K-wave Stars to Lure Fans
The Youth, a coming of age film, was released in Hong Kong today. With K-pop stars playing leading roles in each of the omnibus’ parts, they tackle different stories youths of the today would come across, including bullying at school, serving in the army and finding a job.
LEE Dong-hae, who became famous as a member of the k-pop group, Super Junior, has turned to acting. He plays a student who finds out about his girlfriend’s pregnancy while there is a rumor going around school about her and a sex tape. LEE is then threatened by an anonymous person that the rumor of the pregnancy will spread if he doesn’t find the sex tape. This portion was directed by
KIM Jin-moo of
Apostle.
Girl group 4minute’s
NAM Ji-hyun stars in an episode where she goes on a road trip to send off her boyfriend to the army. But her boyfriend’s friend Jong-gu becomes the third wheel and the car ends up breaking down, delaying their arrival.
Another boy band member, FT Island’s SONG Seung-hyun, stars in a section about a bank robbery gone wrong. Three young strangers come together and successfully rob a bank. But when they come to split the money, they realize the amount doesn’t add up to what the news is reporting and start to accuse each other.
Last of the four parts, ‘Play Girl’ stars young actress
SEO Eun-a of
Jit (2013), in which she plays a bully.
Although the film did not do very well at the domestic box office, it has been sold to Taiwan and Japan on top of Hong Kong, which is likely due to the casting of K-pop stars.