Sunny (2011 film)

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Sunny
Theatrical poster
Korean name
Hangul
써니
Revised RomanizationSseoni
McCune–ReischauerSsŏni
Directed byKang Hyeong-cheol
Written byKang Hyeong-cheol
Produced byAhn Byeong-ki[1]
Ahn In-ki
StarringShim Eun-kyung
Kang So-ra
Yoo Ho-jeong
Jin Hee-kyung
CinematographyLee Hyung-deok
Edited byNam Na-yeong
Music byKim Jun-seok
Production
companies
Toilet Pictures
Aloha Pictures
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • 4 May 2011 (2011-05-04)
Running time
124 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
BudgetUS$5.5 million
Box officeUS$51.1 million[2]

Sunny (Korean: 써니; RR: Sseoni) is a 2011 South Korean comedy-drama film. The film is about a middle-aged woman who tries to fulfill her friend's dying wish of reuniting their group of high school friends. The film alternates between two timelines: the present day where the women are middle-aged, and the 1980s when they were in high school. It is the second film by writer-director Kang Hyeong-cheol, who previously directed Scandal Makers (2008).[3][4]

Released on 4 May 2011, Sunny was the first film of that year to sell five million tickets in South Korea,[citation needed] and became the second highest-grossing Korean film by the end of the year.[5] As of 20 September 2012, it is the 13th best-selling film of all-time in South Korea. Kang Hyeong-cheol and Nam Na-yeong won Best Director and Best Editing, respectively, at the Grand Bell Awards.[6][7] Actress Kang So-ra won several awards for her role as the teenage girl Ha Chun-hwa.[8]

Plot[edit]

Im Na-mi, a wealthy but depressed housewife, feels disconnected from her family and lonely in her seemingly perfect life. Her husband and daughter are indifferent towards her, and she eats breakfast alone every morning. One day, she visits her mother in the hospital and recalls her high school days upon seeing the name "Ha Chun-hwa" on a patient's room.[9]

Na-mi is then taken back to her teenage years, where she is introduced as a new student in an all-girls high school in Seoul. Initially ridiculed for her country accent and appearance, she befriends Ha Chun-hwa and joins her group of friends called "Sunny." The group consists of six other girls: Kim Jang-mi, Hwang Jin-hee, Seo Geum-ok, Ryu Bok-hee, and Jung Su-ji. They bond over shared experiences and adventures, including a memorable rivalry with another school group. Na-mi also experiences her first love with Han Joon-ho.

In the present, Na-mi discovers Chun-hwa is terminally ill and wishes to reunite Sunny. Na-mi hires a detective to find the group members, learning about their diverse, often troubled lives. Jang-mi is a struggling insurance agent, Jin-hee's husband cheats on her, Geum-ok is unemployed and living in a cramped space, Bok-hee has turned to prostitution, and Su-ji remains elusive. Na-mi eventually finds Joon-ho and gets closure on her past feelings for him.

Despite Chun-hwa passing away before the reunion, the women rekindle their friendship and joy in life. They also get revenge on a group of girls bullying Na-mi's daughter[10]. At Chun-hwa's funeral, the lawyer reads her will, which includes thoughtful gifts and opportunities for each member of Sunny. They celebrate Chun-hwa's life by dancing to their old routine, and Su-ji makes a surprise appearance, completing their reunion. The film ends with nostalgic flashbacks to their teenage years.

Cast[edit]

Allusions[edit]

The flashback scenes juxtaposed the fun and silly, drama-filled lives of high school students with the Gwangju Uprising that took place in May 1980. In the film, Na-mi's brother is a university student who participates in the protests. The scenes where Sunny fights the rival gang are backgrounded with the violent clash between the protestors and the military.

The movie's release was timely with the entertainment industry's focus on 1980s musicals, films, and pop music. Western brands and products were abundantly present in the flashback portions of the film. The trendy high school students all wore Nike and Adidas. A billboard for Rocky was visible in the background of the fight between Sunny and their rivals. The music also referenced songs from the 1980s including "Touch by Touch" by Joy, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper,[note 1][11] "Reality" by Richard Sanderson, and Boney M.'s 1976 cover of Bobby Hebb's song "Sunny," as well as the Korean pop songs "In My Dreams" by Jo Duk-bae and "I See" by Nami. Especially the song use in the first and ending scene is "Time after time", sang by Tuck & Patti, original version of Cyndi Lauper.

