Synopsis

Quoting from a line in the film, *Happy Life* is a story about “old dudes who still believe they’re in their twenties”, and try to reunite their band, ‘Active Volcano’, which disbanded 20 years ago after they failed to enter the College Singing Contest for three years in a row. The now middle-aged friends may have dreamed of conquering the world with their music at one time, but life has not been easy on them. Ki-young, who played the guitar, is jobless and living off his wife; bass player, Sung-wook delivers packages by day and drives cars for drunken customers by night; and drummer Hyuk-soo is sick of supporting his family who is living abroad for his children’s education by selling used cars. Their barely-sustained meager lives change when the ex-band’s leader, Sang-woo, passes away and the friends regroup to play music and revive their passion. With the help of the son of the deceased friend, the three men come together to bring the Active Volcano back to life. Full of affection for Korean rock music of the 80’s, *Happy Life* rediscovers the bond among aging friends, not to mention their passion for music and life. For those who used to find comfort in music, watching these middle-aged rockers’ dream come true will send you on a heartwarming journey down memory lane when the throbbing heartbeats of youth were alive. (Hwang Hei-rim)

Director

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  • Lee Jun-ik
  • Since directing the family film *Kid Cop* in 1993, Lee Jun-ik has operated Cineworld. He produced and directed *The King and the Clown* in 2005, which attracted over 12 million viewers, setting the highest box office record of that year. In 2003, he introduced a new genre, fusion historical drama, with *The Duelist*, which drew 2.9 million spectators nationwide. In addition to *Radio Star* in 2006, *Happy Life* in 2007, and *You Are Far Away* in 2008, he completed a musical film trilogy.