The 8th Raspberry Film Festival has announced its annual takedown of South Korean cinema’s biggest disappointments, with Lee Yo Sup’s The Plot leading the pack as the year’s worst film.
According to Sports Kyunghyang, The Plot secured the dubious honor with 15 votes from a panel of 51 prominent film journalists. Critics didn’t pull punches, with one declaring it “a rock-bottom piece that sent all entertainment value down a pit,” while another lamented it as “the worst possible outcome with good source material and good actors.”
Kim Chang Ju’s Amazon Bullseye landed in second place with 12 votes. Critics blasted the comedy as “deplorably retrograde,” with one noting, “Setting it in a fictional country doesn’t make the racial stereotyping any less problematic.”
Kim Tae Gon’s Project Silence rounded out the top three with 11 votes. The big-budget disaster drew fire for its “wasteful” production costs of millions, with one critic skewering “CG ENM’s serious lack of content discernment.”
Wonderland, Dead Man, and Devils Stay shared fourth place with 10 votes each.
In the Worst Acting category, Kang Dong Won’s performance in The Plot claimed top dishonors with 11 votes. Critics questioned the 21-year veteran’s consistency, with one noting, “Sometimes he seems good, then awkward again. Still confusing audiences after 21 years.”
The runner-up position went to “None” with 10 votes, while Ju Ji Hoon grabbed third place for Project Silence with 8 votes. Critics particularly targeted his unique quirk in acting, with one quipping, “I wanted to escape the theater because of his overacting.”
Song Joong Ki and Song Seung Hun tied for fourth with 7 votes each. Song Joong Ki’s Yanbian dialect in My Name Is Loh Kiwan drew particular criticism, while Song Seung Hun was called out for being overshadowed by his Hidden Face co-stars.
The Worst Manner category saw Jung Woo Sung taking the crown with 22 votes, following controversies involving his paternity scandal and allegedly inappropriate DMs to other women via social media. One critic noted, “Wonder how he’ll rebuild a 30-year pristine image destroyed in just three days.”
Veteran actress Youn Yuh Jung secured second place with 18 votes for her controversial comments, particularly regarding the late Lee Sun Kyun’s death. Critics chastised her, stating, “What logic suggests journalists killed the late Lee Sun Kyun?” and “There’s a fine line between rude and beign honest.”
Jeon Do Yeon and the late Lee Sun Kyun tied for third with 4 votes each. She faced criticism for showing visible discomfort during her interaction with Yoo Jae Suk while appearing on You Quiz on the Block to promote Revolver. Critics noted, ‘her persistent discomfort about what was meant to be a lighthearted joke’ and ‘as the lead actor, she should approach promotions with more responsibility regardless of how she feels.”
Surprise additions to the list included Kwak Do Won, who received 9 votes primarily due to his DUI scandal’s impact on Firefighters, and Gong Yoo, who garnered 4 votes for his defensive interview regarding past controversial comments about former President Park Chung Hee.
The Raspberry Film Festival, organized by Sports Kyunghyang, surveys 51 prominent Korean film journalists to identify the year’s worst films, performances, and industry behavior among commercial releases from December 2023 to November 30th, 2024.
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Source: Raspberry Film Festival
