8th Raspberry Film Festival: Worst Films, Performances, and Manners of Korean Cinema Revealed

The 8th Raspberry Film Festival results are based on a survey by Sports Kyunghyang, which gathered insights from 51 film journalists at leading Korean media outlets to assess commercial films released between December of last year and November 30 this year. The awards were divided into three categories: “Worst Film,” “Worst Acting,” and “Worst Manners,” with the winners in each category announced accordingly.

Worst Film: The Plot

The title of “Worst Film” went to “The Plot” (directed by Lee Yo-seop), which received 15 votes. Critics labeled it as “a genre film that sent all entertainment value to another galaxy” and “the worst possible result despite having a great original story and talented actors.”

Second place was awarded to “Amazon Bullseye” (directed by Kim Chang-joo), which garnered 12 votes. Comments included, “It’s so bad you might feel the need for digestive medicine while watching,” “A regressive comedy completely out of touch with modern sensibilities,” and “Just because it’s set in a fictional country doesn’t mean it’s not racist.”

In third place was “Project Silence” (directed by Kim Tae-gon) with 11 votes. Critics remarked, “A colossal waste of a multi-billion won production budget,” “A delusional belief that money alone can solve everything in filmmaking,” and “A disastrous tentpole project highlighting CJ ENM’s poor content judgment.”

Other notable mentions included “Wonderland” by Kim Tae-yong, “Dead Man” by Ha Jun-won, and “Devils Stay” by Hyun Moon-seob, all tied for fourth place with 10 votes each.

Worst Acting: Kang Dong-won

The top spot for “Worst Acting” went to Kang Dong-won in “The Plot,” receiving 11 votes. Comments criticized his “consistently unconvincing emotional range,” “stagnant acting ability,” and “lack of competitive edge as an actor, aside from his height, which is now quite common.”

Second place was a tie labeled as “None,” with 10 votes suggesting no other performance was comparably bad.

Third place went to Joo Ji-hoon in “Project Silence,” with 8 votes. He was criticized for “overacting to the point of ruining key scenes” and being “so exaggerated that it made the film unbearable.”

Fourth place was shared by Song Joong-ki and Song Seung-heon, each receiving 7 votes. Song Joong-ki’s performance in “My Name Is Loh Kiwan” was described as “awkward” and “comparatively weaker alongside his co-star.” Song Seung-heon’s work in “Hidden Face” drew remarks like, “Unnecessarily consistent subpar acting.”

Worst Manners: Jung Woo-sung

The “Worst Manners” award went to actor Jung Woo-sung, who received 22 votes. His controversy included sending inappropriate direct messages to female celebrities and the “biological father” scandal, leading critics to feel “betrayed by his long-standing image.”

Second place went to veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung, who garnered 18 votes. She was criticized for rude remarks during interviews, including indoor smoking and dismissing reporters with condescending comments.

Third place was shared by Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Sun-kyun, each with 4 votes. Jeon Do-yeon faced backlash for showing discomfort during interviews and promotional activities for “Revolver,” while Lee Sun-kyun’s unspecified actions also drew negative attention.

Special Mentions

Actors not officially nominated but receiving significant votes included Kwak Do-won (9 votes) for his drunk driving scandal, which tarnished the film “Firefighter,” and Gong Yoo (4 votes) for defending controversial past comments about Park Chung-hee, sparking public criticism.