{ "id": "epfdz8vtgt", "slug": "life-is-beautiful-2022-film", "title": "Life Is Beautiful (2022 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.musical-music", "label": "Musical and music films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.musical-music" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.musical-music.musical-films-of-the-2010s-and-2020s", "label": "Musical films of the 2010s and 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.musical-music.musical-films-of-the-2010s-and-2020s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.musical-music.musical-films-of-the-2010s-and-2020s.yr-2021-2026", "label": "Released 2021 to 2026", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.musical-music.musical-films-of-the-2010s-and-2020s.yr-2021-2026" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later: 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", "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" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Life Is Beautiful (인생은 아름다워) is a 2022 South Korean musical drama directed by Choi Kook-hee, billed as Korea's first jukebox musical film and starring Ryu Seung-ryong and Yum Jung-ah.", "snippet": "Life Is Beautiful (인생은 아름다워) is a 2022 South Korean musical drama directed by Choi Kook-hee, billed as Korea's first jukebox musical film and starring Ryu Seung-ryong and Yum Jung-ah.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.musical-music.musical-films-of-the-2010s-and-2020s.yr-2021-2026", "markdown": "# Life Is Beautiful (2022 film)\n\n**Life Is Beautiful** (인생은 아름다워) is a 2022 South Korean musical drama film directed by Choi Kook-hee, billed as Korea's first jukebox musical film, in which a terminally ill wife asks her reluctant husband to help her find her first love.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317) • [2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=490) It was released in South Korea on September 28, 2022, runs 122 minutes, and stars [Ryu Seung-ryong](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryu-seung-ryong) and Yum Jung-ah.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 인생은 아름다워 (*Insaengeun Areumdawo*)[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317) |\n| Director / writer | Choi Kook-hee; screenplay by Bae Se-yeong[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317) • [3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/interview.jsp?blbdComCd=601019&mode=INTERVIEW_VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=447) |\n| Release | September 28, 2022 (South Korea); November 3, 2023 (Japan, as 人生は、美しい)[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/insaengeun-aleumdaweo-%282019-South-Korea%29) |\n| Genre | Jukebox musical, road movie, drama; 122 minutes[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=490) • [3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/interview.jsp?blbdComCd=601019&mode=INTERVIEW_VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=447) |\n| South Korea box office | 1,171,602 admissions and ₩108,980,380,19 gross in 2022, ranking 23rd for the year[5](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/boxOffice_Yearly.jsp?mode=BOXOFFICE_YEAR&selectDt=2022) |\n| Awards | Audience Award at the 2022 Vevey International Funny Film Festival; at the 58th Daejong Film Awards, Yum Jung-ah won Best Actress, Kim Joon-seok won the music award, and Ong Seong-wu won a New Wave acting award[6](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&seq=5866) • [7](https://d.namu.moe/w/%EC%9D%B8%EC%83%9D%EC%9D%80%20%EC%95%84%EB%A6%84%EB%8B%A4%EC%9B%8C%282022%29) |\n| Streaming | Available in the United States on The Roku Channel, Plex, Tubi, OnDemandKorea, and Xumo Play (free with ads), and on Netflix in some regions[8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/life-is-beautiful-2022) • [9](https://www.netflix.com/kr-en/title/81654092) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nSe-yeon (Yum Jung-ah), a housewife who has spent her life caring for her family, learns she is terminally ill. As a birthday present, she asks her blunt, rule-bound civil-servant husband Jin-bong (Ryu Seung-ryong) to help her find her first love, and he unwillingly joins the search. Along the journey the couple are reminded of the most glittering moments of their lives.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317) • [8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/life-is-beautiful-2022) The couple travels across the country, visiting cities including Mokpo, Busan, and Bogil Island in South Jeolla Province.[10](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20220914/musical-film-life-is-beautiful-features-songs-from-1970s-to-2000s)\n\nIn the flashback subplot, Park Se-wan plays the younger Se-yeon and singer-actor [Ong Seong-wu](https://www.edgepedia.org/ong-seong-wu) plays her first love Jeong-woo.[10](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20220914/musical-film-life-is-beautiful-features-songs-from-1970s-to-2000s) The supporting cast includes Shim Dal-gi, Chon Moo-song, Park Yeong-gyu, Kim Hye-ok, and Kim Jong-soo.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317)\n\n## The jukebox musical format\n\nThe film is described as Korea's first jukebox musical film, a musical built from pre-existing popular songs rather than an original score. Its repertoire spans Korean pop music from the 1970s to the 2000s, including songs by rock legend Shin Junghyeon and ballad singer Lee Moonsae, and the protagonists recall their younger days through the memories attached to these hits.[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=490) Director Choi Kook-hee said he selected songs by artists including Shin Joong-hyun, Choi Ho-seob, Lee Seung-chul, Lee Juck, and Toy, with featured numbers including Lee Moon-sae's \"Unpredictable Life\" and \"The Cult of Solo\" and Lim Byung-soo's \"Ice Cream Love\"; he described choosing songs that could propel the characters' arcs and convey heightened emotion.[10](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20220914/musical-film-life-is-beautiful-features-songs-from-1970s-to-2000s)\n\nProducer Park Eunkyung, who founded the production company The Lamp in 2012, said she had planned the project as a jukebox musical for about ten years, and asked screenwriter Bae Se-yeong to keep two fixed elements: a funeral scene held while the main character is alive as the ending, and the scene on Bogildo Island, the southernmost area of the Korean peninsula.[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/interview.jsp?blbdComCd=601019&mode=INTERVIEW_VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=447) The film was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic before its September 2022 release.