring
Sol Kyung-gu
Sol Kyung-gu (born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Public Enemy (2002 film), Public Enemy'' film series, ''Peppermint Candy'', ''Oasis (2002 film), Oasis'', ''Silmido (film), Silmido'', ''Hope (2013 film ...
and
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, ...
.
Plot
After the
North-South Korea Joint Statement on July 4, 1972, reunification fervor briefly sweeps over 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 ...
. The
Korean Central Intelligence Agency
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
is forced to prepare for what could soon be the first inter-Korean summit and they are worried about
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
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...
's meeting with the reclusive and potentially dangerous
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n leader
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
. They decide to stage an imaginary summit so that they can prepare Park for a variety of scenarios and outcomes. So the KCIA looks for an unknown (and bad) actor to play the
body double
In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
for Kim Il-sung.
Kim Sung-geun earns his living doing odd jobs for a theater company, occasionally playing a
walk-on part, and waiting for his big break. He gets cast in a small role as
The Fool in
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...
'', but he forgets his lines due to
stage fright
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...
. Sung-geun not only ruins the show, but he feels shamed in front of his son Tae-sik, who was in the audience and had believed his father to be the greatest actor in the world.
Backstage, the devastated Sung-geun is approached by Professor Heo, who praises his performance and tells him to show up at a "special audition." At the audition, Sung-geun is confused when the
casting director
In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra (acting), extra for a particular role or part in a scr ...
s all seem to be government scientists, and even when his performance goes terribly, he is told that it's exactly what they were looking for. He and 11 other actors pass the first round, then they're put on a bus and taken to the basement of the KCIA building where they are stripped, dragged into separate rooms and tortured. Too dumb to lie to his interrogators, Sung-geun is the only one left and gets chosen for the job. For Sung-geun, this is the role of a lifetime, and he puts his heart and soul into the performance, determined to have his acting acknowledged and to impress his son.
But when the summit gets cancelled, Sung-geun cannot let go of his Kim Il-sung persona and continues to act like the North Korean leader. Frustrated at his father, the adult Tae-sik places Sung-geun in a nursing home and refuses to visit him for the next 20 years. But when Tae-sik gets in trouble with loan sharks in the 1990s, he is forced to reconnect with his estranged father, whose dilapidated home could solve his problem.
Cast
Main characters
*
Sol Kyung-gu
Sol Kyung-gu (born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Public Enemy (2002 film), Public Enemy'' film series, ''Peppermint Candy'', ''Oasis (2002 film), Oasis'', ''Silmido (film), Silmido'', ''Hope (2013 film ...
as Kim Sung-geun
*
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, ...
as Tae-sik
*
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 ...
as KCIA section chief Oh
*
Lee Byung-joon
Lee Byung-joon (; born January 27, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Active in film, television and theater since 1985, Lee is best known for his supporting roles in ''A Bloody Aria'' (2006), '' Highway Star'' (2007), and ''Eye for an Eye'' (2008). ...
as Professor Heo
*
Ryu Hye-young
Ryu Hye-young (born March 28, 1991) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for her role in the hit drama series ''Reply 1988'' (2015-2016) and ''Law School
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an in ...
as Yeo-jung
Additional cast
*
Lee Kyu-hyung
Lee Kyu-hyung (Korean: 이규형; born November 29, 1983) is a South Korean actor. Though primarily a musical actor, Lee has also appeared in a variety of Korean films and dramas. In 2017, Lee shot to fame with his portrayal of Yoo Han-yang in t ...
as Cheol-ju
* Bae Sung-woo as President Baek
*
Kim Dae-myung as Stage Actor
*
Shin Cheol-jin
Shin Cheol-jin is a South Korean actor. He made his debut in the 1976 play ''Naughty in the West''.
Filmography Television series
Film
Awards and nominations
* 2005 Korean Theater Actors Association Actor of the Year
* 2008 The 12th Hector ...
as Village foreman
* Heo Joon-seok
* Lee Hyun-geol
* Jung In-gyeom
* Kim Chul-moo
*
Chae Soo-bin
Chae Soo-bin (born Bae Soo-bin on July 10, 1994) is a South Korean actress. She gained recognition for her role in the television series ''Love in the Moonlight'' (2016), and transitioned into leading roles with '' The Rebel'' (2017), ''Stronge ...
*
Sung Yu-bin
Sung Yoo-bin (born 25 July 2000) is a South Korean actor.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Web series
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
2000 births
Living people
South Korean male televis ...
as Tae-sik (Middle school student)
* Kim Young-woong as Mart staff
*
Park Ji-hwan
Park Ji-hwan (; born September 5, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He initially appeared in ''Yellow Hair'' (1999) and made his feature film debut in '' The City of Violence'' (2006). Since then, Park has performed in numerous movies and televisi ...
as Chief Adviser
Production
According to director
Lee Hae-jun
Lee Hae-jun (born August 18, 1973) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed '' Like a Virgin'' (2006), ''Castaway on the Moon'' (2009), and ''My Dictator'' (2014).
Career As screenwriter
Lee Hae-jun studied advert ...
, "A few years ago, I came across an old photograph of my father and stared at it for a long time. In the picture, my father looked so young and strong. Is this really my father? He looked like a completely different person from the strict, somber, dictatorial dad I've known my entire life. I was suddenly curious to know what made my father the man he is now. I realized that, for one thing, he lived through a period filled with dictators, both in North and South Korea. The son never gets to see his father as a young man, but a father is only ever an old man to his children. It's a lonely fate, and he must blame and resent others for it. This film is a belated confession to my weak, frail, dictator of a father, and to fathers like him all over the world."
''My Dictator'' was among the 32 films chosen by the Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum (
HAF) in 2012. Financed by
Lotte Entertainment
Lotte Cultureworks ( ko, 롯데 컬처웍스), formerly known as Lotte Entertainment ( ko, 롯데 엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean film production and distribution company. Established in the Republic of Korea, the company has distributed fi ...
with a budget of , filming began at a small theater in
Namwon
Namwon (; ''Namwon-si'') is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Namwon is about 50 minutes from the provincial capital of Jeonju, which is almost three hours away from Seoul. The official city flower is Royal Azalea () while the city tr ...
,
North Jeolla Province
North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwest ...
on March 26, 2014.
The three-month shoot finished on July 8, 2014 in
Changsin-dong
Changsin-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Jongno-gu in Seoul, South Korea.
Attractions
* Changsin-dong Toy Wholesale Market - the largest toy and stationery market in Korea since 1975 and is accessible from Dongdaemun Station on Seoul Subwa ...
,
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 ...
.
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:My Dictator
2014 films
2010s Korean-language films
South Korean drama films
Lotte Entertainment films
Films about actors
Films shot in Seoul
2010s South Korean films