The Fake

A village is being evacuated to make way for a dam. The residents are being paid to move. In their time of need, the displaced people rely on the healing powers of Sung, a charismatic preacher who promises to build them a new church and housing. In exchange, the villagers give the pastor all of their money. Min-chul (voiced by Yang Ik-june of BREATHLESS and KING OF PIGS fame) is a drunken hell raiser who has just been released from jail. Immediately after returning home, he gets into a bar fight. He soon discovers that the man he fought in a bar is a con artist who works for Pastor Sung. Min-chul sets out to expose the church as a fraud. Min-chul has one major obstacle standing in his way: nobody believes him. THE KING OF PIGS established Yeun Sang-ho as an aggressive new voice in Korean cinema. HIs latest work THE FAKE represents a significant leap forward in terms of style and storytelling. The animation is more fluid and detailed with a richer colour palette. In addition to the stylistic advances, the storytelling boasts a broader array of characters and a more intricate plot. As in KING OF PIGS, Yeun Sang-ho envisions a world of liars, thieves, crooks, and deluded people. However, the vision of humanity presented in THE FAKE is even more negative and misanthropic. Everyone suffers in this cruel universe. No one escapes.

South Korea 2013