The Russian Novel

Plot

Shin-hyo is a frustrated writer who dreams of becoming a great author, but being uneducated and lacking in skill, he finds it difficult to succeed. His inspiration comes from the writer, Kim Ki-jin, who he soon learns is the father of one of his friends, Sung-hwan. Shin-hyo manages to convince Sung-hwan and a talented young writer named Kyung-mi to help him arrange a meeting with Kim Ki-jin to show him his work. He falls into a depression when Kim calls his work "trash" which leads to him throwing his manuscripts into the river. They are rescued by the preacher's daughter, Jae-hye. Jae-hye, who is in love with Shin-hyo, re-types the novels as a form of encouragement. Because of a drug overdose, he ends up in a coma. Twenty-seven years later, Shin-hyo wakes from a vegetative state and learns that he has become a literary sensation and is now a well-respected author in South Korea. The book, The Russian Novel, allowed him to achieve his status in the literary world, however, he realizes that it is not his work. Someone has taken his manuscripts, which have been revised, and delivered them to Sung-hwan who got them published. He tries to find out who the culprit is and who wrote the book, especially the famous last words of the story which he didn't write.

Cast

Reception

Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "There's an interesting film about art and fame buried deep beneath an unwieldy one about an irritating writer." Koreanfilm.org called it "a near-miss" that "could have been a much more powerful cinematic experience." Pierce Conran of Modern Korean Cinema praised it as "one of the 2012's most unique and lush Korean films."