Resurrection of the Little Match Girl (2002 Film)

Resurrection of the Little Match Girl (Korean: 성냥팔이 소녀의 재림; RR: Sungnyangpali sonyeoui jaerim) is a 2002 South Korean film directed by Jang Sun-Woo. The film blends elements of action, science fiction, and fantasy, centering on a virtual reality gaming premise.

Promotional poster for Resurrection of the Little Match Girl — Promotional poster for the 2002 film.

Plot

The story follows Joo (played by Hyun Sung), a delivery worker at a Chinese restaurant who spends his free time playing video games. He harbors a crush on Hee-Mi (Lim Eun-Kyung), a part-time employee at a video game store who does not reciprocate his feelings. One night, Joo encounters a mysterious girl who bears a striking resemblance to Hee-Mi and purchases a lighter from her. Upon dialing a phone number found on the lighter, he is invited to enter a massive multiplayer online game titled Resurrection of the Little Match Girl. The objective of the game is to save the titular character and earn her love, leading Joo into a dangerous virtual world.

Scene from the film — A scene from the production.

Cast

Lim Eun-Kyung as the Little Match Girl / Hee-Mi
Hyun Sung as Joo
Kim Jin-Pyo as Lee
Jin Xing as Lala
Dong Bang-Woo
Jung Doo-Hong as Oberan
Kang Ta as Special Guest Star
Lee Chung-Ah
Seo Jae-Kyung
Park Sung-Woong
Jang Du-Yi
Kim Ki-Cheon
Kim Sun-Hwa
Baek Won-Kil
Han Tae-Soo
Ahn Hyung-Joon
Park Sang-Hyun
Kim Hak-Joon
Jo Yoo-Shin

Production

The film was directed by Jang Sun-Woo and released on September 13, 2002, in South Korea. It features a runtime of 125 minutes and was distributed by CJ Entertainment. The screenplay was written by In Jin-Mi, Jang Sun-Woo, and Kim Jung-Gu, with cinematography by Kim Woo-Hyoung.