Box Office: Venus Talk, My Place, The Nun

Venus Talk (Korea)

Opening Feb. 13

Comedy. Drama. Directed by Kwon Chil-in. Shin-hye (Uhm Jung-hwa) is a capable TV producer and a single woman in her 40s. She used to date her co-worker, the current chief of their TV network, but he left her for a younger woman who also happens to be Shin-hye’s junior colleague. She has two best friends, Mi-yeon (Moon So-ri), a housewife who is not satisfied with her sex life with her rather docile husband, and Hae-young (Jo Min-soo), a single mother who wants her grown daughter to move out so she can have more time with her boyfriend, Seong-jae (Lee Gyeung-young).

My Place (Korea)

Opened Jan. 30

Filmmaker Park Moon-chil offers a personal account of his sister’s unexpected pregnancy and what followed in his latest documentary “My Place.” Park’s sister, Peace, became pregnant in 2006, and decided to have the child alone. She had never been married and had broken up with the baby’s father. Park weaves his sister’s story with his family’s unique history of migration, from Korea to Toronto and back again. English subtitles will be provided for all screenings at the KT&G Sangsang Madang Theater in Hongdae in Seoul. Two other theaters in Seoul ― Indieplus near Sinsa Station and Indie Space near Gwanghwamun Station ― will also provide English subs for screenings from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4.

The Nun (France)

Opened Jan. 23

Drama. Directed by Guillaume Nicloux. In 18th century France, a young woman named Suzanne (Pauline Etienne) is told by her parents to become a nun. She does not want to, but decides to follow her parents’ wishes after learning that she is an illegitimate child. In the beginning, she finds her life as a nun bearable mostly because of her abbess, who is generous and understanding. But when the abbess dies abruptly, Suzanne faces a series of hardships as the new abbess cruelly abuses her for not obeying. “The Nun” is a film adaptation of French author Denis Diderot’s 18th century novel of the same title. It premiered in the competition category at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival.

Miss Granny (Korea)

Opened Jan. 22

Comedy. Drama. Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. Oh Mal-soon (Na Moon-hee), a 70-something grandmother, lives with her son and his family. She is controlling and shameless, and has a difficult relationship with her depressed daughter-in-law. She is proud of her son, a university professor, and the fact that she managed to raise him by herself against all odds. One day, Mal-soon’s daughter-in-law gets hospitalized after suddenly collapsing, and doctors strongly advise her to live apart from Mal-soon. On the day she is told by her son that she is being sent to a nursing home, Mal-soon suddenly recovers her physical appearance of her 20s after visiting a mysterious photo studio.

Oldboy (U.S. version)

Opened Jan. 16

Thriller. Action. Directed by Spike Lee. Advertising executive Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin) is kidnapped one day and imprisoned in a hotel room. He is held captive there for 20 years, without even finding out the motives or identity of his captors. Upon his release, he plans to take revenge against the ones responsible for his imprisonment, and starts searching for his daughter, Mia. He then falls for Marie (Elizabeth Olsen), who offers to help him. This film is an American remake of famed Korean auteur Park Chan-wook’s 2003 revenge thriller of the same title.