
Two siblings, a successful but unprincipled lawyer (Sul Kyung-gu) and his conscientious pediatrician brother (Jang Dong-gun), lead prosperous lives and get along well despite their divergent moral beliefs. But things come to a head during one of their regular monthly dinners with their wives, where they learn of a disturbing situation involving both their teenage kids. As the consequences of this dreadful discovery spiral out of control, the families are confronted with an unimaginable choice. Adapted from Dutch author Herman Koch’s controversial bestselling novel The Dinner, A Normal Family transposes the story action to the cultural specifics of present-day South Korea, but maintains the original’s darkly suspenseful core. No stranger to thorny material, having helmed a 2012 adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons, Korean director Hur Jin-ho directs this drama of privilege and moral decay with clockwork precision. Tense and absorbing, this thriller puts a sinister, unforgettable twist on the notion that blood ties are the ties that bind.
Supported by
Community Partner
Sul Kyung-gu, Jang Dong-gun, Kim Hee-ae, Claudia Kim
South Korea
2023
Special Presentations
In Korean with English subtitles
Violence
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Producer
Kim Won-kuk
Cinematography
Go Rak-sun
Editor
Kim Hyung-joo
Production Design
Mo so-ra
Original Music
Cho Sung-woo
Director

Hur Jin-ho
In 1993, Hur Jin-ho’s first short film premiered at VIFF. His feature debut followed five years later: Christmas In August which won many best director awards. Since then, he has produced a distinctive brand: “Hur Jin-ho’s romance”. Love is his favourite theme. With a record of 5.6M admissions for The Last Princess in 2016, he became a director with box office credibility.
Filmography: Christmas In August (1998); A Good Rain Knows (2009); Dangerous Liaisons (2012); The Last Princess (2016); Forbidden Dream (2019)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Giant
This was the Yellowstone of its time: a big, sweeping modern Western built around an imposing ranch and family dynamics -- except Giant is much more subversive. James Dean strikes it rich as Jett Rink, much to the disgust of his former boss, Rock Hudson.
Familiar Touch
A loving portrait of an octogenarian transitioning into an assisted living facility, this award-winning first feature by choreographer Sarah Friedland has a simplicity and warmth that's exceptionally poignant.
Super Happy Forever
This beguiling film depicts a man’s return to the Japanese seaside town where he met his now-deceased wife five years earlier. He tries to relive the past, and in the film's final section -- a flashback to 2018 -- the audience is afforded that privilege.
A Streetcar Named Desire
"I don't want realism. I want magic!" declares Blanche du Bois, the tragic heroine who meets her nemesis in her sister's husband, Stanley Kowalski, in Tennessee Williams' great play. Brando's performance as Stanley is a turning point in American acting.
Georgia O'Keeffe: the Brightness of Light
Drawing on her copious correspondence and the world's leading scholars, this is a definitive documentary on the life and work of "the mother of American Modernism."