Forever the Moment
Forever the Moment (Korean: 우리 생애 최고의 순간; RR: Uri saengae choego-ui sungan) is a 2008 South Korean film. It is a fictionalized account of the South Korea women's handball team which competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics. The Korean title translates as "The Best Moment in Our Lives," and it is believed to be the first film that revolves around the sport of handball.[2]
Forever the Moment | |
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Theatrical poster | |
Hangul | 우리 생애 최고의 순간 |
Hanja | 우리 生涯 最高의 瞬間 |
Revised Romanization | Uri saengae choegoui sungan |
McCune–Reischauer | Uri saengae ch‘oegoŭi sun’gan |
Directed by | Yim Soon-rye |
Produced by | Shim Jae-myung Kim Hyeon-cheol Kim Kyun-hee |
Written by | Na Hyun |
Starring | Moon So-ri Kim Jung-eun Uhm Tae-woong |
Music by | Yoon Min-hwa |
Cinematography | Hwang Ki-seok |
Edited by | Moon In-dae |
Distributed by | Sidus FNH |
Release date |
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Running time | 124 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
Box office | US$27.3 million[1] |
Plot
Kim Hye-kyeong is a retired handball player who has been successfully coaching in the Japan Handball League. When the coach of South Korea's women's national team suddenly quits, she is asked to fill in, but is faced with an undisciplined squad of players. Hye-kyeong tries to improve the team by recruiting some of her old teammates, including two-time Olympic gold medalist Han Mi-sook. However, Hye-kyeong's aggressiveness causes friction amongst the players, and she is replaced by former men's handball star Ahn Seung-pil, though she decides to stay with the team as a player. Seung-pil introduces modern European training methods which brings him into conflict with the older players, and things get worse when they lose a game against a high school boys' team.
Cast
- Moon So-ri as Han Mi-sook
- Kim Jung-eun as Kim Hye-kyeong
- Uhm Tae-woong as Ahn Seung-pil
- Kim Ji-young as Song Jeong-ran
- Jo Eun-ji as Oh Soo-hee
- Min Ji as Bo-ram
- Namgoong Eun-sook as Jin-joo
- Lee Mi-do as Hyeon-ja
- Jo Yeong-jin as Director Song
- Lee Bong-gyoo as Chairman
- Jeong Seok-yong as Choong-sik, the office chief
- Ha Jung-woo as Blind date man
- Choi Wook as Coach Kang
- Jeong Se-hyeong as Trainer Jeong
- Kim Kang-mi as Dong-yoon
- Kim Jong-eon as Kim Goon
- Park Hyeong-jae as Myeong-seok
- Jo Deok-jae as Boss Bae
- Oh Chang-kyeong as Sang-yeol
- Woo Yong as Nutritionist
- Na Hyun as Director Hakiboo
- Kim Jin-hyeok as Real estate poker man
- Sung Ji-ru as Jin-gook, Jeong-ran's husband (cameo)
- Park Won-sang as Gyu-cheol, Mi-sook's husband (cameo)
- Ryu Seung-soo as Supermarket manager (cameo)
- Danish and French team
- The Danish and French team players were played by real players from Danish women's handball club SK Aarhus.
- Miles Meili as Danish coach 1
- Tore Hogas as Danish coach 2
- Martin Lord Cayce as French coach
- Iwona Niedźwiedź-Cecotka as French player #3 (V. Pons)
- Mária Tóth as French player #20 (A. Olivier)
Background
South Korea won the silver medal in women's handball at the 2004 Summer Olympics, following a close game against Denmark which was decided by a penalty shootout. The Koreans had lost a three-point lead in the second half,[3] and at the end of normal time both sides were level at 25–25, taking the game into overtime. After the first overtime the score was still locked at 29–29,[4] but South Korea were leading 34–33 in second overtime, until a late equaliser by Katrine Fruelund in the final ten seconds forced the game into a shootout, which Denmark won 4–2.[5] In a poll conducted by Gallup Korea, 50.2% of respondents said that the women's handball finals was their favourite event of the 2004 Summer Olympics.[6]
Reception
Forever the Moment was released in South Korea on January 10, 2008.[7] It topped the box office on its opening weekend, grossing $4,407,643,[8] and remained at the top for a further two weeks, ahead of Hollywood films Enchanted, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Cloverfield, all released during the same period.[9] By March 23 the film had grossed a total of $27,258,370,[1] and as of July 13 the total number of admissions was 4,043,293.[7]
Awards and nominations
Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
---|---|---|---|
3rd Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | Nominated |
44th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | Forever the Moment | Won |
Best Director (film) | Yim Soon-rye | Nominated | |
Best Actress (film) | Kim Jung-eun | Nominated | |
Best Screenplay (film) | Na Hyun | Nominated | |
Most Popular Actress (film) | Kim Jung-eun | Won | |
29th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | Forever the Moment | Won |
Best Director | Yim Soon-rye | Nominated | |
Best Actress | Moon So-ri | Nominated | |
Best Supporting Actor | Uhm Tae-woong | Nominated | |
Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | Won | |
Best Screenplay | Na Hyun | Nominated | |
17th Buil Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | Nominated |
Best Screenplay | Na Hyun | Nominated | |
Buil Readers' Jury Award | Forever the Moment | Nominated | |
9th Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | Won |
Special Jury Prize | Yim Soon-rye | Won | |
16th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Moon So-ri | Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | Won | |
Best New Actress | Jo Eun-ji | Won | |
45th Grand Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | Nominated |
Best Editing | Moon In-dae | Nominated | |
Best Planning | Shim Jae-myung, Kim Hyeon-cheol and Kim Kyun-hee | Nominated | |
7th Korean Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kim Ji-young | Won |
2008 Seoul International Women's Film Festival | Park Namok Award | Forever the Moment | Won |
2008 Women in Film Korea Festival | Woman in Film of the Year | Yim Soon-rye | Won |
PR and Marketing Award | Forever the Moment | Won |
References
- South Korea Box Office March 21–23, 2008, Bow Office Mojo. Retrieved on April 15, 2008.
- Darcy Paquet, Forever the Moment review, Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved on April 21, 2008.
- Danes defend crown in style, BBC Sport, August 29, 2004. Retrieved on April 20, 2008.
- Denmark win handball gold after shoot-out, The Tribune (India), August 30, 2004. Retrieved on April 20, 2008.
- Danish women beat South Korea for third straight gold, USA Today, August 29, 2004. Retrieved on April 20, 2008.
- Women's handball finals most popular among the public, KBS, August 31, 2004. Retrieved on April 20, 2008.
- The Best Selling Films of 2008, Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved on April 15, 2008.
- South Korea Box Office January 11–13, 2008, Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on April 15, 2008.
- South Korea Box Office January 25–27, 2008, Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on April 15, 2008.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)
- Forever the Moment at IMDb
- Forever the Moment at the Korean Movie Database
- Forever the Moment at HanCinema
- Review at Koreanfilm.org