Sex Is Zero 2
Encyclopedia
Sex Is Zero 2 is the 2007
sequel
to the South Korea
n comedy film
Sex Is Zero
, and is the directorial debut of Yoon Tae-yoon. Starring Im Chang-jeong and Song Ji-hyo, the film reunites most of the cast from the original film, though Ha Ji-won
only makes a cameo appearance
. Sex Is Zero 2 was released in South Korea on 12 December 2007.
in charge of distribution. Filming commenced late July 2007 under first time director Yoon Tae-yoon, with Lim Chang-jung reprising his role from the original Sex Is Zero as male protagonist Eun-sik. Other actors returning from the first film were Choi Seong-gook, Shin-ee and Yoo Chae-yeong, though the female lead was played by Song Ji-hyo in place of Ha Ji-won, with Ha making only a cameo appearance
in the film's opening sequence.
At the film's press preview, director Yoon stated that, "the major appeal of 'Sex Is Zero 2' is not the sexy scenes but the comic relief embedded in the sexy images". Lim Chang-jung credited the first film as being the point where he discovered his aptitude for acting, and said, "I believe this film is really meaningful for me, and I'm kind of supposed to feel more pressure, but strangely I didn't feel any, because I found the screenplay well organized and trusted in director Yoon".
Song Ji-hyo underwent two months of intensive swimming training for her role in the film. For one scene she had to sit at the bottom of a pool while her character brooded over her relationship troubles. This scene required ten retake
s to get right, and while director Yoon had wanted to use a stunt double
, Song felt it necessary to do it herself as the scene was "integral to the emotional development" of her character. She hoped that the film would project her screen image as being "friendlier, warmer and sweeter", saying, "Yes, this movie may be a sex comedy, but my character [Kyeong-ah] is the young and innocent foil, which is closer to my real self... Making this film has definitely allowed me to grow as an actress."
Sex Is Zero 2 gained significant media attention from the casting of transsexual actress Lee Si-yeon. Lee had appeared in the original film, providing comic relief as an effeminate male student, but underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2007. She made her surgery known to the public in November 2007 but was apprehensive about the response she would get from audiences, while officials for the film stated that they were "extremely cautious about handling the issue for fear that she may be affected negatively by what people and the media say". Lee received support from her co-stars, in particular Shin-ee.
French–Korean mixed martial artist Denis Kang made a special appearance in the film as himself.
on 12 December 2007. On its opening weekend the film was ranked second at the domestic box office, receiving 584,284 admissions and grossing $
3,273,040; as of 27 January 2008 it had grossed a total of $14,210,342. Sex Is Zero 2 accumulated a total of 2,088,940 admissions nationwide to make it the tenth best selling Korean film of 2007, though this figure was somewhat less than the number of tickets sold by the original film in 2002–3.
Sex Is Zero 2 was released on DVD on 27 August 2008.
, Lee Hyo-won was critical of the film and compared it unfavourably to the original, stating that "the makers of the film try too hard to be outrageous... what had been endearingly eccentric in the first film becomes simply freaky", going on to add that "Another downfall of ``Zero 2
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
Sex Is Zero
Sex is Zero
Sex Is Zero is a 2002 South Korean film written and directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, starring Lim Chang-jung, Ha Ji-won and Yoo Chae-yeong. In the style of American gross-out comedies like American Pie, it follows the exploits of a group of college students, which eventually takes a serious turn...
, and is the directorial debut of Yoon Tae-yoon. Starring Im Chang-jeong and Song Ji-hyo, the film reunites most of the cast from the original film, though Ha Ji-won
Ha Ji-won
Ha Ji-won was born Jeon Hae-rim on 28 June 1978. She is a South Korean actress. She is also the Grand Prize winner of 2006 KBS Acting Awards for her performance in TV drama Hwang Jin-i.- Career :...
only makes a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
. Sex Is Zero 2 was released in South Korea on 12 December 2007.
Plot summary
Having broken up with his previous girlfriend, law student Eun-sik is keen to consummate a new relationship with Kyung-ah, a popular swimming champion. Despite help from his friends, Eun-sik begins to doubt himself when Gi-joo, a suave prosecutor, tries to compete for Kyeong-ah's affections. Kyeong-ah has a dark past in which she was raped when she was in high school, this results in her not able to engage as much sexual contact towards Eun-sik, this then makes him very frustrated. In the end Kyeong-ah is about to leave for America with Gi-joo but then realizes that she only loves Eun-sik and nobody else.Cast
- Lim Chang-jungLim Chang-jungYim Chang Jung is a South Korean actor and singer.-Filmography:-External links:...
... Eun-sik - Song Ji-hyo ... Kyeong-ah
- Choi Seong-gook ... Seong-gook
- Shin-ee ... Kyeong-joo
- Yoo Chae-yeongYoo Chae-yeongYoo Chae-yeong is a South Korean singer and actress. She debuted at the age of 17 and was a former member K-Pop group Cool. Because she sported a shaved head, the group received much attention from the media. After their first album, Yoo Chae-yeong was replaced by Yuri as the vocalist. Emotion was...
