Box Office: Son of God, August: Osage County, Han Gong-ju
By Claire LeePublished : April 4, 2014 - 20:48
Opening April 10
Drama. Directed by Christopher Spencer.
This epic biblical drama film features the life of Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity. It follows the life of Jesus from his miraculous birth, his visit to Galilee, as well as his first encounter with well-known followers, including Peter, James, John and Matthew. The film also highlights most of the miracles Jesus performed, including multiplying the loaves and fishes, walking on water, and raising Lazarus from the dead, before ends with his crucifixion and resurrection.
August: Osage County (the U.S.)
Opened April 3
Drama. Comedy. Directed by John Wells.
Violet (Meryl Streep) lives in a rural area outside Pawhuska, Oklahoma, with her husband, Beverly (Sam Shepard), an alcoholic but kindhearted poet. Extremely contentious and bitter, she suffers from oral cancer and struggles with drug addiction. One day, out of the blue, Beverly hires a young Native American woman as a live-in cook and caregiver for Violet, and then disappears from the house. Devastated, Violet calls her three daughters, two of them living far away for many years, for support.
Han Gong-ju (Korea)
Opening April 17
Drama. Directed by Lee Su-jin.
Han Gong-ju is a 17-year-old girl who starts a new life in a new school, leaving everything behind in her hometown. She makes new friends and begins to sing again, which she gave up after going through a traumatic event in the past. But everything changes when the parents of her old classmates visit Gong-ju out of the blue. The debut feature by director Lee Su-jin won numerous awards from international film festivals, including Rotterdam and Marrakech.
Stories We Tell (Canada)
Opened March 14
Documentary. Directed by Sarah Polley
Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley discovered in 2007, at age 28, that her father was not her biological father and that she was the result of an extramarital affair. Her personal documentary “Stories We Tell” follows her shocking discovery and family secrets, consisting of interviews with her siblings from her mother’s two marriages, as well as Michael Polley, the man who raised her, and her biological father Harry Gulkin.
Elegant Lies (Korea)
Opened March 13
Drama. Directed by Lee Han.
Hyeon-sook (Kim Hee-ae) is a single mother raising two teenage daughters while working at a big grocery store. One day, her youngest child Cheon-ji (Kim Hyang-gi) suddenly commits suicide without even leaving a note. Struggling with guilt and anger, and not knowing why Cheon-ji chose to kill herself, Hyeon-sook and her eldest daughter Man-ji (Ko Ah-sung) wonder whether there was something they missed or something they could have said or done.