Mr. Butterfly (2003) Marc Kim (a.k.a. Kim Hyeon Seong) grabbed the attention of the international fi...
Mr. Butterfly (2003) Marc Kim (a.k.a. Kim Hyeon Seong) grabbed the
attention of the international film audience in 2003 with his
directorial debut feature, Mr. Butterfly, which screened in the Critics
Week section at the 60th Venice Film Festival. The writer/director
assembled an A-list cast with Kim Jung Eun ( Marrying the Mafia, Lovers
in Paris) and Kim Min Jong ( Windmill Palm Grove, Guardian Angel) in the
leading roles. Kim Jung Eun took on a
weighty role as a disheartened woman in a bold attempt to shed her
comedic, girl-next-door image. It was a risky choice for the actress
given the phenomenal success of her previous comedy Marrying the Mafia
which attracted over five million moviegoers nationwide. Kim Min Jong,
who reached fame and popularity through his TV drama appearances, stars
as the male protagonist.
Set in the 1980s during the military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan, Mr.
Butterfly portrays a gloomy picture of two young people struggling to
find each other in the midst of the country's democratic movement. Min
Jae (Kim Min Jong) promises Hae Mi (Kim Jung Eun) that he will return
within a year. Hae Mi looks on with tears rolling down her face as his
train destined for Seoul pulls away. Their matching butterfly tattoos
serve as a constant reminder for his return, but five years roll by with
no sign of Min Jae. One day, fate reunites Min Jae, now a nightclub
gigolo, with Hae Mi, now the kept woman of a high-ranking military
officer. Tragedy befalls the two lovers when suspicious soldiers drag
Min Jae off, leaving Hae Mi tormented and helpless.
