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Secret Sunshine

Secret Sunshine

2007
Drama
2h 22m
Sin-ae moves with her son Jun to Miryang, the town where her dead husband was born. As she tries to come to herself and set out on new foundations, another tragic event overturns her life. (imdb)
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Secret Sunshine

2007
Drama
2h 22m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 64.77% from 431 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(431)
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Rated 04 Aug 2014
90
85th
This starts off like a deceptively simple story of a mother and child starting life anew in the wake of a deceased spouse/father. All feels comfortable and well until things spiral terribly into a space full of despair, grief, and attempts at coping for the main character once her child is taken from her. Lee Chang-Dong's tale is one full of emotional loose ends and questions about faith, hope, and what Camus described as the "benign indifference of the universe". A devastating, yet vital film.
Rated 13 Jun 2012
94
94th
Exhausting. This should be used in Christian circles - not to show the damnation of the faith, because it never goes down that rabbit hole; nor as propaganda, because the Church in many ways exacerbates Sin-ae's suffering. But that's why it should be seen. What Chang-dong Lee is showing is a person's slow mutation of insufferable grief into pride, and the community's part to play in the matter. Lee's getting to the point using only a few performances and nuanced cinematography is masterful.
Rated 10 Jan 2014
90
96th
I have a particularly troubled history with religion so the sudden thematic focus on it had me worried for a while. It's a subject that I easily find grating when mishandled. But in retrospect, it seemed foolish of me to doubt Lee Changdong. This here is an exquisite and unflinching immersion into the wide consuming ocean of grief. Every scene is awashed in deeply etched pain and despair and it offers no simplistic solutions or easy comfort.
Rated 02 Dec 2011
67
30th
It felt like someone running down a checklist of various reactions to grief, predictable, no real insight. I didn't think Jeon 's performance was that great, despite all the accolades. She does have her moments but other times I cringed. I did like the relationship with the eager mechanic and also the teenage girl. And I liked how even-handed Lee is in his approach to religion, and how the film spends some time with that subject and then moves on. But mostly my reaction was merely lukewarm.
Rated 18 Oct 2009
72
62nd
It's pretty hard to watch the emotional collapse of the grieving main character. Drama with a capital D. Good performances all-over, but pretty draining.
Rated 03 Jun 2010
75
71st
It's basically a 2 hour emotional meltdown. That's not to say it's not good because it does feature some great acting. However, the drawn out suffering of one woman ultimately makes you feel like a sadistic voyeur. Everything about this is an example of the tearjerking dramas Korean film is famous for. Even the title is sort of ironic. It's not a total tears fest there are funny moments. But the events feel engineered which despite the commendable acting makes it appear disingenuous at times.
Rated 20 Apr 2014
68
29th
Good but the dramatic elements got to be a bit annoying, although admittedly that's more due to how hard it is to find a Korean movie without excessive melodrama (save Hong Sang-soo) than Lee's direction as he handles it well. There's gotta be some Tsai/Jia/Hou lookalikes in the country somewhere, right?
Rated 08 Apr 2008
90
88th
08 Nisan 08,16:00,emek sira5 koltuk3 with serkan abi, 27.ist. film fest.&once kocasini kaybeden ve ogluyla yeni bir baslangic icin cabalayan bir kadinin bu alisma suresi icindeyken oglunu tum parasini kaybetmesini ve ardindan yasadigi duygusal bunalimini anlatiyor.bir sure icin tanri'ya siginiyor ve eskiden inanmayan "sin-ae", dindar oluyor.arindan oglunun katilinin, "allah beni affetti" sozleri uzerine kadin allaha da siginmamayi seciyor ve tum dunyaya karsi tek basina kaliyor."goruyor musun?"
Rated 08 Sep 2011
85
86th
One of the most amazing performances I've ever seen in a great film that will likely be regarded as a classic if it finds an audience. Chang-dong Lee could be South Korea's Bergman if he continues in this vein and perfects his craft.
Rated 06 May 2020
85
92nd
This film takes you on a real emotional rollercoaster ride. It is predominantly about a recently widowed young mother who wants to restart her life in a new city. But just like real life this movie doesn't conform to any genre or narrative expectations. Features a very good supporting part for (who else?) Song Kang-Ho.
Rated 07 Jul 2012
82
83rd
Wonderful, unpredictable film. Loved the contrast of how people will use someone's grief for their own, not entirely selfish ends... The ending kind of fizzled out, not living up to the rest of the film, but definitely worth a watch anyway.
Rated 22 Oct 2011
30
78th
"Lee has a rare gift for depicting how the minor dissonance of everyday interactions eventually explodes into public displays of rage and despair." - Kevin B. Lee
Rated 09 Aug 2012
75
65th
Thanks a lot, movie, now I feel like stepped-in shit.
Rated 06 Jan 2012
95
96th
A remarkable film about a woman's journey from isolation and abstraction to a more connected and human existence. Lee uses melodrama beautifully, the shifting tones balancing perfectly on one another. His portrayal of religion is one of the fairest, charitably rendered in recent memory, the film illustrating its interest in every significant character. The two leads are especially good, and while Jeon has gotten the accolades, it's the tender and comic performance from Song that endures for me.
Rated 20 Dec 2009
75
73rd
This movie describes the life of a Sin-ae who is struck by tragic event and how she lives her life coping with these events. The acting by Do-yeon Jeon is amazing portraying the bereaved woman. Kang-ho Song plays the role of a person trying to get a place in the heart of Sin-ae. This movie is great except for a big part of the movie which shows the grieving part of the woman to be part preaching Christianity. I would have rated this movie higher if not for that.
Rated 11 Mar 2011
30
20th
Dull and unpleasant
Rated 03 Sep 2011
74
91st
Deeply cathartic and unforgettable.
Rated 01 Jun 2019
80
68th
Do-yeon Jeon turns in an amazingly fearless performance in a role that really demands a lot from her.
Rated 24 Feb 2020
85
59th
Viewed February 23, 2020.
Rated 16 May 2021
85
81st
The movie presents itself as a piece of nuanced realism, interested in the harrowing emotional journey of the main character. But like a great novel, it has more on its mind. Chang-dong packs the movie with symbolism, societal critique and unanswered questions. Christianity is a big theme and Lee penetrates it well, showing both the emotional appeal and the pitfalls of faith. The writing would be void if I didn't believe every desperate turn Do-yean made and laughed at the hapless Kang-ho.
Rated 29 May 2023
73
42nd
Some pretty shots, but a mostly forced depiction of grief.

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