The Face Reader (2013)
- Original title
- 관상
- Directed by
- Han Jae-rim
- Genre
- drama film
- Country
- South Korea
- Runtime
- 2h 20m
- Rated
- R18+
- Rating
- 7.0 of 10 from 106 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
A man with a talent for reading people's faces through physiognomy gets drawn into a power struggle among Joseon royalty. He uses his skill to navigate court politics between a ambitious prince and a loyal general.
historicaltensedramaticmethodicalintriguingpoliticalatmospheric
What happens
The Face Reader (Korean: 관상; RR: Gwansang; lit. 'Physiognomy') is a 2013 South Korean period action drama film starring Song Kang-ho as the son of a disgraced noble family who goes around Joseon as a gwansang expert. He is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits of a person by looking at their face. His talents bring him to the royal courts where he becomes involved in a power struggle between Grand Prince Suyang and general Kim Jong-seo, a high-ranking loyalist to King Munjong. It is the first installment of the Jupiter Film's three-part film project on the Korean fortune-telling traditions and was followed by two sequels, The Princess and the Matchmaker and Feng Shui in 2018. The Face Reader became one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea in 2013, with 9.1 million admissions. It won six awards at the 50th Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Han Jae-rim, and Best Actor for Song Kang-ho. This film is Lee Jong-suk's only historical project to date. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
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Stakeout (2013)
The King's Face (2014)
Sunshine Love (2013)
So Won (2013)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.