The Childe

The story follows Marco Han, a boxer with a complicated past. He is of mixed descent, with a Korean father and a Filipino mother, and has been wandering around illegal stadiums in the Philippines for fights. Marco lives with his sick mother in the Philippines. Marco has long searched for his estranged father, to pay for his mother's surgery, to no avail. After a debacle with gangs leaves him destitute and hospitalized, a lawyer approaches him, claiming to represent his father. On the plane, he has an uncomfortable encounter with a man who knows more than he seems.[8][9][10]

Upon his arrival in South Korea, Marco is immediately ambushed by an unnamed assassin who is known only as "Nobleman", the same man he encountered on the plane. To make matters worse, he quickly discovers that he is being relentlessly pursued by a dangerous group of individuals. In addition to the nobleman, Marco is also being pursued by Han Yi-sa, a wealthy heir who seeks to claim his father's vast fortune, and Yoon-ju, a mysterious woman whom Marco unexpectedly reunites with in South Korea. Marco finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of unpredictability and madness. Amid this chaos, Marco is forced to confront a shocking truth that will change everything he thought he knew about his past and present.[10][11]

• Kim Seon-ho as Nobleman (Gwigongja), an unidentified pursuer who turns Marco's surroundings into a mess.[12][11]
• Kang Tae-joo as Marco Han, a Kopino boxer.[11][9]
• Kim Kang-woo as Han Yi-sa, a second-generation conglomerate client.[6][11]
• Go Ara as Yoon-ju, a mysterious woman.[11][13]
• Lee Ki-young as Kim Seon-saeng, a man who runs a center for Kopino.[14]
• Heo Joon-seok as Andrew Kang (Kang Woon-seok), Han Yi-sa's lawyer[15][16]
• Justin Harvey as a western man who gives Marco an offer he can't refuse.[15][16]
• Jeong Ra-el as Han Ga-young, Yi-sa's younger sister.[15][16]
• Choi Jung-woo as Chairman Han[17]
• Caroline Magbojos as Marco's Mother[18]

The first script reading was held on December 3, 2021[19] and filming began on December 10, 2021.[5] The film's shooting location were in Jangseong, Gokseong, Jeju Island, and overseas.[20] Kim Seon-ho departed for Thailand on March 31, 2022, for the shooting of the film.[21][1]

Originally titled Sad Tropic (Korean: 슬픈 열대; RR: Seulpeun Yeoldae) on November 30, 2022, the movie distributor Next Entertainment World announced the new title as The Childe and shared that the featured film was planned to be released in 2023.[22] On 16 May, 2023 it was reported that the film will be released theatrically on June 21, 2023, in South Korea and Taiwan,[23][24] as well as in Philippines on July 5[25] and Thailand on July 27.[26][27] On 17 May, 2023 Screendaily reported that The Childe was sold to several international distributors including Well Go USA (North America), MovieCloud (Taiwan), Sahamongkolfilm International (Thailand), Laon Company+ (the Philippines), Encore Inflight, and Clover Films (Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, East Timor, Hong Kong and Macau).[27] It was released in India in August 4th.[28]

In North America, The Childe was released on June 30, 2023.[29] The film also took part in several film festival. The Childe was screened on Friday July 14 at 9:30 p.m. in 2023 Dallas Asian Film Festival.[30] It also had its Quebec premiere on Wednesday, August 2nd at 27th Fantasia International Film Festival.[31] The Childe is set to be featured in Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) as part of its upcoming Season 17 lineup, taking place in Chicago from September 8 to October 7, 2023. The film will be showcased as a special encore presentation during the South Korea Cinema Showcase on Friday, October 6, at 9:15 p.m. The screening is scheduled to be held at AMC Newcity 14 in Chicago.[32] Eckerd College also will be screening The Childe as part of The International Cinema Series on Friday, September 29, 2023, 7 p.m. in the Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium, Florida.[33]

In Europe, the film has also been selected for various film festivals. On August 9, distributor Next Entertainment World announced that The Childe has been invited to the Òrbita section of 56th Sitges Film Festival. Held annually in Sitges, Spain, the event is one of the three biggest fantastic film festivals globally, along with the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and the Fantasporto held in Portugal.[34][35]

Additionally, on August 21, it was announced that The Childe has been chosen as opening film of L'Étrange Festival - XXIXème édition in Paris, France. It had its European premiere on September 5 at 19:00 GMT+2.[36] The film is one of the 12 entries participating in the International Competition for the New Genre Grand Prize. The winning film will be acquired by the network for future broadcasting. Furthermore, all 12 films are eligible for the Audience Award, which will be determined through voting.[37]

Moreover, The Childe is part of Asian films that will be screened at the 17th Lisbon International Horror Film Festival which takes place from September 5 to 11, 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.[38][39][40]

Additionally, The Childe will be screened at the Canary Islands Ciudad de La Laguna Calavera Island Fantastic Film Festival, which will take place from November 10 to 19, 2023.[41]

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 50+ reviews, with tomatometer freshness of 92% from 13 critics and 97% audiences score.[42]

Peter Marsh of the South China Morning Post gave The Childe three out of five rating, said that, "K-drama heartthrob Kim Seon-ho steals the show… injecting his well-groomed assassin with a refreshing dose of self-effacing irreverence… Like a shotgun-toting episode of Succession, The Childe escalates into a greed-fuelled bloodbath."[43] Cary Darling of Houston Chronicle stated that, "This twisty thriller...is what might happen if Quentin Tarantino, with a bit of an assist from John Woo, Park Chan-wook's Old Boy and the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock, had directed an episode of Succession."[44]

Newsen reported audience reviews, with some stating, "Exciting chase action, unpredictable story, and a feast of attractive characters." The film The Childe is receiving enthusiastic acclaim, with actual audience members expressing their thoughts such as, "2 hours without a dull moment" and another viewer mentioning, "Director Park Hoon-jung's action, a touch of black comedy, and a new frontier in noir." It is worth noting that The Childe is the only film among the top 10 box office hits that is not accessible to young audiences (R-Rated). Despite this restriction, the film has maintained high rankings in both box office revenue and reservation rates, creating expectations for a successful box office run.[45]

On July 11, 2023, CBI Pictures announced that "The Childe" had become the second-highest-grossing South Korean film in Indonesia.[46] As of August 25, 2023, the film has continued to hold its place among the Top Ten Korean Commercial Films of 2023, according to the Kobiz Database.[47]

• The Childe at HanCinema
• The Childe at IMDb
• The Childe at the Korean Movie Database