Best Seller (2010 Film)

Best Seller (Korean: 베스트셀러) is a 2010 South Korean mystery thriller film directed and written by Lee Jung-ho. The film stars Uhm Jung-hwa in the lead role. It was released in South Korea on April 15, 2010, and has a runtime of 117 minutes.

Promotional poster for the film Best Seller

Plot

The story follows Hee-soo, a successful writer who finds her career in jeopardy after becoming involved in a plagiarism scandal. Seeking a fresh start, she moves to a secluded house in a rural area. While living there, she begins to hear a mysterious figure whispering stories. Inspired by these accounts, she writes a new novel that quickly becomes a best seller. However, her success is short-lived when it is discovered that the stories in her book were published a decade earlier. To clear her name and prove her innocence, Hee-soo returns to the rural house to uncover the truth behind the mystery.

Production

Actress Uhm Jung-hwa underwent physical preparation for her role, losing 7 kilograms (approximately 15.4 lbs) to portray the character of Hee-soo. Principal photography commenced on November 2, 2009, at the Suwon KBS studio in Gyeonggi-do. On November 12, 2009, the production moved to Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do.

Cast

The film features the following primary cast members:

Uhm Jung-hwa as Hee-soo
Ryu Seung-ryong as Young-joon
Park Sa-rang as Yeon-hee
Lee Do-kyung as the police chief
Cho Jin-woong as Chan-sik

Reception and Festivals

Best Seller was screened at several international film festivals, including the 14th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2010, where it received the European Fantastic Film Festival Asian Award. It was also featured at the 2011 New York Korean Film Festival, the 2010 London Korean Film Festival, and the 2011 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.

Scene from the film — A scene from the film