ARMERALD

Director Lee Guiom

Korea | 2023 | 85min | Color, B&W | Drama | 12+ | GT

Languages Korean Dia |  Subtitle English Sub

<Armerald>, directed by Lee Guiom, well-known editorial chief for fashion magazine, <Dazed Korea>, will be revealed as the closing film of 2023 SIPFF (world premier). <Dazed Korea> is the media famous for its experimentative spirits, not limited to the traditional means; it is artistic, queer-friendly, so it has its own fandom following not only fashion but also sub-cultures. The editorial chief’s <Armerald> describes the friendships, love, and growing pains of 19-year-old boys in funky and kitschy ways. Reminding of the move of Tom Ford, a world-famous fashion designer who made a debut as a film director with <Single Man (2009)> and got recognized for his sensuous directing skills, Director Lee Guiom’s <Armerald> is one of the most noteworthy Korean queer film this year.  

<Armerald> unfolds the stories of 19-year-old friends who love archive fashion, NOMOU, ZINGER AIR, HOSU, and SEEK. They share the commonality that they all suffer from aerophobia, and hence, cannot take flights. To overcome their phobia, they visit the therapy session, where they meet “Super Taller,” an aerophobia therapist and teleporter who suggests them the one who finds the most beautiful piece of emerald will get the gift of being teleported to anywhere he wants. The film presents the growing stories of the four boys, taking journeys to find the most beautiful piece of emerald together sometimes, and separately other times. 

With his competence gained from having worked in the field of fashion for a long time, Director Lee Guiom transforms every character into intriguing looking person, making great effort to express the beauty of fashion throughout the movie. The extremely fashionable mood of the film, going beyond enjoying the splendid clothes, but contributing to fashion, accentuates the unique directing style. The special traits of <Armerald> are not only stylish visual beauty conjuring the images of fashion catalog, but also dreamy color sense and experimental music, which have not been found easily in other films. The competence of Lee, who shows his own talents completely in his film even though it is his first work as a director, shines through, just like the title of film <Armerald>, depicting the friendship and growth of teenagers everyone once experiences. 

Moreover, fabulous casts of the models and actors including Jang Jin-woo, Choi Ho-so, Han Seong-woo, etc., will encourage the audience having waited for unique and new Korean queer films to make the Closing Film of 2023 SIPFF completely sold out. As such, as the list of the screening films, including <Femme>, the Opening Film, and <Armerald>, the Closing film, is released one by one, the remaining films that will be announced consecutively are also expected to get the attention of the audience and to be sold out. 

| Synopsis |

Nomou, Zinger Air, Hosu, and Seek are 19-year-old boys who enjoy archive fashion. Due to their respective stories, they have an extreme fear of flight which makes them unable to fly. The four boys meet each other at a flight fear therapy class and encounter Super Taller, a flight fear therapist and teleporter. He offers teleportation that can reach anywhere to the boy that brings the prettiest emerald in one month. The four boys go on a journey to find the prettiest emerald in their own ways. Who will win the teleportation race and how will they grow through this journey?