Fewer screens, but a 9.8 rating: Kim Hye-ja's 'Yeojeoni Chanranhage' spreads by word of mouth

"This doesn't seem like a film that should be losing this many theaters just one week after opening … ."

That comment appeared on Naver's movie rating page on Oct. 28. The viewer who wrote it said they had gone out of their way to find a theater still showing the film — and gave it a perfect 10, adding that the trip proved their instincts right.

"Yeojeoni Chanranhage" (Still Brilliantly), directed by Song Il-gon and marking actor Kim Hye-ja's return to the screen after nine years, is holding on through word of mouth even as the number of theaters showing it shrinks. Screens have dropped off quickly, yet the audience scores left by those who have seen it rank highest among all films currently in the top tier of the box office.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing network, "Yeojeoni Chanranhage" drew 1,620 admissions Tuesday, placing it 10th at the box office — four spots higher than the previous day. Its cumulative audience stands at 64,082. The film opened Oct. 21 with 7,666 admissions on its first day, debuting at No. 6. The 562 screens it held on its opening weekend had fallen to 228 by Tuesday, cutting its theater count to less than half within two weeks of release.

Audience sentiment, however, has been moving in the opposite direction. The film holds a Naver audience rating of 9.80, the highest among all films ranked on Naver's box office chart by score — well ahead of second-place "Odyssey" at 9.03 and fourth-place "Assassin(s)" at 8.89. Perfect-10 reviews fill more than 12 pages on the rating board. One comment that drew particularly wide agreement read: "Director Song's light does not explain — it simply shines, and within that light, Kim Hye-ja's face quietly reveals the texture of an entire life." Confessions of tears are equally plentiful. One viewer who wore a long-sleeved shirt wrote that both sleeves ended up soaked, urging others to bring a handkerchief. Another admitted to sobbing uncontrollably — the first time in years a film had moved them that way.

Nearly as often as Kim Hye-ja's performance, viewers mention the names of the two young characters: 17-year-old Sunok and Jeongim. Of Park Seo-kyung and Choi Ju-eun, who portray the girls in their youth, one viewer wrote: "Every emotion comes through in their eyes and expressions." For Choi, the film is both a feature debut and a first lead role.

The film opens in 1942 in a rural village. Jeongim (played by Choi Ju-eun), blessed with an extraordinary singing voice, and her friend Sunok (played by Park Seo-kyung), who always claps along beside her, mark each other's arms with a shared symbol and promise to go to Seoul together to sing and earn money. Around that time, dark rumors spread through the village that girls are being taken away under the pretense of factory jobs. Sixty years later, Sunok (played by Kim Hye-ja) — who has spent years searching — finally finds Jeongim (played by Cha Mi-kyung) again and resolves to travel to Seoul to enter the singing contest they dreamed of as children. But Jeongim is slowly forgetting Sunok's name and the time they shared. Based on a play written in the form of a reading drama, the film had its world premiere in the Korean Cinema Today — Panorama section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival.

Director Song said at a press preview on Oct. 15 that he had approached the subject carefully given its historical weight, but felt compelled to tell the story. "There is a painful history here, and I believed we must find some way to remember it today," he said. Audience reactions land in the same place. Reviews reading "I missed my grandmother," "a story we must not forget," and "a heartbreaking history that deserves to be remembered for a long time" appear side by side on the rating board. On opening day, one viewer wrote: "May this film be remembered, still brilliantly, by many people."

Distributor Plus M Entertainment said the film has entered an extended run as it enters its third week of release, adding that group screenings by companies and organizations have continued.

Calls to expand the film's reach have also come from outside the theater. Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Seo Mi-hwa introduced "Yeojeoni Chanranhage" at a national audit of the National Assembly Secretariat held by the National Assembly's steering committee on Friday as a film that prompts reflection on human rights and historical values, and asked that officials "review the possibility of screening it at the National Assembly so that Assembly members and the public can see it." National Assembly Secretary General Ko Yong-jin said the Assembly already selects works for screening at venues such as the large conference room in the lawmakers' office building based on recommendations and set criteria.

The film's music has also lingered with audiences. One viewer wrote that "the scenes and the soundtrack keep circling in my head long after the credits roll." As the musical sequences — Jeongim's solo and a scene featuring Sunok, Jeongim and Duyeong (played by Moon Sung-hyun) — drew growing attention online, the distributor released a music video Wednesday for the original soundtrack "Chanranhage" (Brilliantly), performed by musical actors Choi Jae-rim and Choi Ju-eun. In the video, footage of the two recording together — exchanging glances as they sing — is intercut with luminous scenes of the two girls from the film. "It is an honor to be part of such a wonderful film," Choi Jae-rim said.