Spiritwalker (film)
Spiritwalker (Korean: 유체이탈자; Hanja: 遺體離脫者; RR: Yucheitalja) is a 2021 South Korean mystery action fantasy film, written and directed by Yoon Jae-geun. Starring Yoon Kye-sang, Park Yong-woo and Lim Ji-yeon, the film revolves around a amnesiac man who subsequently wakes up in a new body every twelve hours. It had its premiere at 20th New York Asian Film Festival on August 22, 2021, and was released theatrically on November 24, 2021, in South Korea.
| Spiritwalker | |
|---|---|
Official release poster | |
| Hangul | 유체이탈자 |
| Hanja | 遺體離脫者 |
| Literal meaning | Out of Body |
| Revised Romanization | Yucheitalja |
| Directed by | Yoon Jae-geun |
| Written by | Yoon Jae-geun |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Kang Nene |
Production companies | Saram Entertainment BA Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Avio Entertainment Megabox JoongAng PlusM |
Release dates |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | est. US$6.62 million[1] |
The film topped the Korean box office for consecutive 2 weeks after its release. As of December 31, 2021 it is at 7th place among all the Korean films released in 2021 with 810,673 admission and US$6.62 million gross.[1]
Premise
After waking up from a car crash unable to remember anything about his life, a secret agent named Kang I-an begins regaining consciousness in a new body every 12 hours. He must piece together his identity, all while evading attacks from pursuing agents and dangerous criminals alike, but with no memory and allies.
Cast
- Yoon Kye-sang as Kang I-an, a secret agent[2]
- Park Yong-woo as Director Park, a secret agent
- Lim Ji-yeon as Moon Jin-ah, she is looking for Kang Eui-ah[3]
- Park Ji-hwan as Haengryeo, Kang I-an's helper, a homeless person.
- Yoo Seung-mok as Chief Lee Shin-woo
- Lee Sung-wook as Yoo Dae-ri, a co-worker of Kang I-an
- Seo Hyun-woo as Baek Sang-sa
- Lee Woon-san as Ji Cheol-ho
- Hong Ki-joon as Go Joong-sa
- Joo Jin-mo as Director Hong
- Park Min-jung as Cake Lady
- Kim Min-kyung as Chairwoman Jeon
- Heo Dong-won as Fur coat
Production
On January 21, 2019, it was reported that Lim Ji-yeon has joined Yoon Kye-sang as female lead for the film tentatively titled as 'Fluid Renegades'.[4] Yoon Kye-sang has acted as a mirror in 7 roles as he wakes in a different body after every 12 hours.[5]
Filming began on January 15, 2019, after completion of casting line up.[6]
Release
Spiritwalker had its premiere at 20th New York Asian Film Festival on August 22, 2021.[7] It was also invited at 53rd Sitges Film Festival in 'Fantastic Panorama' section held from October 8 to 18, 2020.[8] Apart from these festivals the film was invited to 5 other major film festivals as: 17th British Mayham Film Festival, the 35th German Fantasy Filmfest, The 6th London East Asian Film Festival, the 21st Trieste Science Fiction Film Festival, and the 41st Hawaii International Film Festival.[5]
It has been sold to 107 countries before its theatrically release on November 24, 2021, in South Korea.[9]
Home media
The film was made available for streaming on IPTV (KT Olleh TV, SK Btv, LG U+ TV), Home Choice (cable TV VOD), KT SkyLife TV, TVING, Naver TV, Wavve, Google Play, Cinefox, and KakaoPage from December 21, 2021.[10]
Reception
Box office
The film was released on November 24, 2021, on 1213 screens.[11] As per Korean Film Council (Kofic) integrated computer network, the film ranked first on the Korean box office on the opening weekend with 362,424 admissions.[1][12] It kept its first place at the end of 2nd week with 679,919 admissions.[13]
As of December 31, 2021 it is at 7th place among all the Korean films released in the year 2021, with gross of US$6.62 million and 810,673 admissions.[1]
Critical response
Kim Mi-hwa from Star News reviewed that she praised the performance of actors and wrote, "If you expect solid acting and action from the actors, you will be able to feel the joy at the cinema after a long time since [onset of] Corona."[14] Kang Hyo-jin from SPOTV News, referring to 2015 film Beauty Inside and 2002 film The Bourne Identity stated, "[it is the work] that gives the feeling of 'Beauty Inside' wearing the mask of 'Bon'". She concluded writing, "It contains interesting materials, cool and stylish action, and even a storyline that unravels the mystery. However, as the overall texture is good, even a small hole is a big disappointment."[15] Kim Bo-ra from Yonhap News Agency referring to 1997 film Face/Off, 2000 film Memento, 2016 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film Your Name and Bourne Series stated, "Spritwalker combines the two subgenres in a more complicated way, placing the memory-impaired hero in a predicament by having his spirit transfer to another body every 12 hours." Kim concluded, "the film features Ian's mysterious situations and journey for personal identity from the beginning and catches the eyes of viewers with high-speed car chases, gun shootouts and hand-to-hand fight scenes."[16]
Remake
