Christmas in August

"Is love eternal?"

1998 1h 37m KO

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 100

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

It's a sweltering summer, but Jung-won, a terminally ill, thirty-something photographer, is already in the winter of his life when he begins a tentative romance with a young traffic cop who doesn't know about his condition. Is their relationship doomed before it even begins?

“Is love eternal?”

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Cast

Han Suk-kyu
Jung-won
Shim Eun-ha
Da-rim
Shin Gu
Jung-won's Father
Oh Ji-hye
Jung-sook
Lee Han-wi
Chul-goo
Jeon Mi-seon
Ji-won
Gwon Hye-won
Hyo-jung
Son Se-kwang
Cheol

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hur Jin-ho
Writers: Oh Seung-uk, Hur Jin-ho, Shin Dong-hwan
Languages: Korean
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hur Jin-ho, shot by You Yong-kil. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Cho Sung-woo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

AWARDS

Did you know

Editor Hahm Sung-won shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Han Suk-kyu and Shim Eun-ha and Shin Gu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Is love eternal?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0140825 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hur Jin-ho directs. You Yong-kil behind the camera. Cho Sung-woo scores. Hahm Sung-won cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Hur Jin-ho, shot by You Yong-kil. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Cho Sung-woo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Hahm Sung-won shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Han Suk-kyu and Shim Eun-ha and Shin Gu carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Is love eternal?".
7IMDB entry: tt0140825 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: You Yong-kil
Original score: Cho Sung-woo
Editing: Hahm Sung-won
Production design: Kim Jin-han
Costume design: Park Sang-hoon
Makeup / hair: Kim Jin-sook
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: KO
IMDB: Christmas in August (1998)

Also by

Hur Jin-ho

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Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2022-08-18
★ 6/10
A thirty-something photographer, Jung-Won (Han Suk-kyu), strikes up a potentially romantic relationship with a twenty-something parking enforcer. Unbeknownst to her, and he won't tell her, his time left to live is rather limited. The film is nice, and actually nicely paced and photographed. I didn't think there was enough meat on the bones though. We have good character from Han Suk-kyu. The other characters in the story a far too thin, leaving the whole effect rather lacking.

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