1987: When the Day Comes

1987: When the Day Comes
Poster
Hangul	1987
Directed by	Jang Joon-hwan
Written by	Kim Kyung-chan
Produced by	Jung Won-chan Jang Young-hwan
Starring	Kim Yoon-seok Ha Jung-woo Yoo Hae-jin Kim Tae-ri Park Hee-soon Lee Hee-joon
Cinematography	Kim Woo-hyung
Edited by	Yang Jin-mo
Music by	Kim Tae-seong
Production company	Woojeung Film
Distributed by	CJ Entertainment
Release date	December 27, 2017 (2017-12-27) [1]
Running time	129 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Budget	₩15 billion (US$14 million)
Box office	US$54.5 million(South Korea) [2]

1987: When the Day Comes is a 2017 South Korean political thriller film directed by Jang Joon-hwan and written by Kim Kyung-chan. ^{[3] [4]} The film stars Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Tae-ri, Park Hee-soon and Lee Hee-joon. ^{[5] [6]} Set in 1987 and based on a true story, the film focuses on the events that led up to the June Democratic Uprising in Korea, triggered by the death of a student protester during police interrogation which the authorities conspired to cover up. Jang compared the overall structure of the film to a relay race, with the focus of the story shifting between several characters to convey the collective effort of political resistance. ^[7] The film was released in theaters on December 27, 2017. ^[8]

Plot

Under the military regime of President Chun Doo-hwan, a student activist named Park Jong-chul dies during interrogation. Park Cheo-won, a ruthless commissioner in charge of investigating suspected communists, has oversight of the interrogation and opts to cover it up by cremating the body before an autopsy can be carried out and reporting the death as a heart attack. Commissioner Park's men approach a drunken Prosecutor Choi to approve the cremation, but he refuses and resists their efforts to strong-arm him. The autopsy takes place despite Commissioner Park's efforts, with Jong-chul's uncle present as it is made evident the student's death was the result of foul play. The uncle declares this outside the hospital building, and Prosecutor Choi, after being fired, leaves evidence from the autopsy for Yoon Sang-sam, a reporter hoping to investigate the story despite a country-wide regulation against reporting on the death. Yoon's findings reveal to the public that Park Jong-chul died by asphyxiation, rather than cardiac arrest, as the police report claimed.

Facing public outcry, Commissioner Park chooses two detectives to take the full blame for the crime. He promises one, the loyal detective Jo Han-kyung, that he will serve a reduced sentence for involuntary manslaughter rather than murder, but is unable to fulfill this promise, leading to a number of intense altercations between Jo and his colleagues when they visit him at the prison. Prison guard Han Byung-yong, who overhears some of these exchanges, is revealed to be in contact with high-ranking political activists, and attempts to convince his warden to disclose the records from the visits, which provide incriminating evidence of a cover-up.

Guard Han's niece, Yeon-hee, is a college student who occasionally helps him deliver messages, but is otherwise disinterested in activism. Yeon-hee finds herself in the middle of a violent clash between protesters and police, and is saved from a violent policeman by a student activist. The two reconnect on campus, and Yeon-hee attends the activist's club where footage of the Gwangju uprising is shown during a meeting, but she remains resistant to joining the cause. Meanwhile, the warden finally agrees to disclose the visitation records after witnessing Commissioner Park threatening Detective Jo and his family, and being violently beaten by Park's cronies when he protests. Han asks Yeon-hee to deliver the records to his contact, but she refuses. Han attempts to do so himself, but Commissioner Park's men locate his contact before he gets the chance, and one of Park's men recognizes Han. They later abduct him and torture him in the same interrogation room where Park Jong-chul was killed. Commissioner Park reveals details of his childhood in North Korea, in which he watched a radical communist murder his family, while torturing Han.

