{ "id": "ep1chswvw7", "slug": "introduction-2021-film", "title": "Introduction (인트로덕션) (2021 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2020-to-2022", "label": "Drama films 2020 to 2022", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2020-to-2022" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later: Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical", "label": "Drama and biographical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Introduction (인트로덕션, Inteurodeoksyeon) is Hong Sang-soo's 2021 South Korean black-and-white drama, 66 minutes, in three episodes about Young-ho visiting his father, girlfriend, and mother; it won the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Screenplay.", "snippet": "Introduction (인트로덕션, Inteurodeoksyeon) is Hong Sang-soo's 2021 South Korean black-and-white drama, 66 minutes, in three episodes about Young-ho visiting his father, girlfriend, and mother; it won the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Screenplay.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.drama-biographical.drama-films-2020-to-2022", "markdown": "# Introduction (인트로덕션) (2021 film)\n\n**Introduction** (인트로덕션, *Inteurodeoksyeon*) is a 2021 South Korean black-and-white drama written, directed, shot, edited, scored, and produced by [Hong Sang-soo](https://www.edgepedia.org/hong-sang-soo), running 66 minutes and structured as three episodes in which a young man named Young-ho visits his father, his girlfriend, and his mother.[1](https://www.filmfestival.be/en/film/introduction) • [2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210518004300315) It premiered at the [Berlin International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/berlin-international-film-festival) on March 1, 2021 and won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14035108/releaseinfo/) • [4](https://blog.uclfilm.com/2021/03/09/berlinale-2021-introduction-%EC%9D%B8%ED%8A%B8%EB%A1%9C%EB%8D%95%EC%85%98-review/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director | Hong Sang-soo, who also wrote, shot, edited, scored, and produced the film[5](https://www.ciffcalgary.ca/films/2021/introduction) |\n| Premiere | March 1, 2021, Berlin International Film Festival[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14035108/releaseinfo/) |\n| Award | Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 2021 Berlinale[4](https://blog.uclfilm.com/2021/03/09/berlinale-2021-introduction-%EC%9D%B8%ED%8A%B8%EB%A1%9C%EB%8D%95%EC%85%98-review/) |\n| Runtime and format | 66 minutes, black and white, Korean dialogue, DCP[1](https://www.filmfestival.be/en/film/introduction) |\n| Structure | Three episodes: Young-ho visits his doctor father, his girlfriend Juwon in Berlin, and his mother at a seaside hotel[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210518004300315) |\n| Principal cast | Shin Seok-ho, Park Mi-so, Kim Young-ho, Ki Joo-bong, Seo Younghwa, Kim Min-hee, Cho Yun-hee[5](https://www.ciffcalgary.ca/films/2021/introduction) • [6](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/introduction-2020-hong-sangsoo-parents-children-generation-gap) |\n| South Korean release | May 27, 2021[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210518004300315) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story and structure\n\nThe film follows Young-ho (Shin Seok-ho), a man in his twenties on the cusp of adulthood, across three chapters.[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210518004300315) In the first, he is summoned to the clinic of his father (Kim Young-ho), a specialist in acupuncture and herbal medicine who is seen praying for help about something the film never explains; while Young-ho waits and reminisces with the receptionist (Ye Ji-won), his father receives a famous actor friend (Ki Joo-bong).[6](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/introduction-2020-hong-sangsoo-parents-children-generation-gap) • [7](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-movies/article/3123745/berlin-2021-introduction-movie-review-hong-sang-soos-brisk?module=inline&pgtype=article)\n\nIn the second episode, Young-ho's girlfriend Juwon (Park Mi-so) has moved to Berlin to study fashion, staying in the apartment of her mother's artist friend (Kim Min-hee), who has offered to share it with her. Young-ho flies out to surprise her, full of schemes about studying there himself.[1](https://www.filmfestival.be/en/film/introduction) • [6](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/introduction-2020-hong-sangsoo-parents-children-generation-gap) A two-year jump follows, after which the couple are no longer together.[6](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/introduction-2020-hong-sangsoo-parents-children-generation-gap)\n\nThe third episode brings Young-ho, accompanied by his friend Jeongsoo (Ha Seongguk), to a Korean seaside hotel, where his mother (Cho Yun-hee) wants to introduce him to a colleague who turns out to be the same actor he met at his father's clinic. After a lunch and a beach visit, Young-ho falls asleep, dreams of Juwon, and on waking goes swimming in the cold sea while Jeongsoo watches.