Edited by Hwang Hong Sun
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
Kim Hee Ae is currently presenting a classy revenge in The World of the Married. She, who has been acting for 37 years, has worked on numerous hit dramas, including The World of the Married currently airing. But when it comes to movies, she doesn’t have many so-called “box office hits.” Maybe that’s why she always says that she dives into the work as if she were a rookie actor. However, despite the results, she always shows excellent performances in every film.
The 101st Proposition, 1993
Kim Hee Ae made her debut in 1983 with First Day of 20 Years and has built up her career mostly in dramas after starring in several teen movies. The 101st Proposal drew attention as her return to the big screen after a good while. The film is the remake of a Japanese drama of the same title, and depicts the story of a man falling in love with a cellist he met at a 100th blind date after being rejected the previous 99 times. Kim Hee Ae played the role of a cellist who can’t forget her dead fiance and presented fresh romance.
Thread of Lies, 2013
After 21 years since The 101st Proposition, Kim Hee Ae once again returned to the big screen with Thread of Lies. Based on a novel of the same title by author Kim Ryeo Ryeong, it tells the story of a mother and an older sister digging into the hidden truth behind the death of a 14-year-old girl. Kim Hee Ae played the role of Hyun Sook, a mother who struggles with her daughter’s death but keeps the brave appearance. She showed such desperate and emotional performances that during the premiere, she shed tears watching her own performances.
C’est Si Bon, 2015
It is a movie about the music and love of the youth at the time, set in “C’est Si Bon,” a music listening room that dominated Mugyo-dong, also called a street of youth. In the second half of the movie, Kim Hee Ae made a surprise appearance as older Min Ja Kyung (Han Hyo Joo played younger Min Ja Kyung) and perfectly portrayed the heartbreaking moment of the character upon learning the sad truth from the past.
The Vanished, 2018
As the remake of the Spanish film The Body, The Vanished depicts the story of a man who kills his spouse and dreams of the perfect murder, finding himself in the middle of chaos as her body goes missing from the morgue. As the report came out about Kim Hee Ae, who mostly appeared in melodrama, playing a role in a thriller, many expectations were raised about the film. Despite not often appearing as she played the role of a wife who disappears without a trace after getting killed by her husband, she certainly presented subtle performances.
Herstory, 2017
The film is based on a true story of the grandmothers and those who fought against the Japanese court while traveling back and forth between Shimonoseki and Busan from 1992 to 1998. Kim Hee Ae took on the role of Moon Jung Sook, a businessman who gallantly stood against the Japanese government regarding the former comfort women case, and is said to have practiced Busan dialect and Japanese for three months even before the official filming. She later said that her preparations were not only to perform the exact character but also to make the movie seem more realistic for the audience without causing any harm to the real people.
Moonlit Winter, 2019
Affectionate queer melodrama Moonlit Winter calmly depicts the story of a woman who left for Otaru, where her first love from a long time ago lives. Kim Hee Ae played the role of Yoon Hee, who has lived with unspeakable pain for a long time, and captured the feelings of love, separation and longing solely in her face and eyes. In particular, in the scene where Yoon Hee meets her first love, she makes the audience feel her sad feelings without even saying a word.