Remorseful over her uncle's arrest, Yeon-hee independently delivers the information to Han's contact. The information finds its way to the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, who make a public statement that Park Jong-chul was killed during interrogation by the two detectives arrested along with three others, and Commissioner Park had direct oversight and attempted to cover up the killing. A flashback to Jong-chul's death is shown, in which Detective Jo taunts him by claiming that if he dies in that room, nobody will care. Commissioner Park discovers that President Chun has personally approved having him arrested and blamed entirely for Jong-chul's death. Han is released and returns to his family. Later, Yeon-hee sees a picture in a newspaper of the handsome activist she met, severely wounded at a recent protest — he is revealed to be Lee Han-yeol, a real-life student protester who was shot in the head and killed by a police tear gas canister. Devastated over the death of her newfound friend, Yeon-hee finally joins the movement for democracy.

Cast

Main

• Kim Yoon-seok as Commissioner Park Cheo-won
• Ha Jung-woo as Prosecutor Choi Hwan
• Yoo Hae-jin as prison guard and activist Han Byung-yong
• Kim Tae-ri as Yeon-hee, niece of Byung-yong
• Park Hee-soon as Lieutenant Jo Han-kyung
• Lee Hee-joon as Reporter Yoon Sang-sam

Supporting

• Kim Eui-sung as Lee Boo-young ^[1]
• Yoo Seung-mok as Yoo Jung-bang
• Hyun Bong-shik as Park Won-taek
• Jo Woo-jin as Park Wol-gil
• Kim Jong-soo as Park Jung-ki
• Kim Gook-hee as Han Byeong-yong
• Han Joon-woo as Black suit man
• Kim Soo-jin as Yeon-hee's mother
• Choi Kwang-il as Warden Ahn Yoo
• Yoo Jung-ho as Reporter
• Park Kyung-hye as Jeong-mi

Special appearance

• Sol Kyung-gu as Kim Jeong-nam
• Yeo Jin-goo as Park Jong-chul
• Gang Dong-won as Lee Han-yeol
• Moon Sung-keun as Lt. Gen Jang Se-dong ^[1]
• Oh Dal-su as Yi Doo-seok ^[1]
• Ko Chang-seok as Jeong Gu-jong
• Woo Hyun as Director General of Police Kang Min-chang
• Jung In-gi as Priest Kim Seung-hoon
• Moon So-ri as Woman in the plaza (voice)
• Lee Hwa-ryong as Catholic priest Ham Se-woong

Production

Principal photography began on April 20, 2017 and ended on August 27, 2017. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

Music

The soundtrack music was composed by Kim Tae-seong. There are 22 songs as listed below.

• "When the Day Comes" - Lee Hanyeol Choir & Daegun Chamber Choir
• "1987"
• "Namyoung-Dong"
• "The Portrait of the Deceased"
• "Father Has No Words"
• "1980"
• "Hidden Road by Yeonheui" - Kim Tae-ri & Gang Dong-won
• "The Funeral"
• "Reporters"
• "A Time When the Wind Starts To Blow"
• "Press Guidelines"
• "Counter-Communist Branch of the Police"
• "I Didn't Kill Him"
• "Indirect Election"
• "Chase"
• "Heartbroken"
• "The Clue"
• "The Decision"
• "Final"
• "The Judgement"
• "When the Day Comes (Choir Version)"
• "Hidden Road by Lee Hanyeol" - Kim Tae-ri & Gang Dong-won ^[12]

Reception

Released on December 27, 2017, the film has drawn more than 7.2 million viewers in South Korea. ^[13]

Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Probably no one movie could capture the scope of citizens forcing regime change in a dictatorial country, but the South Korean feature “1987: When the Day Comes” valiantly tries in its own thriller-ish way." ^[14]

Maggie Lee of Variety described it as "a compelling depiction of how brave individuals from all walks of life mobilized a whole nation to bring a recalcitrant dictator and his henchmen to their knees." ^[15]

