In 2003 the year of Aomori Asian Games, Dae-woong, a former ice hockey player receives an offer to be a director of Korean national ice hockey team. Before he enjoys the moment, realizes it is a woman national team with bunch of losers; a figure skating player who wants to get married by becoming a national team, a former field hockey player, now a fat housewife, and an expelled short track skater. As an ace player, Ji-won, a former national team player of North Korea, joins the team. But they still have hope as only 5 teams participating this year. With the great victory of first match, they feel the medal is closer, yet Ji-won meets her sister left in North Korea alone as a next opponent...
Acting
Soo Ae's restrained defector performance devastates
Writing
Turns sports clichés into genuine geopolitical ache
Direction
Balances slapstick team comedy with crushing final act
Director
Kim Jong-hyun
Soo Ae
Lee Ji-won
Oh Dal-su
Kang Dae-woong
Oh Yeon-seo
Park Chae-kyung
Ha Jae-sook
Ko Young-ja
Kim Seul-gi
Jo Mi-ran
Kim Ye-won
Kim Ga-yeon
Jin Ji-hee
Shin So-hyun
Park So-dam
Lee Ji-hye
Cho Jin-woong
commentator
Bae Seong-jae
Caster
Yoon Kyung-ho
Junior Director
Joo Hyun
Dae-woong's Father
Lee Do-gyeong
Lee Yeong sik
Kim Eung-soo
the president of an association
Jo Hee-bong
Gyeong su
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released months after 2016 Kaesong Complex closure, making the North-South sports fantasy feel almost painfully nostalgic.
Soo Ae trained with actual North Korean defectors for months; her stick-handling is genuinely competent, not movie-competent.
KR
