A struggling musician takes a job teaching music to middle school children in a rural mining town.
Acting
Choi Min-sik's restrained turn proves he doesn't need to yell to devastate.
Score
The symphony builds from chaos to something almost transcendent.
Director
Ryu Jang-ha
Choi Min-sik
Hyeon-woo
Jang Shin-young
Su-yeon
Kim Ho-jung
Yeon-hee
Kim Kang-woo
Ju-ho
Youn Yuh-jung
Mother
Kim Yeong-ok
Jae Il's grandmother
Jang Hyun-sung
Kyung-soo
Choi Il-hwa
Yong Seok's father
Kim Dong-young
Yong Seok
Uhm Hyo-seop
On-duty teacher
Lee Min-ah
The woman in front
Lee Eon
(uncredited)
Lee Jae-eung
Jae-il (uncredited)
Kim Jung-pal
Young Miner
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Ryu Jang-ha's directorial debut after assisting on Peppermint Candy. The mining town setting mirrors Korea's real abandoned coal regions.
Released when Korean cinema was obsessed with revenge thrillers, this quiet drama bombed commercially—making it a fascinating counter-narrative to the Oldboy era.
KR
