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Drama

Secret Sunshine (2007): Cast, Box Office & Plot

Secret Sunshine (2007) movie poster

Secret Sunshine is a 2007 drama directed by Lee Chang-dong, starring Jeon Do-yeon as Lee Shin-ae, Seon Jeong-yeop and Song Kang-ho. It runs 2 hours 23 minutes and earned $11.6 million worldwide.

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Secret Sunshine (2007) movie poster
Released
Runtime
2h 23m (143 min)
Director
Lee Chang-dong
Genre
Drama
Original language
Korean
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Secret Sunshine About?

The premise of Secret Sunshine without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Shin-ae relocates to the hometown of her recently deceased husband, hoping to build a new life. Yet the town feels oddly ordinary and she cannot find her place. When an unforeseen tragedy strikes, she turns to Christianity for comfort, only to be denied solace, driving her into a bitter rebellion against God.

Secret Sunshine Themes & Keywords

· 29 tags
  • female protagonist
  • downward spiral
  • husband
  • woman
  • town
  • city name in title
  • reference to god
  • forgiveness
  • religious hypocrisy
  • evangelist
  • grieving
  • car mechanic
+17 more
  • south korea
  • loss of child
  • suicide attempt
  • mother son relationship
  • widow
  • school bus
  • crying
  • loss
  • highway
  • kidnapping
  • murder
  • new beginning
  • piano teacher
  • born again christian
  • unrequited love
  • based on novel
  • title spoken by character
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Cast & crew

Secret Sunshine Cast & Characters

Jeon Do-yeon leads the cast as Lee Shin-ae, with Seon Jeong-yeop as Jun and Song Kang-ho as Kim Jong-chan. Directed by Lee Chang-dong; 19 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Secret Sunshine

· 15 more
From the director

More from Lee Chang-dong

More films directed by Lee Chang-dong: Peppermint Candy and Green Fish.

Full filmography
Plot

Secret Sunshine Plot Summary

What happens in Secret Sunshine from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

After her husband dies in a traffic accident, Lee Shin-ae Jeon Do-yeon and her only child Jun Seon Jeong-yeop move from their hometown to Miryang, in South Gyeongsang Province, to start life anew. As they enter the city, their car breaks down. A local mechanic in Miryang, Kim Jong-chan Song Kang-ho, fixes the car and lends a hand as Shin-ae opens a piano academy and tries to buy land to build a house. Jong-chan says he is only trying to be a Good Samaritan.

Full summary

The whole story of Secret Sunshine, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Secret Sunshine Box Office

Secret Sunshine grossed $11.6 million worldwide.

2007 box office

Worldwide gross

$11.6M

International
$11.6M
Videos

Secret Sunshine Trailers & Videos

2 videos: 2 trailers.

Secret Sunshine
  • Trailer SECRET SUNSHINE - Official Trailer
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Secret Sunshine?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Which actress portrays Lee Shin-ae, the grieving mother?

Details

Secret Sunshine Also Known As

12 alternative titles, including “密陽” and “Milyang”.

Also known as
  • 密陽
  • Milyang
  • シークレット・サンシャイン
  • 밀양
  • Sol Secreto
  • シークレット・サンシャイン:2007
  • 密阳
  • Тайное сияние
  • Sekretne światło
  • סוד האושר
  • Bí Mật Ánh Dương, საიდუმლო ნათება
  • Rejtett napfény

Seen Secret Sunshine?

FAQ

Secret Sunshine FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of Secret Sunshine, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Secret Sunshine?

Secret Sunshine runs 2 hours 23 minutes (143 minutes).

When was Secret Sunshine released?

Secret Sunshine was released on May 23, 2007.

Who directed Secret Sunshine?

Secret Sunshine was directed by Lee Chang-dong.

More films by Lee Chang-dong

Who is in the cast of Secret Sunshine?

Secret Sunshine stars Jeon Do-yeon as Lee Shin-ae, Seon Jeong-yeop as Jun and Song Kang-ho as Kim Jong-chan, among 19 credited actors.

How much did Secret Sunshine make at the box office?

Secret Sunshine grossed $11.6 million worldwide.

Does Secret Sunshine have a post-credit scene?

No. Secret Sunshine has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is Secret Sunshine in?

The original language of Secret Sunshine is Korean.

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