Drunk on Women and Poetry

2002, Biography/Drama, 1h 57m

42 Reviews 1,000+ Ratings

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critics consensus

A fittingly artful biopic about the life of a brilliant painter, Chihwaseon offers an uncommonly compelling look at a singularly creative life. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

Jang Seung-Up (Choi Min-sik) is a Korean peasant and a gifted artist. Upper-class Kim Byung-Moon (Ahn Sung-ki) discovers Jang and, recognizing his talent for painting, agrees to become his patron. As a result, Jang's skills continue to develop and his profile rises. He falls in love with Mae-Hyang (Yoo Ho-jeong), but class differences keep them apart. When Jang learns Mae-Hyang has married, he succumbs to a self-destructive downward spiral of alcoholism and womanizing.
  • Genre:
    Biography, Drama
  • Original Language:
    Korean
  • Director:
    Im Kwon-taek
  • Producer:
    Lee Tae-won
  • Writer:
    Kim Yeong-ok, Im Kwon-taek
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $59.4K
  • Runtime:
  • Distributor:
    Kino Pictures
  • Sound Mix:
    Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Flat (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

Choi Min-sik
Jang Seung-up
Ahn Sung-ki
Kim Byung-Moon
Yoo Ho-jeong
Mae-hyang
Kim Yeo-jin
Jin-jong
Jeong Tae-u
Choi Jong-Seong
Han Myeong-gu
Lee Tae-won
Producer
Kang Woo-suk
Executive Producer
Kim Yeong-ok
Screenwriter
Jeong Il-seong
Cinematographer
Kim Yeong-dong
Music
Park Sun-deok
Film Editing
Im Kwon-taek
Screenwriter
Im Kwon-taek
Director
Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Drunk on Women and Poetry

All Critics (42) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (7)
Full Review… Alexander Walker London Evening Standard Full Review… Desson Thomson Washington Post Full Review… Neil Smith BBC.com Full Review… Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Full Review… Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune Full Review… Geoffrey Macnab Sight & Sound Full Review… Panos Kotzathanasis HanCinema Full Review… Par Parekh Film Journal International Full Review… MaryAnn Johanson Flick Filosopher Full Review… Judith Egerton Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) Full Review… Donald Munro Fresno Bee Full Review… Nik Huggins Future Movies UK
View All Critic Reviews (42)

Audience Reviews for Drunk on Women and Poetry

  • Nov 05, 2009
    Jang Seung-Up is an artist that just can't catch a break. His talent is noticed at first, but he is soon buried beneath an ever increasing number of art students. He is eventually noticed after making a perfect copy of a more established artists painting, after having just one look. This brings about attention, which is also his downfall. He is shunned for outclassing his own teacher, and soon becomes a drunken mess. There's a lot of redemption in this film, almost anyways. Jang is a man that can only excel whilst drinking. This leads to an obviously large amount of problems. Chihwaseon is a very breautiful film, in terms of the arts it presents, and the way it presents itself. The acting is highly emotive and believable, with Choi Min-Sik, carefully balancing the dependent Jang, with touches of hostility and openness. It's only drawback is the predictable nature of the biopic. Take an individual's life, and truncate it to 2 hours, and you're bound to run into similarities with other famous people of the past.
    Luke B Super Reviewer
  • Oct 27, 2008
    Up until recently,a number of films dedicated to the lives and times of exceptional painters,fine artists in a broader scope started emerging out of nowhere.Ladies,gents,I present you the unanimous masterpiece of them all,forget Pollocks and Fridas,Sung-up,a humongous legend in the Joseon dynasty in Korea,a fabulous poetic journey by the hands of an elderly Im Kwon-taek and yet profoundly young,Min-sik proves he is an Actor.
    Dimitris S Super Reviewer
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