Synopsis

Although she aspired to be a great pianist like Vladimir Horowitz, Kim Ji-su ends up working as a piano teacher at a small academy on the outskirts of town due to her lack of talent. On the day she moves to the academy, she meets a strange boy named Kyung-min and discovers that he is a genius with perfect pitch. Hoping to gain recognition as a great teacher, she trains Kyung-min rigorously to win a piano contest. However, Kyung-min freezes on stage, leaving Ji-su crushed. Eventually, Kyung-min begins playing again, and Ji-su makes the difficult decision to send him abroad for adoption, believing it best for his future. Years later, Kyung-min returns to Korea as a renowned pianist and plays Schumann’s *Träumerei* for Ji-su. For Horowitz is a rare Korean music film and marks the feature debut of director Kwon Hyung-jin. The film’s music, directed by Lee Byung-woo, a friend of the director, delicately blends original scores with classical pieces by Schumann, Mozart, Debussy, and more. In the final scene, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by pianist Kim Jeong-won in a special appearance, adds to the film’s emotional resonance.

Director

Kwon Hyung-jin

Born in 1964, Kwon Hyung-jin studied film at Dongguk University Graduate School. He began making short films during his college years and started his career in feature filmmaking in 1989 with director Yoo Young-jin’s Water Nation. He later worked as assistant director under Kang Woo-suk and Yoo Ha. Kwon directed numerous commercials and music videos, and in 2001, he made the internet film MOB2025. His 2005 feature For Horowitz marks his directorial debut.