Family Cinema (2012 South Korean Film)

Family Cinema (Korean: 가족 시네마; RR: Gajok Sinema) is a 2012 South Korean omnibus drama film. The project consists of four short films, each directed by a different filmmaker, exploring various social and familial challenges in contemporary South Korea.

Promotional poster for Family Cinema — Promotional poster for the 2012 omnibus film Family Cinema.

Segments

The film is composed of four distinct narratives:

Circleline: Directed by Shin Su-Won, this segment follows a man who, after being laid off, hides his unemployment from his family and spends his days riding the subway. He encounters a homeless woman with a child, which forces him to confront his own precarious situation.
Star Shaped Stain: Directed by Hong Ji-Young, this story centers on a mother who attends a memorial service for children who died in a school camp fire. A year after the tragedy, she struggles with the possibility that her daughter might still be alive.
E.D. 571: Directed by Lee Soo-Youn, the plot revolves around a woman who sold her eggs years earlier to pay for tuition. Her life is disrupted when a girl arrives at her home claiming to be the daughter born from that donation.
In Good Company: Directed by Kim Sung-Ho, this segment depicts a female worker who organizes a strike with her colleagues after facing an unfair dismissal from her workplace.

Scene from Family Cinema — A scene featuring the cast of one of the segments in Family Cinema.

Production and Release

Family Cinema was produced by Lim Choong-Geun, Kim Sung-Ho, Kim Youn-Ho, and Min Jin-Soo. The film held its world premiere on August 24, 2012, at the 6th Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival, where it was featured in the Bright Focus section. It received a general theatrical release in South Korea on November 8, 2012, distributed by Golden Tide Pictures. The total runtime of the omnibus is 125 minutes.