''Hill of Freedom'' () is a 2014 South Korean

arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily ...

film written and directed by

Hong Sang-soo Hong Sang-soo (홍상수, born 25 October 1960) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Early life Hong's parents owned the film production company Cinetel Soul. Hong took the entrance exam and entered the theater department at Chun ...

. It premiered in the ''Orizzonti'' ("Horizons") section of the 71st Venice International Film Festival, and won Best Film at the 34th

Korean Association of Film Critics Awards The Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (), also known as the Critics Choice Awards (), is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It was established in 1980 by the Korean Association of Film Critics (KAFC). The c ...

and the 36th

Three Continents Festival The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau.The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

s list of Best Undistributed Films of 2014.

Plot

Japanese language teacher Mori arrives in

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 of ...

to track down Kwon, a South Korean woman he fell for several years ago. Mori arrives in Bukchon, a neighborhood in the center of the city which has a tranquil atmosphere and historical background. Hoping for a chance to see her, he stays at a guesthouse near Kwon's old home, and he's befriended by the elderly owner, Gu-ok, and her broke but sociable nephew Sang-won. Mori begins to frequent ''Jiyugaoka'' ("Hill of Freedom"), a local coffee shop owned by Young-sun, where he writes letters to Kwon. Then even though Young-sun already has a boyfriend, she and Mori become lovers.

Cast

* Ryo Kase as Mori *

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) and '' A Good Lawyer's Wife'' (2003). Career After graduating with a degree in Ed ...

as Young-sun *Seo Young-hwa as Kwon *

Kim Eui-sung Kim Eui-sung (; born December 17, 1965) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in films ''The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), ''Office'' (2015), '' The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo'' (2015) and ''Train to Busan'' (2016); ...

as Sang-won *

Youn Yuh-jung Youn Yuh-jung (, ; born June 19, 1947) is a South Korean actress, whose career in film and television spans over five decades. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, an Independent Spir ...

as Gu-ok *

Gi Ju-bong Gi Ju-bong (born September 3, 1955) is a South Korean actor. Career Gi began acting in 1977 and is notable for ''Offending the Audience ''Offending the Audience'' is a play by Austrian writer Peter Handke. It is sometimes called an "anti-p ...

as Byeong-joo *

Lee Min-woo Lee Min-woo (hangul: 이민우; born July 28, 1979), also known mononymously credited as M as a solo artist, is a South Korean entertainer, known as a member of the South Korean boy band Shinhwa. Lee was the first Shinhwa member to debut a ...

as Ji Kwang-hyun *

Jung Eun-chae Jung Eun-chae (born Jung Sol-mi on November 24, 1986) is a South Korean actress, model and TV host. Jung began her career as a model, then made her acting breakthrough as the titular character in '' Nobody's Daughter Haewon'' (2013), a film by ...

as Nam-hee *Jeong Yong-jin as Yeom-gu *Na Hye-jin as Employee *Kim Min-jae as Employee

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{Hong Sang-soo Films directed by Hong Sang-soo 2014 films South Korean drama films 2010s South Korean films