Riceboy Sleeps (film)
Riceboy Sleeps is a 2022 Canadian drama film, written, produced, edited, and directed by Anthony Shim.[1] Based in part on Shim's own childhood, the film centres on So-Young (Choi Seung-yoon), a Korean immigrant single mother raising her teenage son Dong-Hyun (Ethan Hwang) after moving to Canada to give him a better life.[2]
| Riceboy Sleeps | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Anthony Shim |
| Written by | Anthony Shim |
| Produced by | Bryan Demore Anthony Shim Rebecca Steele |
| Starring | Choi Seung-yoon Ethan Hwang Hunter Dillon |
| Cinematography | Christopher Lew |
| Edited by | Anthony Shim |
| Music by | Andrew Yong Hoon Lee |
Production companies | Lonesome Heroes Productions Kind Stranger Productions A Lasting Dose Productions |
| Distributed by | Game Theory Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Languages | English Korean |
The film was shot in fall 2021, primarily in the Greater Vancouver Area with some location shooting in South Korea.[2] Shim shot the film primarily in long takes, avoiding the practice of shooting camera coverage or editing the scenes.[3]
The film premiered in the Platform Prize program at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2022,[4] and was named the winner of the program's award on September 18.[5] It had its international premiere at the 27th Busan International Film Festival in October 2022.[6]
Release
The film was released in Canada on March 17, 2023, before expanding to more theaters in the following weeks.[7] It released in South Korea on April 19, 2023.[8]
In the US, the film was released direct-to-video on May 2, 2023.[9]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 23 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "An emotionally impactful portrait of familial love, Riceboy Sleeps sees writer-director Anthony Shim reaffirming that the most personal stories are often the most universal."[10]
Allan Hunter of Screen Daily wrote that the film "could almost be a companion piece to Lee Isaac Chung's Minari", and wrote that Shim "displays a sensitivity to the characters and the situations in which they find themselves. He never judges and Christopher Lew’s gently roving camerawork and single takes invite the viewer to lean in, observe and take stock of all the emotions at play. The changing aspect ratios (Canadian sequences are shot in 4:3) also reflect the confinement and openness of the different countries. And he is well served by his cast, with an impressive So-young capturing the determination and fortitude of a character who puts everything into giving her son a new and better life."[11]
The film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2022.[12]
Awards
References
- Andreas Wiseman, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’: Canadian-Korean Indie Film Underway With ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Alum Ethan Hwang Among Cast". Deadline Hollywood, August 23, 2021.
- Kelly Townsend, "Anthony Shim’s sophomore feature to film in B.C., South Korea". Playback, August 27, 2021.
- Etan Vlessing, "TIFF: ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ Director Talks Minimal, Single Camera Coverage: 'That Was The Scariest Thing'". The Hollywood Reporter, September 11, 2022.
- Jeremy Kay, "Frances O’Connor’s ‘Emily’ to open TIFF Platform alongside films from Maïmouna Doucouré, Rima Das". Screen Daily, August 3, 2022.
- Christian Zilko, "‘The Fabelmans’ Wins TIFF 2022 People’s Choice Award". IndieWire, September 18, 2022.
- Cassandra Szklarski, "Immigrant drama 'Riceboy Sleeps' hits festival circuit buoyed by TIFF acclaim". CTV News, September 27, 2022.
- Parker, Andrew (2023-03-15). "Riceboy Sleeps Review | A Perfect Search for One's Place in the World". The GATE. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
- Hwang, Seok-Joo (2023-04-07). "Movie 'Riceboy Sleeps'". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
- Billington, Alex (2023-04-27). "Official US Trailer for 'Riceboy Sleeps' Acclaimed Canadian Indie Film". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
- "Riceboy Sleeps". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- Allan Hunter, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’: TIFF Review". Screen Daily, September 18, 2022.
- Pat Mullen, "Three Feature Docs Make Canada’s Top Ten". Point of View, December 8, 2022.
- Michael Rosser, "‘A Wild Roomer’, ‘Shivamma’ win top awards at Busan film festival". Screen Daily, October 14, 2022.
- Furdyk, Brent (February 2, 2023). "'Riceboy Sleeps': Exclusive New Trailer For Canadian Festival Favourite". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- Angelica Babiera, "David Cronenberg, Charles Officer among DGC award winners". Playback, November 7, 2022.
- Noel Ransome, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’ and ‘Until Branches Bend’ win top film prizes at VIFF". Toronto Star, October 7, 2022.
- Angelica Babiera, "VIFF announces nine audience award winners". Playback, October 19, 2022.
- Noel Ransome, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’ continues to sweep the festival circuit with $25K prize at WIFF". Toronto Star, November 1, 2022.
- Haring, Bruce (January 15, 2023). "'Saint Omer' Takes Top Honors At 34th Palm Springs Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- Kelly Townsend, "Riceboy Sleeps wins TFCA’s 2022 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award". Playback, March 7, 2023.
- "Vancouver Film Critics Announce Nominees". Northern Stars. January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- "Vancouver Film Critics Like I Like Movies". Northern Stars, February 14, 2023.
- Mona Tabbara, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’ wins Glasgow audience award as festival co-director bids fond farewell". Screen Daily, March 13, 2023.
- Etan Vlessing, "Canadian Screen Awards: TV Drama ‘The Porter’ Leads With 19 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter, February 22, 2023.