Korean cinephiles received delightful news from Berlin on Feb. 18.
Actress Kim Minhee won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

The Berlin International Film Festival is considered one of the three world-leading movie festivals, along with those in Cannes and Venice.

Success at European film festivals for Korean movie stars dates back to 1987, some 30 years ago, when Kang Su-yeon became the first Korean actress to win a best actress award at an international film festival when she won at the Venice International Film Festival that year for her role in "The Surrogate Womb" (씨받이) (1987) directed by Im Kwon-taek. Since then, some 20 years later, Jeon Do-yeon won a best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in “Secret Sunshine” (밀양) (2007), directed by Lee Chang-dong. Now, 10 years later, Kim has followed suit.



When her name was called, Kim appeared on stage and said, “I believe this movie will strike a deep echo in someone's heart. I am grateful for director Hong Sang-soo who created such a beautiful film.”

Kim plays a celebrated actress named Younghee in “On the Beach At Night Alone” (밤의 해변에서 혼자) (2017), the 19th work by director Hong Sang-soo. In the film, she falls in love with a married director and loses everything. She walks the street alone, drinks with her friends and talks about love and desire.

Earlier in 2015, Kim played the main character in one of Hong’s previous films, “Right Now, Wrong Then” (지금은 맞고 그때는 틀리다) (2015), where she played a sensitive yet zany painter named Yoon Heejung.


International media has praised Kim’s performance and the cinematic quality of the film. Variety, an entertainment media publication centering on films, said, “Kim works wonders with one of Hong’s most purely melancholic leads, muddling her self-pity with sharp, pained stabs of frank self-awareness, too.” The Variety writer also mentioned director Hong, saying that, “His latest, an elegantly bisected character study of a young actress gradually coming to terms with the end of an affair, is certainly simple in ways the director’s acolytes will cherish: unfussy in form, open in expression and gentle in reach as its maker revisits such recurring preoccupations as loneliness, regret and the value of love in life and art.”

Screen Daily, another film magazine, said, “International viewers, unaware of the media attention in the Korean press, will inevitably read this film, which is set in Hamburg for the first half hour, in a different light.” It also said that, “The awkward encounters and conversations become more fascinating, especially as he has cast the actress in question in the lead role. This apparently self-reflexive twist will delight his fans,” while awarding the film a rating of 3.0, its second highest score, which it has only ever given to 16 movies, all of which have competed in the main section.

The Hollywood Reporter, an LA-based entertainment weekly, said, “South Korean director Hong Sang-soo returns to his master theme of what love means in men and women’s lives in this film.”

At first, Kim was not considered an actress with good acting ability. She debuted as a fashion model and began her acting career in a soap opera, “School 2” (학교 2) in 1999. She was noticed for her unclear pronunciation and she lacked any expression of feeling. Critics began to reevaluate her performances, however, especially for her role in the thriller movie “Helpless” (화차) (2012), directed by Byun Young-joo, where she plays a mysterious woman, Seon-yeong, who was found to have led an entirely fake life. Kim also received good reviews for her role in Park Chan-wook’s film “The Handmaiden” (아가씨) in 2016, where Kim played an heir named Hideko who inherited a fortune in Korea during colonial times.

In the official press conference after the award in Berlin, Kim spoke about the future direction of her acting career. She said, “It seems that it would bring nothing for me if I choose to work in commercial films. It's a big honor for me as an actress to work with a wonderful director for a great film. I am happy with it.”

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism sent a celebratory message on Feb. 19 to Kim and to two Korean directors, Moon Chang-Yong and Jeon Jin, who together won the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for the Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival for their documentary “Becoming Who I Was” (앙뚜) (2016). Acting Minister and 1st Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Song Sookeun said in the message that, "Thanks to the victory and the award, you have shown the world the artistic quality and creativity of Korean actors, actresses and directors. I hope you can contribute to the Korean film industry so that in the future it can create excellent works that can promote the superiority of Korean films all around the world.”



By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Movement, Yonhap News
arete@korea.kr