... Yoo-mi - Lee Hwa-seon ... Yeong-chae
- Lee Sang-yoon ... Gi-joo
- Kim Cheong ... Kyeong-ah's mother
- Hong Ji-yeong ... Bo-ra
- Seon Eun-jeong ... Ji-hyeon
- Bae Geon-woo ... Sang-woo
- Park Yeong-soo ... Jong-min
- Lee Si-yeonLee Si-yeonLee Si-yeon is a South Korean transsexual actress and model.Lee debuted as a male model under her birth name Dae-hak, becoming known for her feminine appearance and wearing women's clothing on the catwalk, but ultimately wished to pursue a career as an actor...
... Dae-hak - Myeong-gyu ... Pervert
- Park Min-ah ... Nurse
- Park Jae-woong ... Nurse
- Choi In-sook ... Dean
- Lee Jeong-hoon ... Hall announcer
- Lee Jong-rae ... Doctor
- Kim Hyung-il ... Pervert
- Ha Ji-wonHa Ji-wonHa Ji-won was born Jeon Hae-rim on 28 June 1978. She is a South Korean actress. She is also the Grand Prize winner of 2006 KBS Acting Awards for her performance in TV drama Hwang Jin-i.- Career :...
... Eun-hyo (cameo) - Denis KangDenis KangDenis Kang is a Canadian mixed martial artist of Korean French descent. He was the PRIDE FC welterweight grand prix finalist in which he lost to Kazuo Misaki...
... Himself (cameo) - Yoon Je-kyoonYoon Je-kyoonYoon Je-kyoon is a South Korean film director . His debut My Boss, My Hero is about a gangster who is sent back to school, while Sex Is Zero has been compared with American Pie....
(uncredited cameo)
Production
Sex Is Zero 2 was produced by Doosaboo Film with CJ EntertainmentCJ Entertainment
CJ Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment company which is involved in film production, investment, distribution and exhibition. It is the largest entertainment company in South Korea...
in charge of distribution. Filming commenced late July 2007 under first time director Yoon Tae-yoon, with Lim Chang-jung reprising his role from the original Sex Is Zero as male protagonist Eun-sik. Other actors returning from the first film were Choi Seong-gook, Shin-ee and Yoo Chae-yeong, though the female lead was played by Song Ji-hyo in place of Ha Ji-won, with Ha making only a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the film's opening sequence.
At the film's press preview, director Yoon stated that, "the major appeal of 'Sex Is Zero 2' is not the sexy scenes but the comic relief embedded in the sexy images". Lim Chang-jung credited the first film as being the point where he discovered his aptitude for acting, and said, "I believe this film is really meaningful for me, and I'm kind of supposed to feel more pressure, but strangely I didn't feel any, because I found the screenplay well organized and trusted in director Yoon".
Song Ji-hyo underwent two months of intensive swimming training for her role in the film. For one scene she had to sit at the bottom of a pool while her character brooded over her relationship troubles. This scene required ten retake
Take
A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production.-Film:In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup"...
s to get right, and while director Yoon had wanted to use a stunt double
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
, Song felt it necessary to do it herself as the scene was "integral to the emotional development" of her character. She hoped that the film would project her screen image as being "friendlier, warmer and sweeter", saying, "Yes, this movie may be a sex comedy, but my character [Kyeong-ah] is the young and innocent foil, which is closer to my real self... Making this film has definitely allowed me to grow as an actress."
Sex Is Zero 2 gained significant media attention from the casting of transsexual actress Lee Si-yeon. Lee had appeared in the original film, providing comic relief as an effeminate male student, but underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2007. She made her surgery known to the public in November 2007 but was apprehensive about the response she would get from audiences, while officials for the film stated that they were "extremely cautious about handling the issue for fear that she may be affected negatively by what people and the media say". Lee received support from her co-stars, in particular Shin-ee.
French–Korean mixed martial artist Denis Kang made a special appearance in the film as himself.
Release
Sex Is Zero 2 was released in South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
on 12 December 2007. On its opening weekend the film was ranked second at the domestic box office, receiving 584,284 admissions and grossing $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3,273,040; as of 27 January 2008 it had grossed a total of $14,210,342. Sex Is Zero 2 accumulated a total of 2,088,940 admissions nationwide to make it the tenth best selling Korean film of 2007, though this figure was somewhat less than the number of tickets sold by the original film in 2002–3.
Sex Is Zero 2 was released on DVD on 27 August 2008.
Critical response
In a review for The Korea TimesThe Korea Times
The Korea Times is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea, along with The Korea Herald and The JoongAng Daily. It is part of the same newspaper group as Hankook Ilbo, a major Korean language daily...
, Lee Hyo-won was critical of the film and compared it unfavourably to the original, stating that "the makers of the film try too hard to be outrageous... what had been endearingly eccentric in the first film becomes simply freaky", going on to add that "Another downfall of ``Zero 2
External links
- Sex Is Zero 2 at the Korean Movie Database
- Sex Is Zero 2 at HanCinema