This film about a friendship between two men, whose lives are greatly influenced by their love of Hollywood movies, demonstrates how a deep passion for film which can bring those ‘afflicted’ to destruction. The drama offers interesting insights into changes in Korean culture: how it has been undermined primarily since the end of the fifties by foreign standards and influences. Myonggil and Pyongsok, nicknamed the Hollywood Kid, became friends as children, and while at school their connection was cemented not only by their interest in film but also by their love for the same girl. Their lives continue to be linked: while Myonggil becomes a successful director, Pyongsok, whose movie mania has infiltrated his daily reality, just can’t seem to steer his life in the right direction. But in the end it is he who helps Myonggil attain the fame he’s been seeking – Pyongsok holds the perfect script in his hand, a work he’s been tinkering with his whole life. “It’s a Korean version of Cinema Paradiso,” says director Chung Ji Young, whose own message – in contrast to the Italian retro-film – is as sharp and precise as a razor.