The President's Barber

2004 "A time when a bad haircut can get you killed."

The President's Barber

6.9 | 1h56m | en | Drama

A well-meaning but politically naive barber gets pulled into the inner circle of the South Korean dictator Park Chung-Hee, with rather baleful consequences for his hapless family. This sharp political satire covers roughly twenty years in South Korean political history, from the viewpoint of the barber's son.

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6.9 | 1h56m | en | Drama , Comedy , History | More Info

Released: May. 05,2004 | Released Producted By: Cineclick Asia , Barunson E&A Country: South Korea Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:

Synopsis

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Cast

Song Kang-ho , Lee Jae-eung , Moon So-ri

Director

Kang Seung-yong

Producted By

Cineclick Asia , Barunson E&A

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Trailers & Images

Cast

Song Kang-ho

as Seong Han-mo

Broker Parasite The King's Letters The Drug King A Taxi Driver The Throne Snowpiercer The Face Reader Howling

Lee Jae-eung

as Seong Nak-an

Love Alarm Take Off The Host Memories of Murder The President's Barber My Teacher, Mr. Kim

Moon So-ri

as Kim Min-ja

I Want to Know Your Parents On the Verge of Insanity Three Sisters Maggie Juror 8 Life Ode to the Goose The Legend of the Blue Sea The Handmaiden

Reviews

Prashast Singh Movie: The President's Barber (15): Comedy/Drama - KoreanPositives:Song Kang-ho once again impresses with his natural and groundreaking act. Every other actor gets to perform very well.The film has a perfect blend of comedy and drama. While the former does make you laugh, the latter too makes you emotional and moved at times.The editing is very neat as the film never bores at all.The cinematography is excellent in certain sequences.The story is very well written and the satire is praiseworthy.Negatives:Nil.Repeat value: YesTHE PRESIDENT'S BARBER does justice to what its leading man Song Kang-ho is capable of. It's an important film which needs to be seen!

BitterAsHell A well-meaning but politically naive barber gets pulled into the inner circle of the South Korean dictator Park Chung-Hee, with rather baleful consequences for his hapless family. This sharp political satire covers roughly twenty years in South Korean political history, from the viewpoint of the barber's son.Of particular interest to Korean history buffs will be the portrayal of Gerneral Park himself. While the film acknowledges the dictator's laid-back charm and understated charisma, it also leaves no doubt about the vicious nature of the repression which he oversaw. The contrast between Park's appealing personal style and the brutal actions of his underlings makes for a useful observation about the dangers of charismatic leadership.Alternating the action between the presidential residence and a nearby neighborhood, with occasional stops in the torture chambers of the police state and the countryside dwelling of a shamanistic healer, the narrative deftly manages a multi-front satire on Korean society during the middle Cold War period. And though the script is unsparing in its acerbic view of Park and his clique, it generally avoids the smug cheap shots that often blight similar cinematic forays into political satire. Park's ordinary admirers are seen as misguided, sometimes even rascally, but are left with their basic humanity intact and never treated as objects of outright contempt.General Park's remaining fans(of which there are quite a few, it seems)will probably take issue with the script's omission of any reference to the social and economic advances that took place under his watch. Park haters, on the other hand, might resent the portrayal of this murderous dictator as a soft-spoken and genial family man. Such caveats aside, this film is highly recommended to fans of political satire and anyone with an interest in Korean history.