I. Introduction
Innocent Thing is a 2014 South Korean romantic thriller film directed by Kim Tae-kyun, starring Jang Hyuk and Jo Bo-ah. It began filming on September 14, 2013, at Jijok Middle School in Daejeon & the shooting wrapped on November 10, 2013. It was release in South Korea on April 10, 2014.
II. Synopsis
Joon-ki (Jang Hyuk) was once a former rugby athlete and is currently a popular physical education teacher at an all-girls' high school. His pregnant wife Seo-yeon (Sunwoo Sun) is due to give birth to their first child imminently. Although he's used to playful advances from pubescent students, things take a dangerous turn when Young-eun (Jo Bo-ah) falls hard for her teacher and daringly confesses her feelings for him. Amid growing rumors, he is soon consumed with guilt and attempts to end the relationship. However Young-eun's pure crush slowly turns to obsession. She starts to regard everyone related with Joon-ki as obstacles, and the farther he keeps her away, the bolder her obsession and madness grows.
III. Cast
| Pic | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Jang-hyuk | Joon-Ki | |
| Jo Bo-Ah | Young-Eun | |
| Sun Woo-Sun | Seo-Yeon |
IV. Trailer
V. Movie
VI. Reception
Innocent Thing was released on April 10, 2014. It drew 121,292 viewers on its opening day. The Korean Herald has mixed reviews about the film as it has stated - Although it’s hard to agree that this film is about love ― the characters are too troubled to be in love ― and the film itself fails to be compelling, Innocent Thing does an interesting, although not always convincing, job of depicting multilayered characters, including the protagonist and those who surround her. In spite of the interesting character development, however, the movie fails to be a solid thriller. Many scenes are more ridiculous than suspenseful, as it is almost impossible to empathize with the film’s narrative. It is hard to understand why the characters do what they do, especially when the movie ends. The things we do know about them ― Young-eun’s family and loneliness, Joon-gi’s unhappiness at work, and Yoo-jin’s selfishness ― do not help us relate to them at all.
The film has scored 7.1 on Mydramalist, 6.1 on IMDB &, 7.7 on Rakuten Viki.
VII. Trivia
The early working title was Strawberry Milk, a drink which Jo's character has a fixation on. It was changed to Thorn because Kim said - There is nothing sweet and soft about the movie like strawberry flavored milk. Only sharpness like a thorn exists. It represents something difficult.
