Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Christmas in August

      Released Jan 24, 1998 1h 37m Drama List
      Reviews 89% Audience Score 2,500+ Ratings A terminally ill photographer befriends a meter maid after she walks into his studio in Seoul, South Korea. Read More Read Less

      Where to Watch

      Christmas in August

      Prime Video

      Rent Christmas in August on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

      Critics Reviews

      View All (1) Critics Reviews
      Brian Gibson Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta) Unfortunately, the film's cloying score trickles through scenes like sap . . . works best when circling quietly around its characters and attuned to the dying strains of faded romance. Mar 16, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (109) audience reviews
      Melinda G This film was recommended by Lee Jae Wok during his Manila tour. Luckily it's available free on Smart Livestream under the KLife tab. Then, choose Award Winning. The movie has the usual "babad" (slowburn) feels in indie movies. It shows the usual day to day life of a guy (Han Suk Kyu, Dr. Romantic) in his photo studio. The movie doesn't have the fabulous outfit, scenic location, and drama. Han Suk Kyu's character has a terminal disease and the scenes leading to his destination was tastefully done. Straightforward, no pretension, no dramatic musical score. The end made me sigh. What a good movie, so simple. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/23/23 Full Review Audience Member A very real movie at its crux. The thematic crux of "falling into" and "leaving behind", something that this movie accomplishes with near-perfect characters, dealing with the respective with great care. The director definitely is a top-drawer when it comes to making melodramas, taking you through the jazzy atmospheric alleys of the '98 S-Korea. One of my fav k-dramas Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member A tragic romance without all the tear jerking parts. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Last days of a nice guy Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Sometimes simplicity can be a much finer art form than an over saturated, overproduced mess and this Korean film takes a simple love story and digs in to the heart and soul of relationships. On a shoestring budget it shows us how a great story can make us forget about everything else. The love story follows the lead character, portrait photographer Jung-Won and his blossoming relationship with a young woman Da-rim who stops in his store. The catch to their relationship (and the entire movie for that matter) is that Jung-Won is dying of an unspecified illness but doesnâ(TM)t tell anyone of the fact that it is life threatening because he does not want to burden them with it. Instead he chooses to continue his life as is while subtly putting his affairs in order. He allows his relationship to blossom and continues to run his business as if nothing is going to happen, letting Da-rim grow closer to him. I canâ(TM)t use the word subtle enough to describe some of the scenes that are just devastating as a viewer. In one scene Jung-Won is trying to show his father how to use the VCR (a task his father has come accustom to Jung-Won doing for him) and after several minutes of frustration with his father not grasping the instructions, Jung-Won storms out of the room to his fatherâ(TM)s bewilderment. His father has no clue what is tormenting Jung-Won and we are shown some of the internal struggles that Jung-Won is having. It isnâ(TM)t till over half way through the film that Jung-Won in a drunken state announces to a friend that he is suffering the illness and we see the emotional state of Jung-Won make a big shift. Avoiding the heavy-handed pitfalls of most Hollywood films, this sad story unravels and tugs at your heart-strings up until the very last frame but doesnâ(TM)t force it down your throat. The only negative I have to say about the film (and this would be really nitpicking) is that at times it can be a little rough around the edges in terms of editing but it doesnâ(TM)t draw you away from the great story. I would much rather see a low-budget movie with a great story than a mega budget film devoid of the common human touch (coughâ¦â¦.coughâ¦â¦.Avitarâ¦â¦.). Christmas In August has become one of my favorite Korean films and it really helped push a modern wave of Korean directors into the spotlight with a unique brand of storytelling. This movie is a must see! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member An amazingly subtle movie about an ordinary man who discovers the beauty of life and love, but he is too late. Full of yearning for a life that could have been, but will never be. Achingly beautiful and haunting, leading up to an underplayed but heartbreaking conclusion. Recommended only for fans of quiet and introspective movies. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      Photos

      View All Christmas in August photos

      Christmas in August

      Christmas in August (1998) Christmas in August (1998) Christmas in August (1998) Christmas in August (1998) Christmas in August (1998) Christmas in August (1998) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A terminally ill photographer befriends a meter maid after she walks into his studio in Seoul, South Korea.
      Director
      Hur Jin-ho
      Screenwriter
      Oh Seung-ook, Shin Dong-hwan
      Production Co
      Uno Films, Ilshin Investment Co.
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      Korean
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jan 24, 1998, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 29, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 37m
      Most Popular at Home Now