Jump to content

A Werewolf Boy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Werewolf Boy
Theatrical release poster
Hangul
늑대소년
Hanja
늑대少年
Literal meaningWolf Boy
Revised RomanizationNeukdaesonyeon
McCune–ReischauerNŭkdaesonyŏn
Directed byJo Sung-hee
Written byJo Sung-hee
Produced by
  • Kim Su-jin
  • Yu in-beom
  • Jeong Tae-seong
Starring
CinematographyChoi Sang-muk
Edited byNam Na-yeong
Music byShim Hyun-jung
Production
company
Bidangil Pictures
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release dates
  • September 11, 2012 (2012-09-11) (TIFF)
  • October 31, 2012 (2012-10-31) (South Korea)
Running time
122 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$46.3 million[1][2]

A Werewolf Boy (Korean늑대소년) is a 2012 South Korean fantasy romance film in which a beautiful teenage girl (Park Bo-young) is sent to a country house for her health, where she befriends and attempts to civilize a feral boy (Song Joong-ki) she discovers on the grounds—but the beast inside him is constantly waiting to burst out.[3][4][5]

Director Jo Sung-hee first wrote the script while studying at the Korean Academy of Film Arts and the script went through several rewrites before it was finalized in its current form. This is Jo's commercial debut; he previously directed the arthouse flick End of Animal and the short film Don't Step Out of the House.[6][7]

A Werewolf Boy had its world premiere in the "Contemporary World Cinema" section of the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival,[8][9][10][11] then screened at the 17th Busan International Film Festival before its theatrical release on October 31, 2012.[12][13] It quickly rose up the box office charts to become the most successful Korean melodrama of all time.[14]

Plot

[edit]

Kim Sun-yi, an elderly woman in her sixties living in the US, receives a phone call about the sale of her old family home back in South Korea.

Returning to her homeland, she's met by granddaughter Eun-joo, and they drive back to the house in the country. Sun-yi recalls how 47 years ago, when she was a 17-year-old girl in 1965, she moved from Seoul along with her widowed mother and sister Sun-ja to a remote valley to undergo a period of convalescence after suffering problems with her lungs.

The Kims lived in genteel poverty at the mercy of their arrogant landlord, Ji-tae, son of the business partner of Sun-yi's late father. Because of her delicate health, the beautiful yet introverted Sun-yi lives an isolated life without any friends.

One day, Sun-yi discovers a feral boy of about 19 in their yard. His blood type is unidentifiable, and he can neither read nor speak. Even though he behaves like a wild beast, Sun-yi's kindhearted mother adopts him and names him Chul-soo, assuming he's one of more than 60,000 children orphaned in the Korean War.

At first, Sun-yi considers him a nuisance, but eventually has fun taming him according to a dog-training manual. She teaches him how to wait patiently before a meal, how to wear clothes, speak, write, and other human behavior so that he could one day live like a normal man. Chul-soo demonstrates unswerving loyalty and superhuman brawn, inspiring the envy of Ji-tae, who lusts after Sun-yi.

The two eventually become close; as Sun-yi opens her heart to Chul-soo, he in turn falls in love with her, the only person to ever show him affection. But their relationship is fraught with difficulties as Ji-tae begins to cause trouble. Feeling threatened, Chul-soo lets loose his bestial instincts and in their fear, the town villagers turn on him. In order to save the boy who risked his life to be with her, Sun-yi leaves him with a promise: "Wait for me. I'll come back for you."[15][16][17][18]

In present day, Sun-yi walks into the shed to find Chul-soo sitting there, still as young as he was 47 years ago. He hands her the note that she wrote. She realizes that he's been waiting all along. He reads her a book she had asked him to read all those years ago, as she falls asleep. The next day, she wakes up with Chul-soo nowhere in sight, and leaves with her granddaughter. They receive a call from the county asking about the property. Sun-yi tells him that she's not selling the place. Chul-soo stares from afar as the car drives away.

A sequence in the ending credits shows Chul-soo building a snowman.

Cast

[edit]
Song Joong-ki plays the main protagonist Chul-soo.

Music

[edit]

The film's music video featured John Park's single "철부지" ("Childlike").[31]

"My Prince," the song that Sun-yi sings in the film, was released as a digital single and included in the soundtrack. It was composed by music director Shim Hyun-jung with lyrics by director Jo Sung-hee.[32]

Soundtrack

[edit]
  1. 나의 왕자님 ("My prince") – Park Bo-young
  2. Time she's forgotten
  3. 47 years ago
  4. A boy in the house
  5. Decision to train him
  6. Sun-yi's family
  7. Chul-soo in the bath
  8. First love
  9. Training
  10. Let's go to play
  11. Cosplay
  12. Where there's love
  13. Special power
  14. Turning to wolf
  15. Discover the secret
  16. She collapses
  17. Ji-tae's anger
  18. Chul-soo in chains
  19. Evil plan
  20. Searching for guitar
  21. Out of control
  22. To the forest
  23. Love unreached
  24. Don't leave me
  25. Walking away
  26. For a long time
  27. A werewolf boy

