| Scarlet Innocence | |
| Director: | Yim Pil-sung |
| Producer: | Seo Jong-hae |
| Starring: | Jung Woo-sung Esom Park So-young Kim Hee-won |
| Music: | Mowg |
| Cinematography: | Lee Sung-jae |
| Editing: | Kim Sang-bum |
| Studio: | Creative Group Animal Planet |
| Distributor: | CJ Entertainment |
| Runtime: | 111 minutes |
| Country: | South Korea |
| Language: | Korean |
| Gross: | [1] |
Scarlet Innocence is a 2014 South Korea erotic thriller film co-written and directed by Yim Pil-sung, starring Jung Woo-sung and Esom.[2] It is a modern-day retelling of the classic Korean folktale Simcheongga.[3] [4] [5] [6]
After getting caught in a sex scandal, literature professor Shim Hak-kyu (Jung Woo-sung) is forced to leave Seoul to teach in a small, rural town, until the matter is settled, leaving his depressed wife (Yoon Se-ah) and daughter, Chung-yi (Park Seo-yeon). Hak-kyu becomes involved in a relationship with Deok-yi (Esom), a naive ticket seller for a soon-to-be-dismantled amusement park. Their relationship quickly spreads to the town residents and greatly disturbs Deok-yi's deaf mother (Kim Nam-jin). Eventually, Hak-kyu's name is cleared with the help of his friend, Dong-woo (Lee Chang-hoon), allowing him to teach at his university. Before he departs, Deok-yi reveals that their previous intimacy had made her pregnant. After aborting the baby, Hak-kyu leaves, promising to return for Deok-yi. Instead, he goes back home and gives respite to his miserable wife.
Though Hak-kyu is still going to the rural town for a while, he avoids Deok-yi, telling her to "wait". One night, Hak-kyu visits her home to bribe her into never speaking their relationship again for a sum of money. During the conflict, Deok-yi forgets to turn off the stove, which engulfs her house with her mother still inside. Receiving distressing calls from Chung-yi, Hak-kyu returns home to find that his wife has committed suicide.
Eight years later, Hak-kyu has become a successful writer, but is leading a wild lifestyle, including drinking, smoking, and gambling, becoming heavily indebted in the process. At the same time, he learns that an illness is threatening his vision. Chung-yi (Park So-young), meanwhile, is beginning to slip away and go to a club, where she meets Deok-yi, who has taken up the identity of "Yoon Se-jung" and is moving as the Shim's new neighbor. Deok-yi starts to frequently tend to the Shim as Hak-kyu spirals down due to his debt and his firing from his university, also recommending him an ophthalmologist (Yang Jin-woo), who only makes him blind. Eventually, the gambling boss, Mr. Choi (Kim Hee-won), forces Hak-kyu to sign a contract sending Chung-yi to Japan to work as a prostitute in return for a hefty sum of money. During Hak-kyu's period of mourning, Deok-yi reveals her identity and her anger to him, saying she will continue to make him suffer until he dies. She is also revealed to have learned Hak-kyu's location and condition from Dong-woo in favor of sex with him.
However, Deok-yi is horrified when the now-experienced Chung-yi manages to return home. Chung-yi reveals that she already knows what Deok-yi had done to her family, including recommending the mock ophthalmologist, promising to return her revenge back to her. Through her client, a Japanese man (Shinjo Huta) who controls Mr. Choi's casino, Deok-yi's contract with Mr. Choi is concluded. Chung-yi then forces Deok-yi into a surgery (surgery conducted by the ophthalmologist after he was beaten), to give her eyes to her father. Before the operation, Hak-kyu apologizes to the tearful Deok-yi, telling her that he will make everything right for her and Chung-yi.
The film closes with the now blind Deok-yi sitting near a lake and grabbing her hand was Hak-kyu, who watches her and says "Deok-yi, I love you".[7]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best New Actress | ||||
| 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Actress | |||
| Best New Actress (Film) | ||||
| 15th Director's Cut Awards | Best New Actress | |||
| Best New Actress | ||||