[11](https://v.daum.net/v/20220424160237063?s=print_news)\n\n## Production and performance\n\nThe actors practiced singing and choreography for almost a year before filming, according to director Choi.[10](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20220914/musical-film-life-is-beautiful-features-songs-from-1970s-to-2000s) Choi said his main concern was keeping the audience's emotion unbroken when actors sang, and that he drew on early musical films, advertisements, and music videos as references.[12](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=99460) The film was distributed by Lotte Entertainment and produced by The Lamp.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317) • [3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/interview.jsp?blbdComCd=601019&mode=INTERVIEW_VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=447)\n\n## Box office\n\nThe film opened third at the Korean box office on September 28, 2022, alongside *Honest Candidate 2*, and climbed to first place in its third week, topping the weekend of October 14 to 16 with 124,155 admissions and an 18.5 percent revenue share, displacing *[Confidential Assignment 2: International](https://www.edgepedia.org/confidential-assignment-2-international)* after five weekends at the top.[13](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/reports.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=697) • [14](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20221017021900005) For the full year it ranked 23rd in South Korea with 1,171,602 admissions and a gross of ₩108,980,380,19.[5](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/boxOffice_Yearly.jsp?mode=BOXOFFICE_YEAR&selectDt=2022) The Numbers records a worldwide box office of $8,455,255, with $7,448,026 from South Korea and a limited Japanese release on November 3, 2023 under the title 人生は、美しい.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/insaengeun-aleumdaweo-%282019-South-Korea%29)\n\n## Reception and awards\n\nAt the Vevey International Funny Film Festival (VIFFF) in Switzerland, held October 27 to 30, 2022, the film became the first Korean movie invited to the festival and won the Audience Award, chosen by a vote of 100 audience members, with a score of 4.46 out of 5, the highest among the competing films.[6](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&seq=5866) It was also screened at the Fribourg International Film Festival in 2022.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317)\n\nAt the 58th Daejong Film Awards in 2022, Yum Jung-ah won Best Actress, Kim Joon-seok won the music award, and Ong Seong-wu received a New Wave acting award.[7](https://d.namu.moe/w/%EC%9D%B8%EC%83%9D%EC%9D%80%20%EC%95%84%EB%A6%84%EB%8B%A4%EC%9B%8C%282022%29) Netflix lists the film as a Blue Dragon Awards nominee and tags it as healing, nostalgic, and a tearjerker.[9](https://www.netflix.com/kr-en/title/81654092) Critics noted the film's deliberately retro, exaggerated melodramatic style; a Weekly Kyunghyang review wrote that its unpolished singing and dancing paradoxically gave the film a warm, familiar energy, carried by the lead actors' performances.[15](https://weekly.khan.co.kr/article/202209161450331)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Life is Beautiful (2020), Korean Film Council database](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20198317)\n2. [LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, Korean Film Biz Zone (KOFIC)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=490)\n3. [Talking about 'Well-dying' in a Musical Suit, Park Eunkyung, Producer of Life is Beautiful, KOFIC interview (Oct 18, 2022)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/interview.jsp?blbdComCd=601019&mode=INTERVIEW_VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=447)\n4. [insaengeun aleumdaweo (인생은 아름다워) (2022), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/insaengeun-aleumdaweo-%282019-South-Korea%29)\n5. [KOBIZ Yearly Box Office 2022, Korean Film Biz Zone (KOFIC)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/boxOffice_Yearly.jsp?mode=BOXOFFICE_YEAR&selectDt=2022)\n6. [Life is Beautiful, Won the Audience Award at the 2022 VIFFF, KOFIC (Nov 7, 2022)](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&seq=5866)\n7. [인생은 아름다워 (2022), awards and box office summary](https://d.namu.moe/w/%EC%9D%B8%EC%83%9D%EC%9D%80%20%EC%95%84%EB%A6%84%EB%8B%A4%EC%9B%8C%282022%29)\n8. [Life Is Beautiful (2022) streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/life-is-beautiful-2022)\n9. [Life is Beautiful, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/kr-en/title/81654092)\n10. [Musical film 'Life is Beautiful' features songs from 1970s to 2000s, The Korea Times (Sep 14, 2022)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20220914/musical-film-life-is-beautiful-features-songs-from-1970s-to-2000s)\n11. [오리지널 뮤지컬 영화, 해외 작품은 통하는데 국내는?, Daum news (Apr 24, 2022)](https://v.daum.net/v/20220424160237063?s=print_news)\n12. [2022년 한국영화 신작 프로젝트: '인생은 아름다워' 최국희 감독, Cine21 (Jan 13, 2022)](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=99460)\n13. [Life is Beautiful, Topped the Weekend Box Office, KOFIC (Oct 17, 2022)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/reports.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=697)\n14. ['인생은 아름다워' 주말 첫 정상, 연합뉴스 (Oct 17, 2022)](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20221017021900005)\n15. [인생은 아름다워, 복고미 가득한 주크박스 뮤지컬, 주간경향 (Sep 16, 2022)](https://weekly.khan.co.kr/article/202209161450331)\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 › Musical and music films (individual works) › Musical films of the 2010s and 2020s › Released 2021 to 2026*\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/life-is-beautiful-2022-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/life-is-beautiful-2022-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": "\"Life Is Beautiful (2022 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/life-is-beautiful-2022-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Life Is Beautiful (2022 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/life-is-beautiful-2022-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/life-is-beautiful-2022-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/life-is-beautiful-2022-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Life Is Beautiful (2022 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/life-is-beautiful-2022-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Life Is Beautiful is a 2022 South Korean musical drama directed by Choi Kook-hee, billed as Korea's first jukebox musical film and starring Ryu Seung-ryong and Yum Jung-ah." }