Reception

[edit]

After premiering at number one in the South Korean box office with more than 100,000 admissions,[33][34] A Werewolf Boy broke the 1 million mark after five days,[35][36][37] 2 million after nine days,[38] and 3.6 million in twelve days.[39][40][41][42] Not only were these numbers remarkably high for November, considered a slow season for moviegoing in Korea, but it was also a rare feat for its melodrama genre.[43]

The film also has the distinction of setting a new box office record for "suneung day," the date on which high school seniors take their College Scholastic Ability Test. Each year large numbers of students book tickets for films in the evening after the exam has finished, but A Werewolf Boy's one-day score of 341,475 tickets on November 8 outpaced the totals of any film in previous years.[44][45]

On November 15, its 4.12 million admissions surpassed Architecture 101 to become the most successful Korean melodrama of all time.[14][46] Ticket sales reached 5 million on November 18,[47][48] 6 million on November 26,[49][50][51] then 7 million on December 16,[52][53] making it the third highest Korean top grosser of 2012, behind The Thieves and Masquerade, and also the fourth best selling film of the year overall.[54]

The film also became a sleeper hit when it was released in Taiwan on December 28, 2012, grossing NT$4 million (US$138,000) at the Taipei box office after 17 days on release.[55]

The film also made its premiere in the Philippines on September 18, 2013 as part of the Korean Movie Festival 2013.

Alternate ending

[edit]

After director Jo Sung-hee revealed during one of the film's Q&A sessions that they had shot an alternate ending, due to popular demand, the movie was re-released on December 6, 2012 with that ending.[56][57] The alternate finale involves Park Bo-young's Sun-yi, and among the deleted scenes are moments from Ji-tae's (Yoo Yeon-seok) childhood as well as more focus on the neighborhood in which the plot unfolds.[58][59]

Book

[edit]

