IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
Jong-suk and Kyung-min meet up to talk about their high school past, it's been 15 years since they last talked. It brings up all kinds of memories.Jong-suk and Kyung-min meet up to talk about their high school past, it's been 15 years since they last talked. It brings up all kinds of memories.Jong-suk and Kyung-min meet up to talk about their high school past, it's been 15 years since they last talked. It brings up all kinds of memories.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 8 nominations total
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Featured reviews
Serious animation is no longer a novelty but the bleakness of this Korean toon is disturbing.
Leaving a girl with a rope mark on her neck, the bespectacled lead 'phones the old school pal, who is having domestic troubles of his own. During their night drinking and walking together, we see flashbacks to their school days, where they were at the bottom layer of a brutal system of bullying.
The director's first feature is done with limited movement and only occasional flashes of striking imagery - the animal headed class mates, the ugly ghost cat, simulated afternoon light. Using female voices for the boys is also alienating. The film is so intense that viewers are likely to forget the exposition and find themselves unsatisfied by the rapid wind-up.
Think of this as a curious companion to the similarly themed OLD BOY and part of the country's ultra-violence cycle, among which it is a stand out.
Leaving a girl with a rope mark on her neck, the bespectacled lead 'phones the old school pal, who is having domestic troubles of his own. During their night drinking and walking together, we see flashbacks to their school days, where they were at the bottom layer of a brutal system of bullying.
The director's first feature is done with limited movement and only occasional flashes of striking imagery - the animal headed class mates, the ugly ghost cat, simulated afternoon light. Using female voices for the boys is also alienating. The film is so intense that viewers are likely to forget the exposition and find themselves unsatisfied by the rapid wind-up.
Think of this as a curious companion to the similarly themed OLD BOY and part of the country's ultra-violence cycle, among which it is a stand out.
This is the best movie about bullying that has ever been made by most chances.
It makes you take a hard look at how powerful and delicate at the same time our minds are, especially those of kids. How they are shaped by their family and its problems, and by the hierarchies built in school; by the repression, inequality and unfairness.
With the prohibition of expressiveness (depression), how far can a human go?
The movie tries to get in a really tough subject matter. While doing so, it does steer away too much though. The constant flashbacks (Rashomon this ain't) and the pace do not work in favor of the movie. The subject is very serious indeed (bullying) and is not to be taken lightly (no matter what country it happens and it unfortunately happens a lot), but while the movie does not take it lightly, it does try too hard. The moral finger pointing is heavy ... too heavy.
The anime style is good throughout, but the movie still felt like it had double the running time. One other thing that made it penetrating and almost unbearable were the subtitles. The filmmaker is (likely) not responsible for those, but it does add to the overall dissatisfaction you might feel while watching this. A feeling that arises because you might feel that this subject matter could've been handled better.
The anime style is good throughout, but the movie still felt like it had double the running time. One other thing that made it penetrating and almost unbearable were the subtitles. The filmmaker is (likely) not responsible for those, but it does add to the overall dissatisfaction you might feel while watching this. A feeling that arises because you might feel that this subject matter could've been handled better.
I really like realistic animation films so I really wanted to like this movie but it is just not really worth your time.
The movie's story is about two boys and their experience with bullying during their middle school days. The movie starts from the present when they are adults and uses flashbacks tell the story switching back and forth to break up the film into segments. The movie tackles hard real life issues like bullying in schools and system of inequalities and favoritism in the Korean society.
However the problem with the movie is that it is very derivative of better films like "Friend" and does not present anything new enough to stand out on it's own. The only unique aspect of the movie is the fact that it's an animation but it is clear that the reason this movie is an animation is because of costs. The animation quality is poor and what's worse is the poor voice recording in the film. The sound would often clip causing a lot of distortion in dialogue because they use such poor equipment to record the voice overs. Overall it does not do enough to impress in either the visuals or story and personally I would not recommend watching this film.
The movie's story is about two boys and their experience with bullying during their middle school days. The movie starts from the present when they are adults and uses flashbacks tell the story switching back and forth to break up the film into segments. The movie tackles hard real life issues like bullying in schools and system of inequalities and favoritism in the Korean society.
However the problem with the movie is that it is very derivative of better films like "Friend" and does not present anything new enough to stand out on it's own. The only unique aspect of the movie is the fact that it's an animation but it is clear that the reason this movie is an animation is because of costs. The animation quality is poor and what's worse is the poor voice recording in the film. The sound would often clip causing a lot of distortion in dialogue because they use such poor equipment to record the voice overs. Overall it does not do enough to impress in either the visuals or story and personally I would not recommend watching this film.
This film is disturbing. I say that to mean that this film accomplished what it sets out to. It deals with sensitive issues like bullying, abuse and domestic violence in a nuanced and sympathetic way, without overshadowing the bad things done by both the abusers and their victims. It's also got a twist that works really well in the story. The animation style works really well with the story it is trying to tell. I would recommend it, but make sure you have the right mind for it.
Did you know
- Quotes
Female narrator: They are like pet dogs that do nothing but enjoy their lives. They are motherfuckers. And we are the pigs that are their food. We finally become valuable when we are torn apart.
- ConnectionsReferenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: The Big 200 (2022)
- How long is The King of Pigs?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Dwae-ji-ui wang
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $124,068
- Runtime
- 1h 37m(97 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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