Dangerously Excited

Dangerously Excited (Korean: 나는 공무원이다; RR: Naneun Kongmuwonida; lit. "I'm a Civil Servant") is a 2012 South Korean comedy-drama film starring Yoon Je-moon as a stuffy municipal bureaucrat who learns to embrace life when a budding rock band moves into his basement.[1][2] The film premiered at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival and also screened at the 2012 Udine Far East Film Festival.[3][4]

Dangerously Excited
Hangul
Hanja
나는 公務員이다
Revised RomanizationNaneun Kongmuwonida
McCune–ReischauerNanŭn Kongmuwŏnida
Directed byKoo Ja-hong
Written byKoo Ja-hong
Produced byJung Hye-young
Mapofilm
StarringYoon Je-moon
Sung Joon
CinematographyOh Jae-ho
Edited byKim Woo-il
Music byJang Young-yu
Dalpalan
Distributed byNext Entertainment World
Release date
  • July 12, 2012 (2012-07-12)
Running time
101 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget₩200 million
Box officeUS$1.3 million

Plot

Han Dae-hee (Yoon Je-moon) is a low level city government employee in the Mapo district of Seoul. His department handles various issues like trash, noise, and public safety. Dae-hee isn't married, nor does he have a girlfriend at the moment. He also doesn't have many hobbies. Dae-hee enjoys memorizing facts from books to impress his colleagues and watching television until falling asleep. You can say he is conservative and his job at the city government office suits him well.

Within the Mapo district lies the Hongdae area famous for the thriving indie rock music scene. Dae-hee leaves with a co-worker to talk with a band who has received numerous complaints from neighbors about loud noise in a residential neighborhood.

The band is practicing for their next album which is coming out in the upcoming days. They are disheartened when Dae-hee and his co-worker informs them they have to stop playing in their rented basement. During their talk, a man comes by and offers the band to rent his attic room for a generous price. Dae-hee and his co-worker knows something is fishy, but just go about their business.

The next day, the band discovers their musical instruments and rent money stolen by the con man who offered to rent his apartment. Meanwhile, they become angry at civil worker Dae-hee who introduced them to the con man. They go visit Dae-hee at his office.

To avoid a scene in front of his boss, Dae-hee quickly offers the band his basement for their practice sessions. Dae-hee seems to have little interest in music or the kids. Yet, days later when 2 members quit the band, Dae-hee is recruited to join the band as their bassist...

Cast

Critical reception

The Korea Times calls the film "superb. Unlike the entertaining but ultimately forgettable slapstick comedies studios churn out year after year, the movie beautifully blends fun with serious existential problems. The nearly flawless screenplay is further lifted by seasoned actor Yoon Je-moon's magnificent performance. His portrayal of Dae-hee is what makes this film work. Not in a single scene does his acting seem forced. His impenetrable face keeps viewers guessing. Behind it, his emotions can appear so simple, yet a perplexing psychological change is taking place. It is simply a pleasure watching this brilliance on screen."[5]

Koreanfilm.org finds it "wry, funny" and "one of those unexpected pleasures: a film that is able to take a very ordinary situation, and turn it into something vivid, memorable and thoroughly entertaining." Recognizable to many fans of Korean cinema for his supporting roles, Yoon Je-moon as the protagonist is described as "one of the most memorable screen performances of 2012." Koreanfilm.org adds that "one hopes that the film's modest budget and lack of star power won't prevent it from reaching the widest possible audience."[6]

Twitch Film also praised Yoon's performance, which "never veers into caricature. Instead, his slight mannerisms and idiosyncrasies add expressive layers to a standard fish-out-of-water character." Despite a few misgivings, the reviewer found the film "pleasant viewing" and that director Koo Ja-hong has "potential as a strong storyteller."[7]

The Hollywood Reporter was not so positive, finding "little else going on here to make the film as cutting edge as it wants to be."[8]

References
  1. Lee, Eun-sun (October 29, 2012). "DANGEROUSLY EXCITED Director KOO Ja-hong". Korean Cinema Today. Archived from the original on 2014-06-01. Retrieved 2014-05-31.
  2. "Dangerously Excited (2012)". The Chosun Ilbo. July 13, 2012. Archived from the original on 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  3. Bortolo, Myriam (April 22, 2012). "Interview with Director Koo Ja-Hong, Dangerously Excited". FEFF Diary. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  4. "CUEAFS Interview Director Koo Ja-hong at Udine FEFF 14". Coventry East Asian Film Society. April 22, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  5. Kwak, Je-yup (July 2, 2012). "Civil servant meets indie band in Excited". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  6. Paquet, Darcy. "Dangerously Excited". Koreanfilm.org. Archived from the original on 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  7. Conran, Pierce (May 11, 2012). "Udine 2012 Review: DANGEROUSLY EXCITED". Twitch Film. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  8. Kerr, Elizabeth (October 11, 2011). "Dangerously Excited: Busan Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
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