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| ▲ This photo, provided by CJ CGV, shows a scene from comedy film 'Woong Nam.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by CJ CGV, shows a scene from comedy film 'Woong Nam.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by CJ CGV, shows a scene from comedy film 'Woong Nam.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Mar. 16 (Yonhap) -- It has been 100 days since the twin Asian black bears Woongnam and Woongbuk, who under the protection of the Jongwon Restoration Institue, escaped from the Institute. Bok-cheon (played by Oh Dal-su), a researcher at the Institute, then finds a child in a mountain cave after going after the signals on a location tracker and figures out that the bear Woongnam actually turned into a child (Park Sung-woong).
The child turned into a human being after eating garlic and mugwort in a cave for 100 days, just like in the myth of Dangun. The researcher and his wife raise the child with love and care as if he were their biological son until he grows up to be a 25-year-old lively young man.
Woongbuk (Park Sung-woong), whose whereabouts were unknown when the cave collapsed by the time Woongnam was discovered, happens to be noticed by the boss of an international criminal organization, Jeong-sik (Choi Min-soo). The boss then adopts Woongbuk as his son and lives by the name of Jeong-hak.
“Woong Nam,” the debut commercial film of comedian-turned-producer Park Sung-kwang, is a South Korean comedy film that recreates the prominent myth of Dangun. The twin comes to live starkly different lives as they get raised in two very disparate environments. Then, as Woongnam, a former police officer, comes to join an investigative team to cleanse all international criminal organizations, the long-lost twin unexpectedly comes to confront each other as a police and a criminal chasing after each other.
The film will bring laughter as it features scenes where Woongnam, the former bear and now human, comes back to his old habits as a bear: His mother Kyung-sook (Yeom Hye-ran) splashes cold water on his face to help Woongnam, who keeps falling asleep in winters as if bears dormant during the cold season, live like a human being. Woongnam also disciplines wild boars that bring damage to his neighbors.
The bear-turned-human also catches fish the size of his forearm with his bare hands and also helps people with his fierce stamina. In particular, he, when becomes the police, also goes after drunk drivers one after another with his outstanding sense of smell.
The plotlines and characters of this upcoming comedy film may seem somewhat absurd; however, the cast’s splendid acting skills eventually bring laughter to the audience.
Park Sung-woong, who has been slated to appear both as Woongnam and Woongbuk, takes the lead in the film with the know-how he gathered by appearing in multiple comic films including "The Dude in Me" (2019) and "Okay! Madam" (2020) while also showing off his charisma as he did in crime thriller films "New World" (2013) and "Gentleman" (2022).
In the meantime, actor Lee Yi-kyung, who is now reckoned as an icon of comedy films and television series by appearing in last year’s comedy film “6/45” and MBC’s hit variety show “Hangout with Yoo,” will appear as Woongnam's best friend Malbong. The upcoming comedy film will also be starring a slew of veteran actors such as Yeom Hye-ran, Choi Min-soo, Oh Dal-soo, and Yoon Je-moon.
Nevertheless, the film did include some scenes that would make the audience feel like they were watching a comedy skit, along with some tear-jerking elements in the second half of the play.
During the press conference, Director Park Sung-kwang said, "I tried to focus less on comedy but more on the story. Rather than trying to make it absurdly funny, I tried to put some comical elements in the line with the story’s flow," he said.
The upcoming comedy film will hit the local theater on Mar. 22.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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