James Marsh of the South China Morning Post rated it 3.5/5 and wrote: "The film’s efforts to simultaneously cover political corruption, police brutality, suppression of the media and a doomed romance at times threaten to overwhelm this captivating account of a pivotal moment in Korean history. Slick and accomplished, 1987: When the Day Comes is also single-minded and forthright in its intentions, propelled by an exasperated nation which demanded more of its public officials." ^[16]

Awards and nominations

Awards	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
12th Asian Film Awards	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Nominated	[17] [18]
CinemAsia Film Festival	Best Director	Jang Joon-hwan	Won	[19]
9th KOFRA Film Awards	Best Film	1987: When the Day Comes	Won	[13]
	Best Director	Jang Joon-hwan	Won
54th Baeksang Arts Awards	Grand Prize (Daesang)	1987: When the Day Comes	Won	[20] [21] [22]
		Kim Yoon-seok	Nominated
	Best Film	1987: When the Day Comes	Nominated
	Best Director	Jang Joon-hwan	Nominated
	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
	Best Supporting Actor	Park Hee-soon	Won
	Best Screenplay	Kim Kyung-chan	Won
23rd Chunsa Film Art Awards	Best Director	Jang Joon-hwan	Nominated	[23]
	Best Screenplay	Kim Kyung-chan	Nominated
	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Nominated
	Best Actress	Kim Tae-ri	Nominated
14th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival	JIMFF OST	Kim Tae-seong	Won	[24]
27th Buil Film Awards	Best Film	1987: When the Day Comes	Nominated	[25] [26]
	Best Director	Jang Joon-hwan	Nominated
	Best Screenplay	Kim Kyung-chan	Nominated
	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Jo Woo-jin	Nominated
	Best Music	Kim Tae-seong	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Kim Woo-hyung	Won
55th Grand Bell Awards	Best Film	1987: When the Day Comes	Nominated	[27] [28]
	Best Director	Jang Joon-hwan	Won
	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Nominated
	Best Actress	Kim Tae-ri	Nominated
	Best Screenplay	Kim Kyung-chan	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Kim Woo-hyung	Nominated
	Best Editing	Yang Jin-mo	Nominated
	Best Lightning	Kim Seung-kyu	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Chae Kyung-hwa, Lee Eun-yi	Nominated
	Best Music	Kim Tae-seong	Nominated
	Best Planning	Lee Woo-jung	Won
2nd The Seoul Awards	Best Film	1987: When the Day Comes	Nominated	[29]
	Best Supporting Actress	Kim Tae-ri	Nominated
38th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards	Best Film	1987: When the Day Comes	Won	[30]
	Top 11 Films		Won
	Best Music	Kim Tae-sung	Won
39th Blue Dragon Film Awards	Best Film	1987: When the Day Comes	Won	[31]
	Best Director	Jang Joon-hwan	Nominated
	Best Screenplay	Kim Kyung-chan	Nominated
	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
	Best Supporting Actor	Yoo Hae-jin	Nominated
	Best Cinematography and Lightning	Kim Woo-hyung & Kim Seung-kyu	Won
	Best Editing	Yang Jin-mo	Nominated
	Best Music	Kim Tae-seong	Nominated
	Best Art Direction	Han Ah-reum	Nominated
	Technical Award (Costume)	Chae Kyung-sun, Lee Eun-yi	Won
8th AACTA Awards	Best Asian Film	1987: When the Day Comes	Nominated	[32]
18th Udine Far East Film Festival	Audience Award	Jang Joon-hwan	Won
	Black Dragon Audience Award		Won
5th Korean Film Producers Association Awards	Best Film	1987: When the Day Comes	Won	[33]
	Best Screenplay	Kim Kyung-chan	Won
18th Director's Cut Awards	Best Director	Jang Joon-hwan	Won
	Best Screenplay	Kim Kyung-chan	Won

