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Pandora (Korean: 판도라) is a 2016 South Korean disaster film written and directed by Park Jung-woo, starring Kim Nam-gil. The film was released in South Korea on December 7, 2016.[3]
| Pandora | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 판도라 |
| Revised Romanization | Pandora |
| McCune–Reischauer | P'andora |
| Directed by | Park Jung-woo |
| Written by | Park Jung-woo |
| Produced by | Kim Chul-yong Park Kyung-sook |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Choi Young-hwan |
| Edited by | Park Gok-ji |
| Music by | Jo Yeong-wook |
Production company | CAC Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Next Entertainment World |
Release date |
|
Running time | 136 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Budget | ₩530 million (US$477,000) (est.)[1] |
| Box office | US$32 million[2] |
Jae-hyeok is a young man who works at the aging Hanbyul Nuclear Power Plant, which is their namesake town's only source of energy and jobs and is currently undergoing construction of the second reactor unit. Jae-hyeok, who lost both his father and brother working at the plant in his early years, lives with his mother, sister-in-law, and nephew Min-jae. Jae-hyeok expresses his desire to leave the town and the plant behind him and work on a fishing vessel to make money for his family, but is discouraged by everyone he knows, including his childhood friend and fiancee, Yeon-joo.
Pyeong-seok is one of the head operators of the plant, who, along with other plant workers and a group of anti-nuclear activists, tries to get the President of South Korea; Seok-ko Hang, to shut down the plant, whose safety inspections had been inadequately rushed during the construction of the first unit, but their concerns are dismissed by the other senior plant operators, especially the Prime Minister. An earthquake suddenly strikes the town, causing the nuclear reactor to overheat. Due to the already aging safety systems, attempts to cool down the overheating reactor are botched, while the coolant valves, damaged by the earthquake, were unable to be fixed in time.
Meanwhile, Hang's administration fiercely debates allowing the reactor to vent radioactive particles into the air to relieve pressure from the core, eventually leading to Hang deciding to evacuate residents closest to the reactor, which became impeded as there is no contingency plan in place. The reactor stack explodes from the pressure before the operators could manually open the valves to vent steam, leading to a full nuclear meltdown. The explosion led to most of the crew being killed or injured. Jae-hyeok, who is one of the injured, hauls out several of the injured workers until he collapses from nuclear radiation poisoning.
Meanwhile, the KCDC quarantines the town's residents not far from the reactor. After Yeon-joo, gets proof that the reactor exploded and delivers the news, the KCDC locks the town's residents in the evacuation center and put up an internet jammer, rendering their phones useless as they, along with most of the nurses abandon the town to leave them to die. Yeon-joo, along with the town's residents manage to break out commandeers one of the buses to escape, while Jae-hyeok and other plant workers were only saved by a junior nurse, who decides to remain behind and treat the injured.
Despite the firefighters' efforts, the reactor is not cooling down and some firefighters start to suffer from radiation poisoning. Hang, after being demoralized for failing to handle the situation, finally regains control of the situation and orders the firefighters to use seawater to decommission the plant. Upon discovering that spent fuel rods are losing coolant due to the damage it sustained by the earthquake, Hang addresses to the nation on television, requesting the aid from the plant workers to seal the cracks of the tank to prevent coolant from escaping.
Jae-hyeok, although resentful and bitter due to their negligence, reluctantly agrees after one of his friends, Gil-seop, convinces them to go. Jae-hyeok calls a distraught Yeon-joo before getting on a bus back to the town along with their surviving crew. Despite their efforts to reseal the tank, the crack underneath the coolant tank grew bigger and they are ordered to retreat. Jae-hyeok, however, suggests they blow up the tank to allow the spent fuel rods to fall into the basement, effectively creating a new tank.
However, because of the growing cracks, there is no time to set up the bombs and then seal the door; both of these steps must be done all at once, meaning that one will not be leaving out alive. Jae-hyeok volunteers as he is the only person who can operate explosives. Having been exposed to too much radiation, and with no hope for escape, he allows the workers to seal himself into the waste room and flee the area. In his final moments, Jae-hyeok uses his helmet-mounted camera to broadcast a farewell message to his family and Yeon-joo before blowing up the tank, killing himself in the process.
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- Kim Nam-gil as Kang Jae-hyeok, the childish protagonist, who works at the nuclear power plant
- Kim Young-ae as Mrs. Seok- the mother of Jae-Hyeok, who owns a restaurant and lost her husband and other son to a similar accident.
- Moon Jeong-hee as Jung-hye, Jae hyeok's sister in law and a widow who lost her husband (Jae hyeok's brother).
- Jung Jin-young as Pyeong-seok, one of the heads of the plant, who grows more concerned about safety of the plant
- Lee Geung-young as Prime Minister
- Kim Dae-myung as Gil-seop, one of Jae Hyeok's friends, who aids Jae Hyeok in the nuclear mission
- Kang Shin-il as Mr. Kong, a grumpy old nuclear power plant worker and father of Gil-seop
- Yoo Seung-mok as Mr. Kam- the other power plant head, who suspects something is off about the plant
- Kim Ju-hyeon as Yeon-joo, Jae-hyeok's fiance, who works as a tour guide at the power plant. She is also Jae-hyeok's childhood friend.
- Joo Jin-mo as Minister
- Song Yeong-chang as New Director
- Kim Young-woong as Mr. Hwang
- Kim Myung-min as South Korean President Seok-ko Hang
- Kim Hye-eun as First Lady
- Oh Ye-sul as New Nurse
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Pandora was the first Korean film to be pre-sold to Netflix. In November 2016, three weeks before the theatrical release, the company acquired exclusive international rights for streaming Pandora in 190 countries.[4][5] The film was inspired by the Fukushima nuclear accident.[6]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 11th Asian Film Awards | Best Production Designer | Kang Seung-yong | Nominated |
| 22nd Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best New Actress | Kim Ju-hyeon | Nominated | |
| 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actor (film) | Kim Nam-gil | Nominated | |
| 54th Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | Pandora | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Park Jung-woo | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Kim Young-ae | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Jung Jin-young | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Kang Seung-yong | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting | Kim Ho-seong | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Choi Young-hwan | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Park Gok-ji | Nominated | ||
| Technical Award | Pandora | Nominated | ||
| Best Planning | Pandora | Nominated | ||
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