''Eungyo'' (), also called ''A Muse'' in some countries, is a 2012 South Korean erotic romantic

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

of author Park Bum-shin's novel ''Eun-gyo''. A 70-year-old poet falls in love with a high school girl and is inspired to write a short story about her, but his star student, who is jealous of the relationship, steals his literary work.

Plot

Lee Jeok-yo (

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 of ...

) is a respected national poet in his 70s. His thirty-something assistant Seo Ji-woo (

Kim Mu-yeol Kim Mu-yeol (born May 22, 1982) is a South Korean actor. Following a successful career in musical theatre, Kim was first cast in minor parts on film and television. But after getting good reviews in his supporting roles in '' The Scam'' (2009) an ...

) recently published his first book, described as a genre novel with psychological insight, and it has shot to the top of the bestseller lists. Finding a young high schoolgirl, Eun-gyo ( Kim Go-eun), asleep on a chair on his porch, Jeok-yo, instantly enamored, agrees to give her a part-time job cleaning his home. As Jeok-yo spends more time in Eun-gyo's company, long-lost feelings are awakened within him, and her exuberance, sense of fun, and genuine warmth towards him make him see himself as the young man he used to be. His love and need for her grow not only because he finds her incredibly beautiful, but also because of how she makes him feel. Deeply smitten, Jeok-yo begins to write a short story about his imagined sexual relationship with the young woman. However, as the two get ever closer, Ji-woo condemns their relationship as inappropriate and repugnant, and he steals the short story to publish under his own name.

Cast

as Lee Juk-Yo *

as Seo Ji-woo * Kim Go-eun as Han Eun-gyo * Jeong Man-shik as President Park * Jang Yun-sil as Reporter * Jeong Seo-in as repair Landlady * Ahn Min-Yeong as Poet

Production

The novel, which revolves around a relationship between a poet in his 70s and a 17-year-old high school girl, had sparked heated debate as soon as it began to appear in serialized form on author Park Bum-shin's personal

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in Reverse ...

. Park said, "I've never been this excited for a

of my work. I'm thrilled because this novel is based on my own personal thoughts as I grew older. It's a very special piece of mine, and I trusted director Jung's caliber of delving into human psychology and desire." Park visited the film crew twice during the production of the movie, and presented autographed copies of his novel to the leading actors and actresses. Director

Jung Ji-woo Jung Ji-woo (also spelled as Chung Ji-woo; born May 7, 1968) is a South Korean film director. He is best known for his films '' Happy End'' (1999) and '' A Muse'' (2012). Filmography *'' Somebody'' (2022) - director *''Tune in for Love'' (2019) - ...

said he chose

for the role, instead of an older actor, for a specific reason, saying, "This movie deals with what it is like to age, and what it is like to want something when you've lost your youth. I thought that the theme would be delivered more effectively when such a role is given to an actor who is much younger." Before shooting, Park visited Pagoda Park to observe elderly men, and went through hours of discussion with the director to perfect his character. Jung praised Park's "incredible tolerance," undergoing eight hours of special make-up daily and learning the weary gait and gesture of a man in his 70s. Kim Go-eun was a drama major at

Korea National University of Arts Korea National University of Arts is a national university in Seoul, South Korea. Korea National University of Arts was established in 1993 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea as the only national university of arts with an a ...

who had never appeared in a film or TV series before, not even in a minor role, having only previously acted in student productions or school plays. She met Jung in 2011 through a circle of friends and was not even aware that auditions for the film were being held. "I ended up having an audition after chatting with the director. There wasn't even any time for me to prepare," Kim recalled. She was chosen among some 300 actresses who auditioned to play the role of innocent yet sensual Eun-gyo. Looking for an actress that "had to be ordinary and alive at the same time," Jung said he decided on Kim "by discussing the book and her personal thoughts about Eun-gyo ..What I liked about Go-eun was that she didn't try to impress me at all. She didn't try to please anybody. She didn't try to look pretty in front of the camera. She was just herself. That's what drew me to her." He flatteringly said she was similar to his previous '' Happy End'' leading lady, acclaimed actress Jeon Do-yeon. Novelist Park Bum-shin agreed that she was right for the role upon meeting her, saying, "She was perfect for the forever virgin and forever young image that Eun-gyo symbolizes." Kim said of her film debut, "It took a lot of courage to play this role. ..I don't think physical beauty alone could have unleashed so much passion in a man who had lived for over 70 years with a heart of a stone. Eun-gyo is very spontaneous and is too innocent to have thought about the consequences of what she is doing, but she also has a mature side. She lacks parental care and love, so she desires this from a surrogate

father figure A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychology, psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal te ...

, and becomes obsessed with the idea." Co-star Park Hae-il described her as "fresh, dreamy and attractive. Kim Go-eun ''is'' Eun-gyo." The last line of the character, who is also a victim of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partn ...

, was written by Jung, and does not exist in the novel. "I never knew how pretty I was (until I met you)," Eun-gyo tells the poet. Jung said, "It’s really about a young girl's journey learning about herself and her own worth. I wanted to capture the moments when she realizes how precious she is to herself and to others."

Reception

Upon its release the film attracted some controversy for its depiction of sex between a 70-year-old man and a high school-aged girl. The film opened on April 25, 2012 and notched 630,000 admissions in its first week. Overall, the film has sold 1,343,916 tickets.Wheeler, CJ (11 August 2012)
"HanCinema's Film Review: Scandalous Desires & Social Taboos in Jeong Ji-woo's ''A Muse''"
'' Hancinema''. Retrieved 2013-02-10.

Awards and nominations

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

Buil Film Awards *Best Film *Best New Actress - Kim Go-eun *Nomination - Best Supporting Actor -

*Nomination - Best Music - Yeon Ri-mok

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

*Best New Actress - Kim Go-eun *Nomination - Best Film *Nomination - Best Actress - Kim Go-eun 2012 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards *Best New Actress - Kim Go-eun

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by '' Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popu ...

*Best New Actress - Kim Go-eun *Best Cinematography - Kim Tae-kyung *Best Lighting - Hong Seung-chul *Nomination - Best Art Direction - Kim Si-yong *Nomination - Technical Award - Song Jong-hee 2012

Busan Film Critics Awards Established in 2000, the Busan Film Critics Awards is run by the Busan Film Critics Association (BCFA), a small but independent-minded group of critics based in Busan, South Korea. Each year they announce their choices shortly before the opening o ...

*Best New Actress - Kim Go-eun 2013 KOFRA Film Awards (Korea Film Reporters Association) *Best New Actress - Kim Go-eun

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

*Nomination - Best New Actress - Kim Go-eun 2013 New York Asian Film Festival *Star Asia Rising Star Award - Kim Go-eun

References

External links

* * * * {{KMDb film, 13098, Eungyo 2012 films 2010s erotic drama films South Korean erotic drama films South Korean erotic romance films South Korean romantic drama films Juvenile sexuality in films Films about writers Films set in Seoul Films shot in Seoul Films based on South Korean novels Films based on romance novels Films directed by Jung Ji-woo Lotte Entertainment films 2010s Korean-language films 2012 drama films 2010s South Korean films