South Korea
2017 129 mins OV Korean Subtitles : English
Seoul, 1987. The city is shaken by riots, the intensity of which is equaled only by the violence used by Chun Doo-hwan's dictatorial regime in repressing them. Following a failed operation by the Office of Anticommunist Investigation, led by the intimidating North Korean defector Park Jeol-won, a student is accidentally killed during a forceful interrogation. The mishap must be covered up at all costs, so as not to increase popular resentment less than one year before the Seoul Olympics. Plans to do so are hindered by a stubborn prosecutor who decides to leak documents to the press for public exposure. So begins a race against time implicating students, prisoners, journalists, revolutionaries and lawyers in a quest to expose this death by torture, all while Director Park uses all of his power to silence them by any means necessary.
Based on true events leading to the establishment of South Korea's democracy, 1987: WHEN THE DAY COMES is the logical follow-up to the impactful A TAXI DRIVER, which received a standing ovation at last year's Fantasia. If director Jang Joon-hwan triggered the festival's imagination with SAVE THE GREEN PLANET, his latest creation will surely leave its mark on world cinema with its local and international sociopolitical relevance. Rarely have we seen an historical epic as electrifying! 1987 slowly turns into a gripping thriller as the noose around our protagonist tightens and Park Jeol-won becomes truly terrifying. Kim Yoon-seok delivers the performance of his career, rekindling the chemistry of his visceral duel with Ha Jung-woo in THE CHASER. They are supported by a stellar cast, including Gang Dong-won (HAUNTERS), Kim Tae-Ri (THE HANDMAIDEN), Park-Hee-soon (THE FORTRESS) and many others. With its enthralling narrative, masterful performances, the colossal power of its subject matter and the masterful approach to its direction, 1987 qualifies as one of the best features of the year, hands down. ? Translation: Guillaume Desbiens
