| Pluto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 명왕성 |
| Hanja | 冥王星 |
| Revised Romanization | Myeongwangseong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Myŏngwangsŏng |
| Directed by | Shin Su-won |
| Written by | Shin Su-won |
| Produced by | Shin Sang-han Francis Lim |
| Starring | Lee David Sung Joon Kim Kkot-bi |
| Cinematography | Yun Ji-woon |
| Edited by | Lee Do-hyun |
| Music by | Ryu Jae-ah |
| Production company | SH Film |
| Distributed by | Sidus FNH |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | ₩114,721,500 |
Pluto (Korean: 명왕성; Hanja: 冥王星; RR: Myeongwangseong) is a 2012 South Korean film written and directed by Shin Su-won about the severity of competition among students at an elite high school, and how far one will go to be at the top.
The film made its world premiere at the 17th Busan International Film Festival and was also screened at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival where director Shin Su-won received a special mention in the Generation 14plus Section.
Plot
Kim Joon, a transfer student of a prestigious high school, is arrested for the murder of one of his classmates. Yoo jin, the top student of his class, was found dead in the woods behind the school and strong evidence and a group of students' testimonies point to Joon, but after some questioning with the police, he is released. Upon returning to the school, he holds the group of students as prisoners in a hidden basement. The students are members of an elite group of students, composed of the top 1% of the school who have access to certain privileges that allows them to keep their ranking high. Dark secrets of the group begin to unfold with flashbacks of how Joon, an ambitious student from an ordinary high school who was desperate to become a member, was asked to perform a series of cruel tasks in order to get in.
In the end, the study group known as 'Rabbit Hunt'(토끼사냥)'s cruelty and crimes are exposed , and Kim Joon takes them hostage. Before that, his friend, Sujin, attempted to expose their crime to schoolmates but beaten by them to unconsciousness. While she was hospitalized, her mother discovered a letter in her hand written by Kim Joon - implying his death. At that time, Sujin sheds tear, indicating she comes back to consciousness. Meanwhile, after he turns the evidence of the study group's crime and cruel commitment as stored in USB flash memory drive over to detectives, he gives 1 minute to them to escape the room where he and hostages are in with the other one student. After they escaped, the Total Solar eclipse begins, making the room completely dark for several minutes. During the Totality phase, Joon sets the fuze of his improvised explosive device made with nitroglycerin on fire, killing himself and the study group students as well. After it ends, the total solar eclipse ends as well.
Cast
- Lee David as Kim Joon
- Sung Joon as Yoo-jin Taylor
- Kim Kkot-bi as Jung Soo-jin
- Jo Sung-ha as Chief detective Park
- Kim Kwon as Han Myung-ho
- Sun Joo-ah as Kang Mi-ra
- Nam Tae-boo as Choi Bo-ram
- Ryu Kyung-soo as Park Jung-jae
- Kim Mi-jung as Eun-joo
- Park Tae-sung as Literature teacher
- Gil Hae-yeon as Joon's mother
- Oh Jung-woo as Kang Chang-min
- Hwang Jung-min as Han Myung-ho's mother
- Kim Jae-rok as Principal
- Park Hae-joon as Detective Choi
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 63rd Berlin International Film Festival | Special Mention (Youth Jury Generation 14plus) | Pluto | Won |
| 2014 | 1st Wildflower Film Awards | Best Film | Pluto | Nominated |
| Best Director | Shin Su-won | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Lee David | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Yun Ji-woon | Nominated | ||
| 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actress | Sun Joo-ah | Nominated |
References
- Jang, Sung-ran (4 February 2013). "Director of PLUTO SHIN Su-won: Showing Realities via Unrealistic Movies". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- "Pluto". Sidus Pictures. Archived from the original on 2014-09-05. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- Paquet, Darcy (23 October 2012). "In Focus: Pluto". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- Lee, Maggie (25 November 2012). "Review: Pluto". Variety. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- Bechervaise, Jason (6 October 2012). "Pluto". Screen International. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- Yuh, Suh-young (12 July 2013). "Next up? Ball-swatting ape". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- Lee, Claire (19 June 2013). "Filmmakers in conflict with movie-rating organization". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- "Pluto". BIFF.kr. Archived from the original on 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- "3 Films at the Center of Hot Issues at BIFF: Jiseul, Pluto and Fatal". Korean Film Biz Zone. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- Conran, Pierce (16 February 2013). "SHIN Su-won's Latest Triumphs in Generation Section". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- Shin, Su-won (29 November 2013). "Letter from Paris: PLUTO Director SHIN Su-won Reports on 8th FFCP". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
- Paquet, Darcy. "Wildflower Film Awards". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- Cremin, Stephen (18 March 2014). "Wildflower Awards celebrates Korean indies". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2014-09-01.