[1](https://www.filmfestival.be/en/film/introduction) • [6](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/introduction-2020-hong-sangsoo-parents-children-generation-gap) The film's climax is a drunken debate about the morality of acting, followed by a dream sequence.[6](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/introduction-2020-hong-sangsoo-parents-children-generation-gap)\n\n## The title\n\nIntroduction is the only film originally titled in English among Hong's first 25 features. In a trailer released before the Korean opening, the director said he could not find a Korean word that perfectly translated \"introduction,\" a word that carries several meanings: the act of beginning something new, the first section of a communication, making a person known to another, and a basic instructional text. He said he chose an English title for the first time because he wanted to embrace all of these meanings.[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210518004300315) Critics found the title reflected the film's content: characters are introduced to each other across generations, and young people are introduced to adulthood and new ideas.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/02/introduction-review-tangled-web-of-relationships-from-korea-to-berlin) • [4](https://blog.uclfilm.com/2021/03/09/berlinale-2021-introduction-%EC%9D%B8%ED%8A%B8%EB%A1%9C%EB%8D%95%EC%85%98-review/)\n\n## Production and style\n\nHong performed nearly every creative function on the film: director, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, composer, and producer.[5](https://www.ciffcalgary.ca/films/2021/introduction) The New York Times review noted that he served as his own cinematographer for the first time.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/introduction/critic-reviews/) The film was shot in crisp black and white, and [Sight and Sound](https://www.edgepedia.org/sight-and-sound)'s Nick James described Hong's eye for \"the poetry of simple quotidian things: tulips, snow falling, cheery greetings, people smoking.\"[6](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/introduction-2020-hong-sangsoo-parents-children-generation-gap) The UCL Film and TV Society review, which describes the script as mostly improvised in line with Hong's usual working method, notes that the film is divided into chapters marked both by numbers and by geographic location, with scenes that never include more than four people.[4](https://blog.uclfilm.com/2021/03/09/berlinale-2021-introduction-%EC%9D%B8%ED%8A%B8%EB%A1%9C%EB%8D%95%EC%85%98-review/)\n\nAt 66 minutes it barely qualifies as a feature; it ran 11 minutes shorter than Hong's previous Berlin entry, *[The Woman Who Ran](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-woman-who-ran)*, which had won him the Silver Bear for Best Director the year before.[7](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-movies/article/3123745/berlin-2021-introduction-movie-review-hong-sang-soos-brisk?module=inline&pgtype=article) • [4](https://blog.uclfilm.com/2021/03/09/berlinale-2021-introduction-%EC%9D%B8%ED%8A%B8%EB%A1%9C%EB%8D%95%EC%85%98-review/) Screen Daily counted it as one of sixteen films Hong had premiered since 2010, calling it a \"minor\" Hong but still \"a wistful, smart, chamber piece.\"[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/introduction/critic-reviews/) The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw observed that it contains enough backstory detail for a two-hour drama while suggesting more depth than is apparent on the surface.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/02/introduction-review-tangled-web-of-relationships-from-korea-to-berlin)\n\n## Reception\n\nThe film won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 2021 Berlinale, Hong's third Silver Bear.[4](https://blog.uclfilm.com/2021/03/09/berlinale-2021-introduction-%EC%9D%B8%ED%8A%B8%EB%A1%9C%EB%8D%95%EC%85%98-review/) A Korean archive report called it the largest achievement for Korean cinema at international festivals in 2021, and noted that Hong's films, including *Introduction*, received invitations from more than 40 festivals that year.[10](https://www.archivecenter.net/kaitArchive/attach/120000/126768/20250312100552104.pdf) It screened at the Shanghai, Melbourne, and [Karlovy Vary](https://www.edgepedia.org/karlovy-vary) festivals and was a Main Slate selection at the 59th [New York Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-film-festival), released in the United States by Cinema Guild.[5](https://www.ciffcalgary.ca/films/2021/introduction) • [11](https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2021/films/introduction/)\n\nOn Metacritic it scored 77, generally favorable, with ten positive and two mixed reviews and no negative reviews among the twelve counted.