References

1. "(LEAD) Film revisits 1987 when people rose up massively for democracy". Yonhap News Agency . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
2. "1987: When the Day Comes (2017)". KOFIC. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
3. "1987 - Daum 영화" (in Korean). Movie.daum.net. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
4. "1987 (1987 : When the Day Comes)". Cine21 . Retrieved 2017-11-11.
5. "1987 : 네이버 영화" (in Korean). Movie.naver.com. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
6. "Movie depicting the story of Park Jong-cheol captivates audiences". The Hankyoreh . Retrieved December 19, 2017.
7. "Interview: Jang Joon-hwan talks 1987: When the Day Comes". FilmDoo. 2018-04-30. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
8. "(Movie Review) '1987': Touching story of ordinary people who were brave". Yonhap News Agency . Retrieved December 27, 2017.
9. "Global Film Biz Zone". KoBiz. Archived from the original on 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
10. "'1987,' film on historic democratic movement boasts star-studded cast-프린트화면". The Korea Herald. 2017-04-03. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
11. "1987 Adds YOO Hae-jin, YEO Jin-gu and SUL Kyung-gu". Koreanfilm.or.kr. 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
12. (Original Soundtrack) by Kim Tae Seong, 15 January 2018, retrieved 2018-12-10
13. "'1987' chosen by film reporters as the best film of 2017". Yonhap News Agency . January 30, 2018.
14. Abele, Robert (2017-12-28). "Review: Political intrigue stirs South Korean thriller '1987: When the Day Comes'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2024-02-13.
15. Lee, Maggie (2018-01-12). "Film Review: '1987: When the Day Comes'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
16. "1987: When the Day Comes review – South Korean ode to democracy". South China Morning Post. 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
17. "Asian Film Awards 2018 nominations". South China Morning Post. January 11, 2018.
18. "'1987' shines at Baeksang awards : The annual ceremony honors the best works in local film and television". 4 May 2018.
19. "Four Korean Films Invited to CinemAsia Film Festival". Korean Film Biz Zone.
20. "제54회 백상예술대상, TV·영화 각 부문별 수상 후보자 공개". JTBC (in Korean). April 6, 2018.
21. "Baeksang Arts Awards recognize 'Stranger,' '1987'". The Korea Herald . May 4, 2018.
22. "'1987' shines at Baeksang awards : The annual ceremony honors the best works in local film and television". Korea JoongAng Daily . May 5, 2018.
23. "제23회 춘사영화제 5월18일 개최..홍상수·김민희 참석하나". Newsen (in Korean). May 3, 2018.
24. "JIMFF 어워즈 성황리 개최". inews365 (in Korean). 12 August 2018.
25. "[23회 부산국제영화제] 부일영화상". Busan Daily (in Korean). 20 September 2018.
26. "5관왕 '공작', '허스토리'와 함께 부산 품었다(종합) [27회 부일영화상]". MK Sports (in Korean). 5 October 2018.
27. "제55회 대종상, 각 부문 후보 공개…'공작' 12개 최다부문 노미네이트". Seoul Sports (in Korean). 21 September 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
28. "'Burning' wins best picture at Daejong Film Awards". Yonhap News Agency . 22 October 2018.
29. "'제2회 더 서울어워즈' 10월27일 개최, 드라마-영화 각 부문별 후보공개". iMBC (in Korean). September 28, 2018.
30. "[공식]이성민·한지민 '영평상' 남녀주연상…'1987' 작품상". Sports Chosun (in Korean). October 22, 2018.
31. "청룡영화상 후보 발표, '1987' 최다·'공작'도 9개부문 후보". Newsen (in Korean). November 1, 2018.
32. Frater, Patrick (3 October 2018). "'Shoplifters,' 'Newton,' 'Youth' in the Running for AACTA Asian Film Award". Variety . Retrieved 24 October 2018.
33. "주지훈·한지민, 한국영화제작가협회상 남녀주연상 영광". Newsen (in Korean). 11 December 2018.

External links

• 1987: When the Day Comes at HanCinema
• 1987: When the Day Comes at IMDb
• 1987: When the Day Comes at the Korean Movie Database