Kim Jee-woon, born July 6, 1964, entered Seoul Institute of the Arts, but left school and worked in the theatre scene. He began his career as a stage actor, then stage director, and finally has become one of the most popular and acclaimed figures among modern Korean directors/screenwriters. His second screenplay, The Quiet Family (1998), won him the Best Screenplay prize in a local contest, and Kim went on to make his directorial debut with this screenplay. The film was invited to many film festivals. Kim’s films, from The Quiet Family (1998) to last year’s A Bittersweet Life, have been hailed by critics and audiences alike for his unique style and storytelling. His second feature, The Foul King (2000), drew more than 2 million spectators, while his astounding horror film of true visual elegance, A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), reached 3.5 million viewers nation-wide. It went on to be remade by Dreamworks in the US. —AsianMediaWiki
A genesis of this contemporary Korean Wave of cinema; a straight-for-the-heart black comedy commanded wonderfully by Kim Ji-woon. Classic mix of psychological absurdity and dead-pan comedy, and sometimes you might not even notice the director's subtlety and awareness. Must-see SK film starring two of its greatest actors.
What a hilarious film. The absurdity of this black comedy had me both squinting and chuckling at the same time. Loved it.
Really wasn't expecting to hear "Los Tres Delincuentes" by The Delinquent Habits to be the opening song of the title credits.... Kind of awesome. I definitely still like Miike's remake better, but this one's totally worth a watch.
The reason Miike's remake, The Happiness of the Katakuris, works so much better than this film is because it is so overly ridiculous and melodramatic and whimsical that the unbelievable luck this absolutely mad family has seems to make sense in their over-the-top world. The Quiet Family, however, takes itself far too seriously for such a mad cap comedy, allowing me to scoff more than I laughed.