A novelization was published on October 31, 2012, to coincide with the movie's opening day.[60]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012
4th Pierson Movie Festival
Best Actress Park Bo-young Won
20th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards
Best Supporting Actor Seo Dong-soo Won
2013
4th KOFRA Film Awards (Korea Film Reporters Association)
Discovery Award Jo Sung-hee Won
Best Costume Design Kwak Jung-ae Nominated
6th Nickelodeon Korea Kids' Choice Awards
Favorite Actor Song Joong-ki Won
Best Film A Werewolf Boy Nominated
Best New Director Jo Sung-hee Won
Best Actor (Film) Song Joong-ki Nominated
Best Screenplay Jo Sung-hee Nominated
Most Popular Actress (Film) Park Bo-young Nominated
5th Terracotta Far East Film Festival
Current Asian Cinema Audience Award Jo Sung-hee Won
20's Movie Star – Female Park Bo-young Won
20's Movie Star – Male Song Joong-ki Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Jang Young-nam Won
Best Music Shim Hyun-jung Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Jang Young-nam Won
Best New Director Jo Sung-hee Nominated
Popularity Award Song Joong-ki Nominated
Park Bo-young Nominated
Best New Director Jo Sung-hee Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Jang Young-nam Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "A Werewolf Boy". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  2. ^ "A Werewolf Boy (2012)". Korean Film Biz Zone. Korean Film Council. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  3. ^ Lee, Claire (27 September 2012). "Werewolf tale brings out beast in Song". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  4. ^ Park, Eun-jee (26 October 2012). "Uncomplicated relationship central to A Werewolf Boy". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Paquet, Darcy (5 October 2012). "In Focus: A Werewolf Boy". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  6. ^ Lee, Claire (5 November 2012). "Director scores debut hit with coming-of-age beast tale". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  7. ^ "Korean films competing for major awards at international film fests". Korean Film Biz Zone. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  8. ^ "A Werewolf Boy". TIFF.net. 21 August 2012. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  9. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (17 August 2012). "Song Joong Ki's A Werewolf Boy Gets Invited to the Toronto International Film Festival". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  10. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (20 August 2012). "A Werewolf Boy gets Toronto invite". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ Hong, Lucia (20 August 2012). "4 Korean movies to head on over to Toronto International Film Festival". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  12. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (26 September 2012). "BIFF to show Song Joong-ki's movie". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ Jeon, Chan-il. "Werewolf Boy". BIFF.kr. Archived from the original on 2013-12-15. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  14. ^ a b Sunwoo, Carla (19 November 2012). "Werewolf Boy the top melodrama". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ "A Werewolf Boy". Korean Film Biz Zone. Archived from the original on 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  16. ^ Lee, Maggie (20 September 2012). "A Werewolf Boy". Variety. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  17. ^ Elley, Derek (2 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 2012-11-10. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  18. ^ Baek, Byung-yeul (15 November 2012). "Werewolf Boy – witty, tragic tale of romance". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
  19. ^ Kang, Jung-yeon (21 September 2012). "Innocent man Song Joong-Ki has turned into werewolf". BNTNews. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  20. ^ Lee, Hye-ji (27 September 2012). "Song Joong-ki "Watched Animal Documentaries to Play Werewolf Boy"". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  21. ^ Oh, Mi-jung (17 October 2012). "Song Joong Ki Says He's Still Thirsty for More Experience as an Actor". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 2015-04-06. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  22. ^ Yoon, Hee-seong (2 November 2012). "INTERVIEW: The Innocent Man Song Joong-ki – Part. 1". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  23. ^ Yang, Seo-hee (22 November 2012). "Werewolf Boy gets real: Actor Song Joong-ki talks about his phenomenal year". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ Ko, Kyoung-seok (15 September 2011). "Park Bo-young, Song Joong-ki may become costars in new film". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  25. ^ Hong, Lucia (22 December 2011). "Song Joong-ki, Park Bo-young start filming new pic". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  26. ^ Lim, Ju-hui (27 September 2012). "Wolf Boy Park Bo Young expresses thanks to Song Joong Ki's great care". StarN News. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  27. ^ "Park Bo-young "Interest on Song Joong-gi, prepared but bittersweet emotions"". Innolife. 18 November 2012. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  28. ^ Lee, Jin-ho (9 December 2012). "Park Bo Young Says She Felt Bad about Song Joong Ki's Popularity Once". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  29. ^ Lim, Ju-hui (27 September 2012). "Wolf Boy Yoo Yeon Seok talks about his character". StarN News. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  30. ^ Lee, Mi-ji (25 October 2012). "Wolf Boy Yoo Yeon Seok and Song Joong Ki's intense battle coming up". StarN News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  31. ^ Kim, Ji-yeon (23 October 2012). "John Park Loved the A Werewolf Boy Music Video for His Single Childlike". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  32. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (13 November 2012). "Park Bo Young Sings for A Werewolf Boy". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  33. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (3 November 2012). "Werewolf Boy rises to number one". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  34. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (1 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Challenges James Bond and Becomes #1 Movie on Opening Day". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  35. ^ Lee, Tae-ho (5 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Beats off James Bond, Makes Debut atop Local Box Office". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  36. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (5 November 2012). "Song Joong Ki and Park Bo Young Celebrate 1 Million Views with Tears for A Werewolf Boy". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  37. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (7 November 2012). "Song Joong-ki unleashes cuteness to mark movie success". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  38. ^ Oh, Mi-jung (8 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Gathers 2 Million Moviegoers in 9 Days". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  39. ^ Lee, Hye-ji (12 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Tops Local Box Office for 2 Straight Weeks". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  40. ^ Moon, Gwang-lip (12 November 2012). "Werewolf transforms into mega-hit". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  41. ^ Lee, In-kyung (12 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Goes Up While The Peach Tree Falls Down". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  42. ^ "A Werewolf Boy Lures 3.6 Million Viewers in 12 Days". The Chosun Ilbo. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  43. ^ "A Werewolf Boy draws 3 million viewers". The Korea Times. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
  44. ^ Oh, Mi-jung (9 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Records Biggest Audience on Sooneung Day". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  45. ^ Paquet, Darcy (16 November 2012). "Box office, November 1–14". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  46. ^ Kim, Hyun-min (19 November 2012). "9th 4 Million Movie This Year". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  47. ^ Jeon, Su-mi (19 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Passes 5 Million Mark and Gets the Cast Celebrating". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  48. ^ Lee, Tae-ho (19 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Stays Powerful atop Local Box Office for 3 Consecutive Weeks". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
  49. ^ Kim, Hyun-min (26 November 2012). "More Records Fall at the Korean Box Office". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  50. ^ Lee, Jin-ho (26 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Scores Again with 6 Million Audience". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
  51. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (27 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy exceeds six million views". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  52. ^ Kim, Nemo (17 December 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Breaks Melodrama Record". 10Asia. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  53. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (18 December 2012). "A Werewolf Boy exceeds 7 million tickets sold". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  54. ^ Paquet, Darcy (30 November 2012). "Box office, November 15–28". Korea Cinema Today. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  55. ^ Cremin, Stephen (14 January 2013). "Werewolf Boy is sleeper hit in Taiwan". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  56. ^ "A WEREWOLF BOY reveals an exclusive alternate ending". CJ Entertainment. 30 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  57. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (6 December 2012). "Werewolf director transforms ending". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  58. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (29 November 2012). "'Werewolf Boy' gets alternate ending". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  59. ^ Lee, Eun-sun (29 November 2012). "A WEREWOLF BOY to Be Released in the U.S. and Japan". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  60. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (5 November 2012). "A Werewolf Boy Published as a Book". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  61. ^ Shackleton, Liz (16 January 2013). "Mystery, Gangster head Asian Film Awards nominations". Screen International. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  62. ^ Conran, Pierce (9 April 2013). "49th PaekSang Arts Awards Nominations Revealed". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
  63. ^ Ji, Yong-jin (13 May 2013). "RYU Seung-ryong Wins Grand Prize at Baeksang Arts Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
[edit]