Birthday

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Birthday

2019

2h 0m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

100%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Returning from eight years abroad at work and in prison, Jeong-il struggles to reconnect with his wife and their young daughter, Ye-sol, whom he barely knows.

Richard Kuipers

Variety

Private grief and public mourning are examined in "Birthday," a deeply moving drama about a fractured family attempting to get on with life following the death of their son in the 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy.

Oct 24, 2019

Full Review

Elizabeth Kerr

The Hollywood Reporter

Birthday is precisely the kind of warts-and-all examination of human nature that defines Lee's career, and is composed entirely of the difficult moments that are often glossed over for more palatable, unchallenging observations.

Apr 18, 2019

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John Tan

The New Paper (Singapore)

Birthday promises to be a tearjerker, but does not live up to it.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 14, 2019

Full Review

William Schwartz

HanCinema

Birthday is about coping mechanisms, some destructive, and some pointless, and some counterproductive but others do manage to work.

Jun 23, 2019

Full Review

James Marsh

South China Morning Post

A story about grief, loss and guilt, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness that threatens to consume those touched by death.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 28, 2019

Full Review

Boon Chan

The Straits Times (Singapore)

This could have been an unremittingly bleak film, but Lee Jong-un manages to find little moments of tenderness and humour - making the big emotional moments all the more devastating.

Rated: 4/5

May 15, 2019

Full Review

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Lee Jongeon

Director

Sul Kyung-gu

Jung-il

Jeon Do-yeon

Soon-nam

Kim Bo-min

Ye-sol

Yoon Chan-Young

Su-ho

Kim Soo-jin

Woo-chan's mom

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Synopsis

Returning from eight years abroad at work and in prison, Jeong-il struggles to reconnect with his wife and their young daughter, Ye-sol, whom he barely knows.

Director: Lee Jongeon
Producer: Lee Joon-dong, Lee Chang-dong
Screenwriter: Lee Jongeon
Production Co: Pinehouse film, Redpeter Films, Nowfilm
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Korean
Runtime: 2h 0m