- Movie: Low Life (하류인생)/ Downstream
- Release Date: May 21, 2004
- Runtime: 105 minutes
Summary
Low Life is about Tae-Woong (Cho Seung-Woo), a third-year high school student, goes to a neighboring school to get revenge for his friend, and forms a strange bond with Seung-Moon (Yoo Ha-Jun)’s family.
Seung-moon’s father, Park Il-won, ran as an independent in the election for the National Assembly, and the rally is in chaos due to the intrusion of political thugs under the direction of the Liberal Party. When Seung-moon’s older sister Hye-ok (Kim Min-seon) is also attacked by a salesman belonging to the Dongdaemun faction (aka ‘Jaeryongi faction’), Tae-woong, in anger, pursues him and subdues him with one blow, and in that way, he is recognized by the boss of the Myeong-dong faction.
As a result, Taewoong successfully established himself in the gangster world, but the fall of the Liberal Party led to the disappearance of not only the Dongdaemun faction, but also the rival Myeongdong faction, behind the scenes.
Tae-woong started his life as a solver under Oh Sang-pil (Kim Hak-jun), who was a middle boss. Even when the 4.19 protests swept across the country, while traveling to collect debts owed by a former lawmaker, he runs into Seungmun, who has become a college student at the demonstration stand. After reuniting with Hye-ok, who was teaching, the two soon got married. Just in time, as the 5.16 military regime wiped out gangs, Tae-woong also liquidated his gangster life and made a fresh start as a film festival worker.
