[Korean DVD News] Kim Hee-jung's The Wonder Years [열세살, 수아] (2007) Available for
If you thought you'd just read about the theatrical release of The Wonder Years, you're not mistaken. As collectors of Korean DVDs are well aware, once a film is shown on the big screen, its appearance on the coveted shiny disc can never be far behind -- usually a matter of just a few months. But, in what amounts to about as close to a simultaneous theatrical/video release as one could possibly imagine, Kim Hee-jung's [김희정] debut feature is slated for a DVD release on July 31st -- a mere six weeks after it opened in the tenth spot on June 14th. True, the film sold a lousy 3,000 tickets, but it was competing against blockbusters like Ocean's 13 and Shrek 3. The coming-of-age film stars Lee Se-young [이세영] as a teenager who believes her true mother is the lead singer (Kim Yu-na [김윤아], lead vocal of Jaurim) of a popular rock group. Determined to find her, the young girl heads off for Seoul with a friend in order to be reunited with her real parent. Lee Hyo-won, writing for the Korea Times, calls The Wonder Years "[a] small gem of a film with subdued charms," and goes on to say that "[t]he film is quietly captivating in its realistic portrait of life in a small suburban city (...) Kim captures on-screen insightful details, believable characters and familiar emotional tensions." The film also stars Choo Sang-Mi [추상미] (Turning Gate). Director Kim, a graduate of the Polish National Film School in Lodz, is the first Korean to be selected for support from the 2005 Cannes Residence Program. The single disc "Limited Edition" DVD is encoded region 3 and has optional English subtitles.
