A Bittersweet Life

For the past seven years Sun-woo, an impeccably dressed gangster henchman has served his boss with unflinching exactitude. He manages an upscale bar called La Dolce Vita and he despatches people who get in the boss's way with skill and efficiency. The boss trusts him so much that he asks Sun-woo to look after his mistress, and to kill her if she is being unfaithful. The boss' suspicions prove to be correct, but in a moment of temporarily compassion Sun-woo lets the young lovers loose and suddenly finds himself at odds with everyone.
A Bittersweet Life is a stylish gangster story from the director of A Tale of Two Sisters. With the same chilly Seoul underworld atmosphere and same brilliant set designer as Old Boy, A Bittersweet Life confirms South Korea as the most interesting film territory of today. Screened in Official Selection Out of Competition in Cannes 2005. Scandinavian theatrical release 2006.