Riceboy Sleeps (film)

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Riceboy Sleeps
Riceboy Sleeps Poster for TIFF.jpeg
Film poster
Directed by Anthony Shim
Written byAnthony Shim
Produced by Bryan Demore
Anthony Shim
Rebecca Steele
Starring Choi Seung-yoon
Ethan Hwang
Hunter Dillon
Cinematography Christopher Lew
Edited byAnthony Shim
Music byAndrew Yong Hoon Lee
Production
companies
Lonesome Heroes Productions
Kind Stranger Productions
A Lasting Dose Productions
Distributed byGame Theory Films
Release date
  • September 11, 2022 (2022-09-11)(TIFF)
Running time
117 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesEnglish
Korean

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]

Contents

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 , 97% of 29 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8/10.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

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Busan International Film Festival October 14, 2022 Flash Forward Audience AwardRiceboy SleepsWon [13]
Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival September 25, 2022 Outstanding Canadian FilmWon [14]
Directors Guild of Canada November 7, 2022 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award Won [15]
Toronto International Film Festival September 18, 2022 Platform Prize Won [5]
Vancouver International Film Festival October 7, 2022 Best Canadian Film Won [16]
October 19, 2022 Audience Award, Northern LightsWon [17]
Windsor International Film Festival November 1, 2022WIFF Prize in Canadian FilmWon [18]
Palm Springs International Film Festival January 16, 2023 New Voices New Visions AwardNominated [19]
Young Cineasted AwardWon
Toronto Film Critics Association March 8, 2023 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award Won [20]
Vancouver Film Critics Circle February 13, 2023 Best Canadian Film Nominated [21] [22]
Best British Columbia Film Won
Best Director of a Canadian Film Anthony ShimNominated
Best British Columbia DirectorWon
Best Screenplay for a Canadian Film Nominated
Best Actress in a Canadian Film Choi Seung-yoonWon
Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film Dohyun Noel HwangNominated
One to WatchNominated
Anthony ShimWon
Glasgow Film Festival March 13, 2023Audience AwardWon [23]
Canadian Screen Awards April 16, 2023 Best Motion Picture Anthony Shim, Rebecca Steele, Bryan DemoreNominated [24]
Best Director Anthony ShimNominated
Best Lead Performance in a Film Choi Seung-yoonNominated
Best Original Screenplay Anthony ShimWon
Best Cinematography Christopher Lew Nominated
Best Editing Anthony ShimNominated
Asia Pacific Screen Awards November 3, 2023 Best Screenplay Won [25]

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References

  1. ↑ Andreas Wiseman, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’: Canadian-Korean Indie Film Underway With ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Alum Ethan Hwang Among Cast". Deadline Hollywood , August 23, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Kelly Townsend, "Anthony Shim’s sophomore feature to film in B.C., South Korea". Playback , August 27, 2021.
  3. ↑ Etan Vlessing, "TIFF: ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ Director Talks Minimal, Single Camera Coverage: 'That Was The Scariest Thing'". The Hollywood Reporter , September 11, 2022.
  4. ↑ Jeremy Kay, "Frances O’Connor’s ‘Emily’ to open TIFF Platform alongside films from Maïmouna Doucouré, Rima Das". Screen Daily , August 3, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Christian Zilko, "‘The Fabelmans’ Wins TIFF 2022 People’s Choice Award". IndieWire , September 18, 2022.
  6. ↑ Cassandra Szklarski, "Immigrant drama 'Riceboy Sleeps' hits festival circuit buoyed by TIFF acclaim". CTV News, September 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ Parker, Andrew (2023-03-15). "Riceboy Sleeps Review | A Perfect Search for One's Place in the World". The GATE. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  8. ↑ Hwang, Seok-Joo (2023-04-07). "Movie 'Riceboy Sleeps'". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  9. ↑ Billington, Alex (2023-04-27). "Official US Trailer for 'Riceboy Sleeps' Acclaimed Canadian Indie Film". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  10. ↑ "Riceboy Sleeps". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  11. ↑ Allan Hunter, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’: TIFF Review". Screen Daily , September 18, 2022.
  12. ↑ Pat Mullen, "Three Feature Docs Make Canada’s Top Ten". Point of View , December 8, 2022.
  13. ↑ Michael Rosser, "‘A Wild Roomer’, ‘Shivamma’ win top awards at Busan film festival". Screen Daily , October 14, 2022.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Angelica Babiera, "David Cronenberg, Charles Officer among DGC award winners". Playback , November 7, 2022.
  16. ↑ Noel Ransome, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’ and ‘Until Branches Bend’ win top film prizes at VIFF". Toronto Star , October 7, 2022.
  17. ↑ Angelica Babiera, "VIFF announces nine audience award winners". Playback , October 19, 2022.
  18. ↑ Noel Ransome, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’ continues to sweep the festival circuit with $25K prize at WIFF". Toronto Star , November 1, 2022.
  19. ↑ Haring, Bruce (January 15, 2023). "'Saint Omer' Takes Top Honors At 34th Palm Springs Film Festival". Deadline . Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  20. ↑ Kelly Townsend, "Riceboy Sleeps wins TFCA’s 2022 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award". Playback , March 7, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Vancouver Film Critics Announce Nominees". Northern Stars. January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Vancouver Film Critics Like I Like Movies". Northern Stars, February 14, 2023.
  23. ↑ Mona Tabbara, "‘Riceboy Sleeps’ wins Glasgow audience award as festival co-director bids fond farewell". Screen Daily , March 13, 2023.
  24. ↑ Etan Vlessing, "Canadian Screen Awards: TV Drama ‘The Porter’ Leads With 19 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter , February 22, 2023.
  25. ↑ Frater, Patrick (3 November 2023). "Perfect Days' Wins Best Film at Asia Pacific Screen Awards as Japan, Korea, Kazakh Titles Dominate". Variety . Retrieved 5 November 2023.
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