A Moment to Remember
A Moment to Remember (Korean: 내 머리 속의 지우개; RR: Nae Meorisogui Jiugae; lit. "Eraser in My Head") is a 2004 South Korean film based on the 2001 Japanese television drama Pure Soul. It stars Son Ye-jin and Jung Woo-sung and follows the theme of discovery in a relationship and the burdens of loss caused by Alzheimer's disease.
| A Moment to Remember | |
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 A Moment to Remember promotional movie poster | |
| Hangul | 내 머리 속의 지우개 |
| Revised Romanization | Nae Meorisogui Jiugae |
| McCune–Reischauer | Nae Mǒrisogǔi Chiugae |
| Directed by | John H. Lee (Lee Jae-han) |
| Produced by | Cha Seung-jae |
| Written by | John H. Lee Kim Young-ha |
| Starring | Jung Woo-sung Son Ye-jin |
| Music by | Kim Tae-won |
| Cinematography | Lee Jun-gyu |
| Edited by | Steve M. Choe Hahm Sung-won |
| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 144 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$20.9 million[1] |
The film was released on November 5, 2004 in South Korea. It was a major success domestically, topping the box office for two consecutive weeks to become the 5th highest-grossing film of 2004 at 2,565,078 admissions.[2] The film was also a hit in Japan, breaking previous records of Korean films released there; it was the 19th highest-grossing film at the 2005 Japanese box office.[3][4]
John H. Lee and Kim Young-ha won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2005 Grand Bell Awards.[5]
Plot
The first act of the film introduces the protagonists, a woman named Su-jin and a man named Chul-soo. The movie highlights their accidental meeting, followed by their subsequent courting despite their difference in social status that should have kept them apart. Kim Su-jin is a 27-year-old fashion designer, spurned by her lover, a colleague who was also a married man. Depressed, she goes to a convenience store, where she bumps into a tall, handsome man with whom she has a slight misunderstanding. Following that, she returns home and, receiving her father's forgiveness, decides to start life afresh.
One day while accompanying her father, who is the CEO of a construction firm, she coincidentally meets the man whom she earlier bumped into at the convenience store. He is Choi Chul-soo, the construction site's foreman who is studying to become an architect. Though he initially appears like a rough and dirty construction worker, Chul-soo exudes sheer masculinity in its most basic physical form. Su-jin instantly takes a liking to Chul-soo and actively courts him. There are many sweet events that take place in the occurrence of their courtship, eventually leading to their marriage.
The second act follows the couple happily settling into married life, with Chul-soo designing their dream house and Su-jin learning to become a housewife. As time passes, however, Su-jin begins to display forgetfulness, including an incident in which a fire breaks out because of a stove she'd forgotten to turn off. While Chul-soo caught the fire in time, the seriousness of the incident and others like it leads them to seek medical help.
The third act deals with Su-jin's early-onset Alzheimer's disease diagnosis, and the couple's consequent response to it. Su-jin at first experiences denial, then becomes heavily burdened by the knowledge that she will forget her husband. Nevertheless, they make the commitment to stay together and as the disease progresses, the trials the couple go through increase because of Su-jin's deteriorating memory. Finally, Su-jin makes the decision to leave their home and check herself into an assisted facility.
Despite his grief, Chul-soo remains at Su-jin's side even when she doesn't remember him, hiding his eyes behind sunglasses when he visits her so she can't see his tears. At the end of the film, Chul-soo reenacts the first time they met in the convenience store, with all of Su-jin's friends and family there. In the final scene, Su-jin is riding in a car beside her husband at sunset, and he tells her, "I love you."
Cast
- Son Ye-jin as Kim Su-jin
- Jung Woo-Sung as Choi Chul-soo
- Baek Jong-hak as Seo Yeong-min
- Lee Seon-jin as Jung An-na
- Park Sang-gyu as Mr. Kim
- Kim Hee-ryeong as Mother
- Seon Ji-hyun as Jeong-eun
- Kim Bu-seon as Madam Oh
- Kim Joong-ki as Section Chief Cha
- Hyun Young as Yu-na
- Park Mi-suk as Ji-hyun
- Shin Cheol-jin as Manager Park
- Jin Yong-ok as construction worker 1
- Shin Hyun-tak as construction worker 3
- Kwon Byeong-kil as Ph.D Lee
- Oh Kwang-rok as bum at station
- Jung Min-sung as passerby on cellphone
- Choi Gyo-sik as public officer
- David Lee McInnis as model
Remakes
On October 22, 2008 it was reported that CBS Films had secured the rights for an American remake, with Susannah Grant attached to write the screenplay.[6] After a turnaround, it was announced in February 2013 that Scott Pictures will produce and finance along with Sobini Films and Film 360 with Ben Lewin set to direct and Katherine Heigl has been cast as the female lead.[7] On August 30, 2016, Josh Hartnett was in talks to star in the remake and Jena Malone replaced Heigl.[8]
On December 14, 2020 it was announced by Alden Richards on an interview with Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph) that there will be a Philippine remake of the movie starring him and Bea Alonzo, the production will start on January 2021 with Nuel Naval as director and GMA Pictures & Viva Films will both producing the film. [9]
Similar plot
Other works inspired by this film with plots involving the female protagonist diagnosed with Alzheimer's while her husband stands by her, include:
- 2008 Indian Hindi language film U Me Aur Hum ("You, me, and us")
- 2011 South Korean television series A Thousand Days' Promise
- 2012 Turkish film Evim Sensin ("You are my home")
- 2012 Malaysia Film Selagi Masih Ada
- 2018 Malaysian Tamil Film 'Neeyum Naanum'
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | Jung Woo-sung | Nominated | |
| 15th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival | Best Actress in a Foreign Film | Son Ye-jin | Won | |
| 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Kim Young-ha | Won | |
See also
References
- "Nae meorisokui jiwoogae (A Moment to Remember)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- "The Best Selling Films of 2004". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- "Films Starring Sohn Ye-jin Attract 10 Mil. Viewers in Korea, Japan". KBS Global. 28 December 2005. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- "2005 Japan Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- "A Moment to Remember - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- Reynolds, Simon (23 October 2008). "Grant to pen Moment To Remember remake". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- Kit, Borys (7 February 2013). "Berlin 2013: Katherine Heigl to Star in Romantic Drama From Sessions Filmmaker (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- N’Duka, Amanda (August 30, 2016). "Josh Hartnett In Talks To Star In Indie 'A Moment To Remember'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- Gabinete, Jojo (13 December 2020). "Bea Alonzo-Alden Richards movie title: A Moment To Remember". PEP.ph. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)
- A Moment to Remember at IMDb
- A Moment to Remember at Rotten Tomatoes
- A Moment to Remember at HanCinema