Madonna (Korean: 마돈나) is a 2015 South Korean mystery-drama film written and directed by Shin Su-won.[2][3][4][5] It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Kwon So-hyun won Best New Actress at the 35th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.[17]

Madonna
Theatrical poster
Directed byShin Su-won
Written byShin Su-won
Produced byFrancis Lim
StarringSeo Young-hee
Kwon So-hyun
CinematographyYun Ji-woon
Edited byLee Do-hyun
Music byRyu Jae-ah
Production
company
June Film
Distributed byLittle Big Pictures
Release dates
Running time
121 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
BudgetUS$350,000[1]

Plot

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Due to her mounting bills, Moon Hye-rim becomes a nurse's aide and is assigned to the VIP ward to take care of a patient who has been left paralyzed by a stroke, Kim Cheol-oh. Cheol-oh is a billionaire tycoon and the hospital's major investor, and for ten years his unscrupulous son Sang-woo has done everything in his power to extend his father's life through a series of organ transplants because Cheol-oh had instructed in his will that his entire fortune is to be given to charities (thereby putting an end to Sang-woo's affluent lifestyle). One day, a brain-dead, pregnant young woman named Jang Mi-na is brought to the hospital after a mysterious car crash. In exchange for a sum of money, Hye-rim agrees to Sang-woo's instructions that she track down Mi-na's next-of-kin and get them to sign an organ donation consent form for her heart. As Hye-rim delves into Mi-na's past and discovers that Mi-na was bullied since childhood for her hair color, weight and poverty, to her adulthood as a sexually abused factory worker who becomes a prostitute named "Madonna," the more Hye-rim forms a strange bond with her comatose patient and becomes determined to derail the heart transplant.

Cast

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  • Seo Young-hee as Moon Hye-rim[18]
  • Kwon So-hyun as Jang Mi-na[19]
  • Kim Young-min as Kim Sang-woo
  • Ko Seo-hee as Go Hyeon-joo
  • Yoo Soon-chul as Kim Cheol-oh, the Chairman
  • Ye Soo-jung as Foul-mouthed old woman
  • Shin Woon-sub as Dr. Han
  • Byun Yo-han as Dr. Im Hyeok-gyu
  • Lee Myung-haeng as Sales team manager Park
  • Kim Jo-jung as Pimp
  • Han Song-hee as Mi-young
  • Lee Sang-hee as Ah-ram
  • Park Hyun-young as Joon-hee
  • Jin Yong-wook as Jong-dae
  • Kim Hyun-sook as Mi-na's grandmother
  • Susanna Noh as Teacher Choi
  • Kim Jeong-yeon as young Mi-na
  • Park Ji-young as younger Choi
  • Choi Hee-jin as Coffee shop owner

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2015 24th Buil Film Awards Best New Actress Kwon So-hyun Nominated
35th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Won
36th Blue Dragon Film Awards Nominated
2016 52nd Paeksang Arts Awards Nominated
3rd Wildflower Film Awards Best Director (Narrative Films) Shin Su-won Won
Best New Actor/Actress Kwon So-hyun Won

References

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  1. ^ "Low-budget Madonna stands tall in theater opening". The Korea Times. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  2. ^ Noh, Jean (17 May 2015). "Shin Su-won, Madonna". Screen International. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  3. ^ Kim, Su-hyeon (23 February 2015). "Finding New Diversity Films within 2015 Korean Cinema!". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  4. ^ Won, Ho-jung (28 June 2015). "Herald Interview: Madonna casts a harsh light onto women suffering in Korea's shadows". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  5. ^ Park, Jung-ho (21 July 2015). "With dark film, Korean director makes history". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  6. ^ "The 2015 Official Selection". Cannes Film Festival. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  7. ^ Conran, Pierce (17 April 2015). "Korean Trio Invited to Cannes Official Selection". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Three Korean films invited to Cannes". The Korea Herald. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  9. ^ "3 Korean Films Invited to Cannes". The Chosun Ilbo. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Low-Budget Korean Film Hailed at Cannes". The Chosun Ilbo. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  11. ^ Tsui, Clarence (20 May 2015). "Madonna: Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  12. ^ Lee, Maggie (20 May 2015). "Cannes Film Review: Madonna". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  13. ^ Bechervaise, Jason (20 May 2015). "Madonna: Review". Screen International. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  14. ^ Elley, Derek (1 June 2015). "Madonna". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  15. ^ Conran, Pierce (28 May 2015). "MADONNA Receives Top Marks from Cannes Critics". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  16. ^ Lim, Jeong-yeo (9 July 2015). "Madonna gets love calls from international film festivals". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  17. ^ Conran, Pierce (2 November 2015). "THE THRONE Tops Korean Association of Film Critics Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  18. ^ Yoon, Ji-won (7 July 2015). "Actress tries to escape stereotypes". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  19. ^ "Interview: Madonna Kwon So-hyeon-i, "I was asked to get mental therapy"". Hancinema. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
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