Japanese film magazine names "Breathless" best foreign film

Poster for Yang Ik-joon movie "Breathless" [Jin Jin]

Korean film “Breathless” (2008) was named the best foreign film of 2010 by a Japanese movie magazine on Wednesday.

Kinema Junpo (キネマ旬報), known as one of the top film critic magazines in Japan, placed “Breathless” on top of the chart that announced the 10 best foreign films of the year through its website on January 12.

Other films that appeared on the list were “Invictus” (2009), “The White Ribbon” (2009) and “The Hurt Locker” (2008).

“Breathless,” both directed and starring Yang Ik-joon, describes the pain and violence caused by an unstable family through the life of thirty-something scoundrel Sang-hoon (Yang) and high school girl Yeon-hee (Kim Kkot-bi) who become unlikely friends after realizing they are similar in many ways.

The film, which is also Yang’s debut piece, won much acclaim from abroad including winning the “VPRO Tigers Awards” at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Grand Prix and International Critics’ Award from the Deauville Asian Film Festival and best actor and actress awards at International Film Festival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Meanwhile, the magazine declared “Villain/Akunin” (惡人, 2010) helmed by Korean-Japanese director Lee Sang-il as No.1 Japanese film of the year.

Director Lee had already won the awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay at the 2007 Japanese Academy Awards for his 2006 film “Hula Girls.”

Every year, Kinema Junpo declares the lists of the top 10 domestic and overseas films that premiered the previous year.

Website of Kinema Junpo (キネマ旬報)

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