Original soundtrack[edit]

The album is comprised by instrumentals composed by music director Kim Jun-seok that express the characters' emotional state. The film also featured a mix of 1980s Korean and Western pop music to evoke nostalgia, and to signify the Western "fad" that swept over students in Korea at the time.

Sunny Original Motion Picture Score
No.TitleArtistLength
1."시간여행" (Time travel)Kim Jun-seok 
2."Main Theme of Sunny"Kim Jun-seok 
3."Like Mom, Like Daughter"Kim Jun-seok 
4."Shadowing Stealthily"Kim Jun-seok 
5."Nami, blind with love"Kim Jun-seok 
6."Sunny vs. 소녀시대" (Sunny vs. Girls' Generation)Kim Jun-seok 
7."The realization of a just society"Kim Jun-seok 
8."친구를 찾아" (Find a friend)Kim Jun-seok 
9."꿈꾸던 소녀" (Dream girl)Kim Jun-seok 
10."A Little Girl, Nami"Kim Jun-seok 
11."추억의 기차" (Train of memories)Kim Jun-seok 
12."오래된 약속" (An old promise)Kim Jun-seok 
13."Close to my friend"Kim Jun-seok 
14."마지막 선물" (Last gift)Kim Jun-seok 
15."오랜만의 재회" (Reunion)Kim Jun-seok 
16."빙글빙글" (Round and Round)Sunny cast 

Release[edit]

The film was released on 4 May 2011 in South Korea.[12] It also received a limited release in the United States in July 2011, screening in Los Angeles, Torrance, New York City, New Jersey, Chicago, Virginia, Washington D.C., Seattle, Texas and Hawaii.[13][14]

Film festivals[edit]

The film has been shown in film festivals worldwide:

Event Location Event Dates Category/Remarks
16th Busan International Film Festival Busan, South Korea 6–14 October 2011 Korean Cinema Today: Panorama *Director's Cut
6th Korean Film Festival in Paris Paris, France 11–18 October 2011 Opening Night Film *European Premiere
13th Mumbai Film Festival Mumbai, India 13–30 October 2011 World Cinema
6th London Korean Film Festival[15] London, England 4–10 November 2011 Contemporary Korean Cinema
10th New York Korean Film Festival New York City, United States 24–26 February 2012
7th Osaka Asian Film Festival Osaka, Japan 9–18 March 2012 Special Screenings
2nd San Diego Asian Film Foundation Spring Showcase San Diego, United States 19–26 April 2012 Opening Night Film
14th Udine Far East Film Festival[16] Udine, Italy 20–28 April 2012 Opening Night Film
16th Fantasia International Film Festival[17] Montreal, Quebec, Canada 19 July–9 August 2012
3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia[18] Sydney, Australia 22–28 September 2012 Closing Night Film
2013 Korean Film Festival[19] Manila, Philippines 18 September −10 October 2013

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

In 2011, the movie sold 7,375,110 tickets, and grossed ₩54,034,324,100 (US$47,068,227), making it the year's second highest grossing Korean film and fourth highest grossing overall film in South Korea.[5][20][21][22] At the end of the movie's run, it had sold 7.38 million admissions, with an additional 90,555 from a director's cut.[5][23]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2011 5th Mnet 20's Choice Awards Hot Movie Star Kang So-ra Won
20th Buil Film Awards Best New Actress Kang So-ra Won
48th Grand Bell Awards Best Film Sunny Nominated
Best Director Kang Hyeong-cheol Won
Best Supporting Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best New Actress Kang So-ra Nominated
Best Screenplay Kang Hyeong-cheol Nominated
Best Planning Ahn Byeong-ki, Lee Anna Nominated
Best Editing Nam Na-yeong Won
Best Costume Design Chae Kyung-hwa Nominated
Best Music Kim Jun-seok Nominated
32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film Sunny Nominated
Best Director Kang Hyeong-cheol Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best New Actress Kang So-ra Nominated
Best Screenplay Kang Hyeong-cheol Nominated
Best Art Direction Lee Yo-han Nominated
Best Music Kim Jun-seok Nominated
Technical Award Nam Na-yeong (editing) Nominated
19th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) for Film Sunny Won
Best New Actress Min Hyo-rin Won
4th Style Icon Awards Content of the Year Sunny Won
2012 3rd KOFRA Film Awards Best Director Kang Hyeong-cheol Won
48th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Film Sunny Nominated
Best Actress Shim Eun-kyung Nominated
Best New Actress Kang So-ra Nominated
Most Popular Actress Kang So-ra Won

Remakes[edit]

Hong Kong television series Never Dance Alone, which aired on TVB in 2014, is reportedly inspired by this movie.[24] The remake is not official.

