Dongsimcho (1959): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1959, Dongsimcho is a drama and romance film directed by Shin Sang-ok, running about 126 minutes.

What it’s about. Lee Suk-hui (Choe Eun-hui) lost her husband to the Korean War eight years ago. She runs a dressmaking shop that has fallen into debt. When Kim Sang-gyu (Kim Jin-gyu), the executive director of a publishing company, helps her pay off debts, she falls in love with him. He, however, is engaged to the daughter of his boss, Ok-ju (Do Geum-bong). His sister (Ju Jeung-nyeo) pushes him to marry the boss's daughter, hoping that will bring him rapid success. Meanwhile, Suk-hui's grown-up daughter Gyeong-hui, wanting her mother to be happy, urges her mother to marry Sang-gyu, but Suk-hui vacillates between social mores and her own happiness. Even though she and Sang-gyu truly love each other, she decides to leave him and heads for her country home after selling her house in Seoul. Hearing the news, he who is ill in bed hurries to Seoul station, but it is too late. All he can do is just to stand on the platform and to watch her train pulling away.

Who’s in it. Dongsimcho stars Um Aing-ran as Oh Kyung-hee, Choi Eun-hee as Lee Sook-hee, Kim Jin-kyu as Kim Sang-gyu and Ju Jeung-nyeo as Mrs. Kim (Sister of Sang-gyu), among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 4.0/10, Dongsimcho has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Dongsimcho page.

If you liked it. Fans of Dongsimcho tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.