''The President's Barber'' () is a 2004 South Korean

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film written and directed by Im Chan-sang. It follows a barber, his wife, and their only son through four decades of tumultuous Korean history. Much as in ''

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. An adaptation of the Forrest Gump (novel), 1986 novel by Winston Groom, the screenplay of the film is written by Eric Roth. It stars Tom Hanks in the title rol ...

'', we see important moments in South Korean history through the eyes of the titular barber, who is drafted to be the official barber of President

Park Chung Hee Park Chung Hee (; ; November14, 1917October26, 1979) was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961 until Assassination of Park Chung ...

. The role of the barber is played by

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (; born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Regarded as one of the most influential actors in Korean cinema, he has appeared in critically acclaimed films across various genres. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, i ...

and

Moon So-ri Moon So-ri (; born July 2, 1974) is a South Korean actress, film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her acclaimed leading roles in ''Oasis (2002 film), Oasis'' (2002), ''A Good Lawyer's Wife'' (2003), and ''When Life Gives You Tange ...

plays his wife.

Plot

Seong Han-mo is a barber who owns a shop in the president's neighborhood, the

Blue House Cheong Wa Dae (), also known as the Blue House in English, is a public park that was the former Office of the President of South Korea, executive office and residence of the president of South Korea. Located in Seoul's Jongno District, directl ...

. Politically not very well-versed, he always joins his acquaintances' opinions and at first isn't aware what consequences result from president Rhee's resignation in 1960 after several student demonstrations. Rhee leaves a power vacuum that is soon filled by a military regime led by General

who puts himself at the top of the government in 1963. Han-mo, however, has different concerns as his wife Min-ja brings a son into this world of politically turbulent times. Fortunately, Han-mo's barber shop is running well and he has no need to concern himself about how to feed his family anymore when KCIA-Chief Jang enters his shop and orders him to the president. From that day on simple-minded Han-mo is the president's barber and at least for his neighbors one of the most important people in the country.

Cast

as Seong Han-mo *

as Kim Min-ja *

Ryu Seung-soo Ryu Seung-soo (born August 12, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Ryu made his acting debut in 1997 with a minor role in Park Chan-wook's film ''Trio'', and has been active as a supporting actor on film and television since. Among his notable films ...

as Seong Jin-gi * Lee Jae-eung as Seong Nak-an * Jo Yeong-jin as

Son Byong-ho Son Byong-ho (; born August 25, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Son is known for his role in action films, notably, '' R-Point'' (2004), '' Running Wild'' (2006), '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) and '' Insu, The Queen Mother'' (2011). ...

as chief of security

References

*http://asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/the_presidents_barber.htm

External links

* * 2004 films 2000s Korean-language films Showbox films South Korean comedy-drama films Films about coups d'état 2000s South Korean films {{2000s-SouthKorea-film-stub