Ten Months (Korean: 십개월의 미래; RR: Sibgaewol Mirae; lit. The Future of Ten Months) is a 2020 South Korean pregnancy drama film written and directed by Nam Koong-sun in her directorial debut starring Choi Sung-eun. The film is a feature project from the Korea National University of Arts (K'Arts) that debuted in the Korean Cinema Section of the Jeonju International Film Festival on May 28, 2020. The film was released domestically in South Korea on October 14, 2021.[1][2][3]

Ten Months
Official poster
Hangul
십개월의 미래
Revised RomanizationSibgaewol Mirae
Directed byNam Koong-sun
Screenplay byNam Koong-sun
Produced byChoi Dal-ah
StarringChoi Sung-eun
Baek Hyun-jin
Seo Young-joo
Yoo Eden
CinematographyJung Yong-hyun
Edited byNam Koong-sun
Son Yeon-ji
Music byByul.org
Nam Koong-sun
Production
company
Distributed byGreen Narae Media
Release dates
  • May 28, 2020 (2020-05-28) (Jeonju)
  • October 14, 2021 (2021-10-14) (South Korea)
Running time
96 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Synopsis

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29-year-old game developer, Mirae (Choi Sung-eun) suddenly realizes that she is 11 weeks pregnant. She tells her boyfriend, and his immediate response is to say that they should get married. A vegetarian, the boyfriend is forced to work on his parents' pig farm to ensure that they get the support they need. Meanwhile, when Mirae's boss finds out about the pregnancy, all the hard work she has put into her career comes tumbling down.

Cast

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  • Choi Sung-eun as Choi Mi-rae[4]
  • Baek Hyun-jin as Ong-joong
  • Seo Young-joo as Yoon-ho
  • Yoo Eden as Kim-kim
  • Kwon Ah-reum as Kang-mi
  • Son Sung-chan as Hong-seon
  • Kim Geun-young as Soon-ja
  • Oh Tae-eun as Eun-ok
  • Song Kyung-eui as Seong-tae
  • Go Young-chan as Hyeon-jae
  • Bang Joo-hwan as Chang-soo

Production

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Director Nam Koong-sun shared in an interview that the film was first envisioned in 2015 but it was only in 2018 when the screenplay was picked up as an independent feature project from the Korea National University of Arts (K'Arts).[5][1]

Release

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The film was first premiered at the 21st Jeonju International Film Festival under the Korean Cinema Section held from May 28 to September 20, 2020. The film also became available for a fee on OTT platform Wave from May 28 to June 6, 2020.[6]

It was invited at the 20th New York Asian Film Festival and was the only Korean film featured in the competitive category, 'Uncaged Section' and screened at Lincoln Center and SVA Theatre in the two-week festival held from August 6 to 22, 2021 in New York.[7] Ten Months was also invited to premiere at the 41st Hawaii International Film Festival's 'Spotlight on Korea' section held from November 4 - November 28, 2021.[8] The same year, it was also invited to the 'Paysage section' of the 16th Paris Korean Film Festival held in Paris, France for 8 days from October 26 to November 2,2021.[9]

The film was theatrically released on October 14, 2021.[10]

Box office

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The film had a cumulative admission of 15,431 audiences.[11]

Reception

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Going by Korean review aggregator Naver Movie Database, the film holds an approval rating of 7.6 from the audience.[11]

Lee Jae-lim of Korea JoongAng Daily wrote that the film drew similarities to “Kim Ji Young, Born 1982,” by diving into the lives of Korean women, specifically in as Mi-rae grapples with various obstacles that arise throughout her pregnancy even further stating that the film should be designated as a mandatory part of Korea's sex education. Lee "...found the narrative where Mi-rae suddenly decides to accept motherhood came somewhat out of the blue..."  but stating "Nevertheless, I would like to give a standing ovation to the lead actor Choi Sung-eun who portrayed Mi-rae, a rookie actor who debuted through the film “Start-Up” last year."[3]

Awards and nominations

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Year Awards Category Recipient Result Ref.
2021 41st Hawaii International Film Festival Kau Ka Hōkū Award Ten Months Honorable Mention [12][13]
20th New York Asian Film Festival Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film Competition Ten Months Honorable Mention [14]
2022 58th Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actress Choi Sung-eun Nominated [15]
Best New Director Nam Koong-sun Nominated
Best Screenplay Nam Koong-sun Nominated
31st Buil Film Awards Best New Actress Choi Sung-eun Won [16][17]
27th Chunsa Film Art Awards Best New Director Nam Koong-sun Nominated [18]
58th Grand Bell Awards Best New Director Nam Koong-sun Nominated [19][20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "TEN MONTHS". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  2. ^ 함, 나얀. "'십개월의 미래', 10월14일 개봉 [공식]". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  3. ^ a b "[REVIEW] "Ten Months" portrays the stark realities of pregnancy". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  4. ^ "Ten Months - Cast (Korean Movie, 2020, 십개월의 미래)". HanCinema. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  5. ^ "[MAX 인터뷰 ①] '십개월의 미래' 남궁선 감독이 그려낸 따뜻한 내일". 맥스무비 (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  6. ^ "최성은, 첫 장편 주연작 '십개월' 전주국제영화제 '코리안 시네마' 부문 초청 [공식]". Sports Chosun (in Korean). 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  7. ^ Lee, Mi-ji (2021-08-06). "최성은 주연 '십개월' 뉴욕아시안영화제 초청..경쟁 부문 유일 韓영화(공식)". Herald POP (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  8. ^ "최성은 주연 '십개월의 미래' 하와이국제영화제 초청". KBS 스타연예 (in Korean). 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  9. ^ Kim, Ji-hye (2021-09-23). "최성은 주연 '십개월의 미래', 제16회 파리한국영화제 초청". SBS연예뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  10. ^ "[공식] '충무로 기대주' 최성은 주연 '십개월의 미래', 10월 14일 개봉 확정". Sports Chosun (in Korean). 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  11. ^ a b "십개월의 미래". 다음영화 (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  12. ^ Le, Anderson (2021-11-15). "HIFF41 Announces Festival Award Winners | Hawai'i International Film Festival". Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  13. ^ "Hawaii International Film Festival Showcases 21 Korean Films". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  14. ^ 한, 미희. "'십개월의 미래' 뉴욕아시안영화제 특별 언급". Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  15. ^ "제58회 백상예술대상". www.baeksangawards.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  16. ^ 남, 유정. "'헤어질 결심브로커' 둘 다 8개 부문 후보 올라". Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  17. ^ "이효제·최성은, 신인 연기상 수상 "앞으로 더 열심히 할 것"[2022 부일영화상]". 스타뉴스 (in Korean). 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  18. ^ "아이유X손석구, '신인상' 받을까…"춘사국제영화제, 후보 발표" [공식]". Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  19. ^ "제58회 대종상영화제, 후보 공개…'헌트' 12개-'한산' '헤어질 결심' 11개 노미". 톱스타뉴스 (in Korean). 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  20. ^ Seong Ha-hoon (December 10, 2022). "개혁 외친 대종상의 특별한 선택 "감독판 수상 없어야"" [The special choice of the Grand Bell Awards that shouted for reform "There should be no award for the Director's Cut"]. OhmyNews (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
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