Lee Chang-dong

Secret Sunshine

Secret Sunshine

A master of intensely emotional human dramas, director Lee Chang-dong is a luminary of contemporary Korean cinema, and his place on the international stage was cemented by this stirring and unpredictable work examining grief and deliverance. An effortless mix of lightness and uncompromising darkness, Secret Sunshine (Miryang) stars Cannes best actress winner Jeon Do-yeon as a widowed piano teacher who moves with her young son from Seoul to her late husband’s provincial hometown for a fresh start. Quietly expressive, supple filmmaking and sublime, subtle performances distinguish this remarkable portrayal of the search for grace amid tragedy.

Film Info

  • South Korea
  • 2007
  • 142 minutes
  • Color
  • 2.35:1
  • Korean
  • Spine #576

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Lee Chang-dong and cinematographer Cho Yong-kyu, with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
  • New video interview with Lee
  • On the Set of “Secret Sunshine,” a behind-the-scenes video piece featuring interviews with actors Jeon Do-yeon and Song Kang-ho
  • U.S. theatrical trailer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A new essay by film critic Dennis Lim

    New cover by Steve Chow

Purchase Options

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Lee Chang-dong and cinematographer Cho Yong-kyu, with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
  • New video interview with Lee
  • On the Set of “Secret Sunshine,” a behind-the-scenes video piece featuring interviews with actors Jeon Do-yeon and Song Kang-ho
  • U.S. theatrical trailer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A new essay by film critic Dennis Lim

    New cover by Steve Chow
Secret Sunshine
Cast
Jeon Do-yeon
Shin-ae
Song Kang-ho
Jong-chan
Seon Jung-yeob
Jun
Cho Young-jin
Schoolteacher
Kim Young-jae
Brother
Song Mi-rim
Teacher's daughter
Credits
Director
Lee Chang-dong
Screenplay
Lee Chang-dong
Producer
Hanna Lee
Executive producer
Kim In-soo
Executive producer
Lee Chang-dong
Original story
Yi Chong-jun
Cinematography
Cho Yong-kyu
Production design
Sihn Jeom-hui
Editing
Kim Hyun
Lighting
Chu In-sik
Music
Christian Basso
Costumes
Cha Sun-young
Costumes
Kim Nuri
Sound
Steve R. Seo (Kofic)

Current

Secret Sunshine: A Cinema of Lucidity
Secret Sunshine: A Cinema of Lucidity

Lee Chang-dong’s film is a work of visceral emotions and abstract notions, a study of faith in all its power, strangeness, and cruelty.

By Dennis Lim

Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Top 10
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Top 10

The director of Aquarius and Bacurau shares his favorite Criterion releases, paying special attention to unorthodox studio productions and underappreciated masterpieces.

Tears Left to Cry: Jeon Do-yeon in Secret Sunshine

Performances

Tears Left to Cry: Jeon Do-yeon in Secret Sunshine

The Cannes-award-winning lead performance in Lee Chang-dong’s masterful melodrama captures both the pain and perverse pleasure of public crying.

By Andrew Chan

Big Bad World: A Conversation with Lee Chang-dong
Big Bad World: A Conversation with Lee Chang-dong

In the wake of Burning, one of the most critically acclaimed films of last year, we caught up with the great Korean director about what keeps him going as a storyteller.

By Andrew Chan

Steven Yeun’s Top 10
Steven Yeun’s Top 10

An international star who has delivered acclaimed performances in The Walking Dead, Okja, and Burning, Steven Yeun tells us about the “wise grace” of Tokyo Story, the brutality of RoboCop, and other Criterion favorites.

Sean Baker’s Top 10
Sean Baker’s Top 10

Sean Baker is a writer/director and cocreator of the television show Greg the Bunny. His movies include Prince of Broadway (2008), Starlet (2012), and Tangerine (2015).

André Gregory and Wallace Shawn’s Top 10
André Gregory and Wallace Shawn’s Top 10

Theater directors, filmmakers, writers, actors, and longtime friends André Gregory and Wallace Shawn have collaborated on three movies together: My Dinner with André (1981), Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), and A Master Builder (2014).