A Hollywood remake of the movie was announced to be in production since 2016.[25][26]

A Vietnamese remake of the movie, titled Tháng Năm Rực Rỡ (Go Go Sisters) was released on 9 March 2018. It topped the Southeast Asian country’s box office in its opening weekend (collected 490,000 views) and received overwhelming positive feedbacks from the media, movie reviewers, and public audiences.

A Japanese remake of the movie, titled Sunny: Our Hearts Beat Together (Sunny: Tsuyoi Kimochi Tsuyoi Ai, lit. Sunny: Strong Mind Strong Love) was released on 31 August 2018.[27][28]

An Indonesian adaptation remake of the movie, titled Bebas (Glorious Days) was released on 3 October 2019.[29][30][31]

A Chinese remake of the movie, titled Sunny Sisters (Chinese: 阳光姐妹淘) was released on 11 June 2021.[32]

A Philippine adaptation of the movie is currently under production by Viva Films and is set for release in 10 April 2024.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Although the movie displays events from the democratization movement in 1980, it also features the Cyndi Lauper song that was released in 1983.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kim, Hyung-seok (2 May 2014). "Korea's Leading Filmmakers Turned Producers". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Sunny Box Office Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  3. ^ "No Secret Ingredient for Success, Says Sunny Director Kang". The Chosun Ilbo. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  4. ^ Petkova, Antoniya (April 2012). "Interview: Hyeong-Cheol Kang, director of Sunny". CineVue. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Paquet, Darcy (8 January 2012). "South Korean box office in 2011". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  6. ^ "48th Daejong Film Awards Highlight Year's Best". The Chosun Ilbo. 18 October 2011. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  7. ^ "The Front Line top winner at Korea's Grand Bell Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Kang So-ra Soars to Stardom with Sunny". The Chosun Ilbo. 28 May 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  9. ^ Edwards, Russell (2 November 2011). "Sunny". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  10. ^ Lee, Maggie (8 December 2011). "Sunny: Movie Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  11. ^ Wong, Amy (23 October 2011). "Sunny (Korean Film)". YAM Magazine (Yet Another Magazine). Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  12. ^ "Sunny draws 7 million viewers". The Korea Times. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  13. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (25 July 2011). "Sunny opening in more US theaters Friday". The Korea Times. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Sunny Released in U.S." The Chosun Ilbo. 27 July 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  15. ^ Mitchell, Robert (29 November 2011). "Bittersweet Life: Korean cinema's secret popularity in the UK". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  16. ^ Hwang, Hei-rim (20 April 2012). "Far East Film Festival in Udine highlights 20 Korean films". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  17. ^ "Korean films take over Fantasia, Osian's-Cinefan". Korean Film Biz Zone. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  18. ^ "Korean Film Fest in Australia rolls out ambitious 2012 line-up". Korean Film Biz Zone. July 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  19. ^ "6 Korean movies to screen at film festival". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  20. ^ Kim, Hong-chun (5 March 2012). "KOFIC reports record box office in 2011". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  21. ^ "Top issues in the 2011 Korean film industry". Korean Cinema Today. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  22. ^ "The Best Selling Films of 2011". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  23. ^ Edwards, Russell (1 November 2011). "Review: Sunny". Variety. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  24. ^ "Synopsis Of Never Dance Alone". JayneStars.com. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  25. ^ "Hollywood remake of 'Sunny' under production". Yonhap News Agency. 27 October 2016.
  26. ^ "Kevin Hart to Produce Remake of Korean Comedy-Drama 'Sunny'". 28 November 2018.
  27. ^ "Ohne to direct Japanese remake of 'Sunny'". Korea Joongang Daily. 3 October 2017.
  28. ^ "South Korean film "Sunny" to be remade for overseas audiences".
  29. ^ Rafikasari, Diana (5 September 2019). "Adaptasi Box Office Korea Film Bebas Tayang 3 Oktober 2019". SINDOnews. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  30. ^ Lukman, Josa (26 September 2019). "Mira Riri Filmmaking Duo Bring 1990s Back with Bebas". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  31. ^ "[Reportage] Korean film sees new horizons in Southeast Asia".
  32. ^ "【观影零距离】《阳光姐妹淘》". Xinhuanet (in Chinese (China)). 11 July 2021.

External links[edit]

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