Spiritwalker will be remade for United States audiences by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who has produced G.I. Joe and Transformers film series.[17][18]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20th New York Asian Film Festival | Daniel Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema | Spiritwalker | Won | [19] |
| 2022 | 58th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Park Yong-woo | Nominated | [20] |
| 58th Grand Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Lim Ji-yeon | Nominated | [21][22] |
References
- ^ a b c d "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Korean films of 2021". KOFIC. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Im Lim-jeong (October 26, 2021). "유체이탈자' 윤계상, 격렬한 싸움을 벌이는 티저 포스터&예고편 공개..11월 24일 개봉 확정" ['Fluid Fugitive' Yoon Kye-sang reveals teaser poster & trailer in a fierce fight.. Release confirmed on November 24]. Herald POP (in Korean). Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ Kim Bo-ra (November 10, 2021). "'유체이탈자' 윤계상x박용우x임지연x박지환, 4인 4색" ['Fluid Fugitive' Yoon Kye-sang x Park Yong-woo x Lim Ji-yeon x Park Ji-hwan, 4 people, 4 colors]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ Pierce Conran (January 21, 2019). "Lim Ji-yeon Joins Yoon Kye-sang in FLUID RENEGADES". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ a b Kim Nara (November 15, 2021). ""1인 7역, 목숨 걸었다"…'유체이탈자' 윤계상, 결혼 후 강렬 스크린 컴백 [종합]" ["Seven stations per person, risking your life"... 'Fluid Fugitive' Yoon Kye-sang, intense screen comeback after marriage [General]]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ "윤계상X 용우X임지연 '유체이탈자', 이색 소재로 기대↑ 출처" [Yoon Kye-sang X Park Yong-woo X Lim Ji-yeon's 'Fluid Fugitive' is expected with a unique material]. SBS (in Korean). January 16, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ MacDonald, Joan (July 20, 2021). "20th New York Asian Film Festival Screens Several South Korean Films". Forbes. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Nadilo, Sabastian (October 6, 2021). "Asian presence at the 53rd SITGES Film Festival". Asian Film Festivals. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Park Jeong-seon (October 29, 2021). "윤계상 주연 영화 '유체이탈자', 전 세계 107개국에 팔렸다" [Yoon Kye-sang's movie 'Fluid Drifter' has been sold to 107 countries around the world]. JTBC (in Korean). Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ Yoon Jun-ho (December 21, 2021). "'유체이탈자', 극장에서 안방까지…VOD 서비스 오픈" [From the theater to the main room of 'Fluid Drifter'... VOD service open]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved December 21, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) Box office: Spiritwalker 2021". KOFIC. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ Jeong Hwa (November 29, 2021). "윤계상 '유체이탈자' 개봉 첫 주말 박스오피스 1위 [★무비차트]" [Yoon Kye-sang's 'Fluid Fugitive' topped the box office for the first weekend of release [Movie Chart]]. Star News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Kim Min-ji (December 9, 2021). "윤계상 '유체이탈자', 15일 연속 1위…누적 67만 돌파 [Nbox]" [Yoon Kye-sang's 'Fluid Deviator' takes first place for 15 days in a row... Accumulated over 670,000 [Nbox]]. News 1 (in Korean). Retrieved December 9, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ Kim Mi-hwa (November 17, 2021). "[리뷰] '유체이탈자', 초반은 호기심이 끌고 후반은 액션이 밀고" [[Review] 'Fluid Drifter' attracts curiosity in the first half, and action pushes it in the second half]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ Kang Hyo-jin (November 17, 2021). "[Cine리뷰]'유체이탈자', '본'의 세계에서 '뷰티인사이드'가 벌어진다면" [[Cine review] If 'Beauty Inside' happens in the world of 'Fluid Deviator' and 'Bone']. SPOTV News (in Korean). Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ Kim Bo-ra (November 18, 2021). "(Movie Review) Fantastic body swapping combined with thrilling action scenes: 'Spiritwalker'". Yonhap News. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Korean fantasy film 'Spiritwalker' starring Yoon Kye-sang set for Hollywood remake by 'Transformers' team". Times of India. November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Korean fantasy Spiritwalker to be remade in Hollywood". The New Indian Express. November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "윤계상 '유체이탈자', 제20회 뉴욕아시안영화제 액션시네마상 수상(공식)" [Yoon Kye-sang's 'Fluid Fugitive' won the Action Cinema Award at the 20th New York Asian Film Festival (official)]. Herald POP (in Korean). July 25, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Naver.
- ^ "제 58회 백상예술대상" [58 Nominees · Works]. Baeksang Arts Awards (in Korean). April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ "새롭게 태어나는 '제58회 대종상영화제'…혁신안과 후보작 공개 …'헌트' 12개 부문 선정" ['The 58th Daejong Film Festival' is reborn... Innovative proposals and nominations revealed… Selected in 12 categories for 'The Hunt']. Handmaker (in Korean). October 12, 2022. from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ Han Hyeon-jeong (December 9, 2022). "'대종상' 작품상은 '헤어질 결심'..박해일·염정아 주연상[종합]" ['Daejongsang' Best Picture is 'Decision to break up'..Park Hae-il · Yeom Jung-ah Best Actor]. Maeil Economy (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
External links
- Spiritwalker at HanCinema
- Spiritwalker at the Korean Movie Database
- Spiritwalker at Daum (in Korean)
- Spiritwalker at Naver (in Korean)