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/introduction/critic-reviews/) Richard Brody of The New Yorker called its clarity and simplicity the qualities that make it \"among Hong's most compulsively rewatchable films,\" and A.O. Scott of The New York Times described it as \"both lucid and elusive.\"[11](https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2021/films/introduction/) Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times wrote that \"Introduction's economy is deceptive, its staying power surprising,\" while The Film Stage found it one of the director's more meager works, appearing unfinished rather than productively clipped.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/introduction/critic-reviews/)\n\n## Place in Hong's career\n\nIntroduction was Hong's 25th feature in as many years.[5](https://www.ciffcalgary.ca/films/2021/introduction) It was the first time since *Haewon and the Men* (2013) that he placed young adults at the center of a narrative, and Kim Min-hee, his lead actress since 2015, appears here in a secondary role as the painter.[12](https://capricci.fr/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/RP_INTRODUCTION.pdf) Shin Seok-ho went on to star in Hong's 2023 feature *[In Water](https://www.edgepedia.org/in-water)*, his shortest at 61 minutes.[13](https://inreviewonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Volume-1-Issue-8.5.pdf) Hong's later Berlinale Silver Bears included the Grand Jury Prize for *The Novelist's Film* in 2022 and for *[A Traveler's Needs](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-travelers-needs)* in 2024.[14](https://www.koreafilm.or.kr/cinematheque/programs/PI_01631)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Film Fest Gent: Introduction (Inteurodeoksyeon)](https://www.filmfestival.be/en/film/introduction)\n2. [Kim Boram, \"Auteur Hong Sang-soo's innocuous, unfussy story of life: 'Introduction'\", Yonhap News Agency, May 18, 2021](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210518004300315)\n3. [Introduction (2021) release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14035108/releaseinfo/)\n4. [Tomi Haffety, \"Berlinale 2021: 'Introduction' (인트로덕션) Review\", UCL Film & TV Society Journal](https://blog.uclfilm.com/2021/03/09/berlinale-2021-introduction-%EC%9D%B8%ED%8A%B8%EB%A1%9C%EB%8D%95%EC%85%98-review/)\n5. [Calgary International Film Festival: Introduction](https://www.ciffcalgary.ca/films/2021/introduction)\n6. [Nick James, \"Introduction bridges the generational gap in Hong Sangsoo's typical style\", Sight and Sound, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/introduction-2020-hong-sangsoo-parents-children-generation-gap)\n7. [James Mottram, \"Berlin 2021: Introduction movie review\", South China Morning Post, March 2, 2021](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-movies/article/3123745/berlin-2021-introduction-movie-review-hong-sang-soos-brisk?module=inline&pgtype=article)\n8. [Peter Bradshaw, \"Introduction review – tangled web of relationships from Korea to Berlin\", The Guardian, March 2, 2021](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/02/introduction-review-tangled-web-of-relationships-from-korea-to-berlin)\n9. [Introduction critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/introduction/critic-reviews/)\n10. [\"국제영화제와 한국 영화\" (International film festivals and Korean cinema), KAIT Archive](https://www.archivecenter.net/kaitArchive/attach/120000/126768/20250312100552104.pdf)\n11. [Introduction, 59th New York Film Festival, Film Society of Lincoln Center](https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2021/films/introduction/)\n12. [Introduction press kit, Capricci (revue de presse, February 2022)](https://capricci.fr/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/RP_INTRODUCTION.pdf)\n13. [Berlin Supplement 2, In Review Online](https://inreviewonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Volume-1-Issue-8.5.pdf)\n14. [시네마테크KOFA: 홍상수 전작전: 인트로덕션 (Korean Film Archive program page)](https://www.koreafilm.or.kr/cinematheque/programs/PI_01631)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2020 to 2022*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/introduction-2021-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/introduction-2021-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Introduction (인트로덕션) (2021 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/introduction-2021-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Introduction (인트로덕션) (2021 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/introduction-2021-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/introduction-2021-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/introduction-2021-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Introduction (인트로덕션) (2021 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/introduction-2021-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Introduction is Hong Sang-soo's 2021 South Korean black-and-white drama, 66 minutes, in three episodes about Young-ho visiting his father, girlfriend, and mother; it won the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Screenplay." }