''Little Forest'' is a 2018 South Korean

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Yim Soon-rye and based on a manga series of the same name by

Daisuke Igarashi is a Japanese manga artist born in Saitama (2 April 1969), Japan. He began his professional career in 1993. Igarashi is known among manga fans for his bold, detailed art style and innovative storytelling. While his works are often described as ...

which was first published in 2002. After failing to pass the national qualification exam to become a teacher, Hye-won (

Kim Tae-ri Kim Tae-ri (born April 24, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She is known for starring in the films '' The Handmaiden'' (2016), ''Little Forest'' (2018), ''Space Sweepers'' (2020) and in the historical drama '' Mr. Sunshine'' (2018). Kim's lea ...

) abandons her part-time job 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 return to the small village where she was raised.

Synopsis

The story of a young woman who returns to her childhood home, in a traditional Korean village, after leaving for the big city in pursuit of what turned out to be an elusive dream. When she returns home, her mother isn't there - but her mother's "Little Forest", the many ways in which a single mother successfully made a home for her much loved child, unfurl with a long succession of lovingly sketched details involving mostly food preparation. The unfurling moments are lightly but lovingly shared with two childhood friends, one of whom also abandoned their elusive dream of success in the big city (Seoul) and the other who is still pursuing the small town equivalent of that elusive dream—without ever leaving home.

Cast

as Song Hye-won *

Ryu Jun-yeol Ryu Jun-yeol (; born September 25, 1986) is a South Korean actor, activist, and photographer. Ryu began his acting career in independent films, and then rose to prominence through his breakthrough role in the critically acclaimed television se ...

as Lee Jae-ha *

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 Mom * Jin Ki-joo as Joo Eun-sook *

Park Won-sang Park Won-sang (born January 20, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television Theater Ambassadorship *Ambassador for 1st Democratization Movement Memorial Park Joint Memorial Cultural Festival (2022) References External ...

as Mailman (special appearance) * Jung Jun-won as Hoon-yi (special appearance)

Production

Principal photography began on January 21, 2017. It took place in a small village in

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...

. Filming wrapped up on October 26, 2017. The film was produced with a cost of US$1.4 million.

Reception

Box office

The film came in second place at the Korean box office on the opening day by attracting 131,337 audiences. During the first weekend since the film was released at 832 screens, ''Little Forest'' drew 372,394 moviegoers accounting for 22.3 percent of the weekend's ticket sales. This accumulated to a total of 686,000 ticket sales at the end of first five days. By March 10, 2018, within 11 days since its premiere the film was watched by more than 1 million moviegoers, with in takings. During the second weekend the film was viewed by 262,953 audiences and fell to third place at the Korean box office. ''Little Forest'' remained in the third place at the Korean box office after three weekends, attracting 127,456 moviegoers during the weekend and increasing the total ticket sales to 1.35 million at the end of three weeks. Throughout the fourth weekend, the film attracted 60,162 moviegoers and dropped to fourth place at the weekend box office.

Critical response

The Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' is a leading English-language daily newspaper founded in 1953 and published in Seoul, South Korea. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from int ...

'' reviewed ''Little Forest'' as "a small film with no villain, no real tension, and no real conflict", stating that the director tries to "shows us that maybe letting go can give us exactly what we’ve wanted."

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Yim Soon-rye 2018 films 2018 drama films South Korean drama films Live-action films based on manga Cooking films Films about food and drink Films directed by Yim Soon-rye Films shot in North Gyeongsang Province 2010s South Korean films