# Gyeongju (film)

Gyeongju (Korean: 경주) is a 2014 South Korean romantic comedy film written and directed by Zhang Lu, starring Park Hae-il and Shin Min-ah.

## Plot

Choi Hyeon visits Korea to pay his respects to his recently deceased friend, Kim Chang-hee. He sees his other friend Kang. Hyeon is a history professor in China, but people often mistake him for a weirdo. When people try to connect with him, he snubs them, but maintains an outwardly close relation. After paying his respects, he roams around Gyeongju, capital of the Silla Kingdom, now famous for tombs and tumuli. He visits a teahouse that he, Kim, and Kang had visited seven years earlier. Hyeon gets curious about an erotic piece of art that had been displayed there and has since vanished, and shows an interest in the current owner of the teahouse, Gong Yun-hee. They start to spend the day together. She invites him to her bed, but he is preoccupied with his thoughts and the picture. He leaves in the morning, knowing that some people whom he saw yesterday have died. He wanders more. The next morning at the teahouse, Gong Yun-hee is curious about the erotic art which she has covered with wallpaper. A flashback follows in which Hyeon and his friends seated at the teahouse table comment on the erotic painting, which displays the words "Lets have a drink and then each other". Kim Chang-hee's widow appears to have been the previous owner of the teahouse.

## Cast

* Park Hae-il as Choi Hyeon
* Shin Min-a as Gong Yoon-hee
* Yoon Jin-seo as Yeo-jeong
* Kim Tae-hoon as Detective Lee Young-min
* Kwak Ja-hyeong as Lee Choon-won
* Shin So-yul as Da-yeon
* Baik Hyun-jhin as Professor Park
* Ryoo Seung-wan as Teacher Kang
* Lee Na-ra as Kim Chang-hee's wife
* Jeong In-seon as young receptionist
* Lee Hyeon-jeong as mother
* Kim Soo-ahn as little kid
* Kim Hak-sun as Kim Chang-hee

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2014 | 23rd Buil Film Awards | Best Film | Gyeongju | Nominated |
| 2014 | 23rd Buil Film Awards | Best Director | Zhang Lu | Nominated |
| 2014 | 23rd Buil Film Awards | Best Actor | Park Hae-il | Nominated |
| 2014 | 23rd Buil Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Baik Hyun-jhin | Nominated |
| 2014 | 23rd Buil Film Awards | Best Cinematography | Cho Young-jik | Nominated |
| 2014 | 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Director | Zhang Lu | Won |
| 2014 | 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Critics' Top 10 | Gyeongju | Won |
| 2014 | 15th Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Film | Gyeongju | Won |
| 2014 | 15th Busan Film Critics Awards | Technical Award | Cho Young-jik | Won |
| 2015 | 20th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Director (Grand Prix) | Zhang Lu | Nominated |
| 2015 | 2nd Wildflower Film Awards | Best Director (Narrative Film) | Zhang Lu | Nominated |
| 2015 | 2nd Wildflower Film Awards | Best Actor | Park Hae-il | Nominated |
| 2015 | 2nd Wildflower Film Awards | Best Actress | Shin Min-ah | Nominated |
| 2015 | 2nd Wildflower Film Awards | Best Cinematography | Cho Young-jik | Nominated |
| 2015 | 2nd Wildflower Film Awards | Special Jury Prize | Shin Min-ah | Won |
| 2015 | 51st Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Director | Zhang Lu | Nominated |
| 2015 | 51st Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress | Shin Min-ah | Nominated |