| The Night Owl | |||||
| Native Name: |
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| Director: | Ahn Tae-jin | ||||
| Music: | Hwang Sang-jun | ||||
| Cinematography: | Kim Tae-kyeong | ||||
| Editing: | Kim Sun-min | ||||
| Distributor: | Next Entertainment World | ||||
| Runtime: | 118 minutes | ||||
| Country: | South Korea | ||||
| Language: | Korean | ||||
| Budget: | [1] | ||||
| Gross: | [2] | ||||
The Night Owl is a 2022 South Korean period thriller drama film directed by Ahn Tae-jin, starring Ryu Jun-yeol and Yoo Hae-jin. Set in the Joseon period, it is based on the mystery surrounding the death of Crown Prince Sohyeon, who returned from the Qing Dynasty in the Joseon Injo period. It was released on November 23, 2022.[3]
Kyung-soo is blind but has excellent acupuncture skills. He enters the palace after being recognized for his talent by Lee Hyung-ik. Around that time, Crown Prince Sohyeon, who was taken hostage by the Qing Dynasty, returned to Korea after 8 years. Injo, while happy for his son, is overcome with unknown anxiety for a while. Then one night, Kyung-soo, who can see faintly in the dark, witnesses the death of Crown Prince Sohyeon. As he tries to tell the truth, bigger secrets and conspiracies are revealed, putting his life at risk. After the death of his son, Injo's anxiety turns into madness and begins to run rampant, and Kyung-soo, who witnessed the death of the crown prince, attempts to reveal the truth behind the crown prince’s death.
, it is the fifth highest-grossing Korean film of 2022, with a gross of US$26,395,809, and 3,317,510 admissions. On December 23, 2022, The Night Owl surpassed 3 million cumulative audiences on this afternoon. An additional 900,000 people were mobilized in two weeks after exceeding the break-even point of 2.1 million on the 8th, which led the box office for three consecutive weeks.[6]
The film was in competition at FFCP 2023, the festival dedicated to Korean film in Paris.[7]
| Year | Category | Nominee | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2023 | Best Film | The Night Owl | [8] | |
| Best Director | Ahn Tae-jin | ||||
| Best New Director | |||||
| Best Actor | Ryu Jun-yeol | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Sung-cheol | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ahn Eun-jin | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Ahn Tae-jin and Hyun Kyu-ri | ||||
| Best Technical Award (Lighting) | Hong Seung-cheol | ||||
| Director's Cut Awards | 2023 | Best New Director in film | Ahn Tae-jin | [9] | |
| Best Director in film | [10] | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Ahn Tae-jin and Hyun Kyu-ri | ||||
| Best Actor in film | Ryu Jun-yeol | ||||
| Yoo Hae-jin | |||||
| Best New Actor in film | Kim Sung-cheol | ||||
| Best New Actress in film | Ahn Eun-jin | ||||
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Ryu Jun-yeol | [11] | ||
| Best New Director | Ahn Tae-jin | ||||
| Cinematography Award | Kim Tae-kyeong | ||||
| Buil Film Awards | 2023 | Best Actor | Ryu Jun-yeol | [12] | |
| Yoo Hae-jin | |||||
| Best New Director | Ahn Tae-jin | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Ahn Tae-jin and Hyun Kyu-ri | ||||
| Best New Actress | Ahn Eun-jin | ||||
| Best Film | The Night Owl | ||||
| Golden Cinema Film Festival | 2023 | Best Actor | Ryu Jun-yeol | [13] | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Choi Moo-sung | ||||
| Best Director | Ahn Tae-jin | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Kim Tae-kyeong | ||||
| Best lighting | Hong Seung-chul | ||||
| Grand Bell Awards | 2023 | Best Film | The Night Owl | ||
| Best Actor | Ryu Jun-yeol | ||||
| Best New Actress | Ahn Eun-jin | ||||
| Best New Actor | Kim Sung-cheol | ||||
| Best New Director | Ahn Tae-jin | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Ahn Tae-jin and Hyun Kyu-ri | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Kim Tae-kyeong | ||||
| Best Sound | Park Yong-ki | ||||
| Best Costume Design | Shim Hyun-seop | ||||
| Best Editing | Kim Sun-min | ||||
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2023 | Best Film | The Night Owl | ||
| Best Actor | Ryu Jun-yeol | ||||
| Best New Actress | Ahn Eun-jin | ||||
| Best New Director | Ahn Tae-jin | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Hyun Eun-mi, Ahn Tae-jin | ||||
| Best Cinematography and lighting | Kim Tae-kyeong, Hong Seung-chul | ||||
| Best Technical award (Sound) | Park Yong-ki | ||||
| Best Art Direction | Lee Ha-jun | ||||
| Best Editing | Kim Sun-min |