The Isle

"A beautiful yet dangerous place..."

2000 1h 30m KO

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 385

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mute Hee-Jin is working as a clerk in a fishing resort in the Korean wilderness; selling baits, food and occasionally her body to the fishing tourists. One day she falls in love with Hyun-Shik, who is on the run from the police, and rescues him with a fish hook when he tries to commit suicide.

“A beautiful yet dangerous place...”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kim Yu-seok
Hyun-shik
Suh Jung
Hee-jin
Seo Won
Eun-ah
Son Min-seok
Dal-soo
Cho Jae-hyun
Mang-chee
Jang Hang-seon
Middle-aged Man
Han Ji-sun
Jeong-ah
Yoon Hee-won
Fisherman #1

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kim Ki-duk
Writers: Kim Ki-duk
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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 50% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kim Ki-duk, shot by Hwang Suh-shik. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jeon Sang-yun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kyung Min-ho shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Kim Yu-seok and Suh Jung and Seo Won carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kim Ki-duk directs. Hwang Suh-shik behind the camera. Jeon Sang-yun scores. Kyung Min-ho cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 50% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
426 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5Directed by Kim Ki-duk, shot by Hwang Suh-shik. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Jeon Sang-yun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Kyung Min-ho shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Kim Yu-seok and Suh Jung and Seo Won carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "A beautiful yet dangerous place...".
10IMDB entry: tt0255589 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "island", "prostitute", "jealousy", "card game".
12Released under 13 different titles around the world.