Starring GOT7’s Park Jin Young, Christmas Carol is a psychological thriller that revolves around Joo Il Woo’s attempt to carry out revenge for his disabled twin brother’s sake. To do this, he gets into a Juvenile Detention Center, where he encounters his brother’s killers.
This psychological thriller was released on December 7th, 2022, with Kim Seong Soo as the director and screenwriter. The South Korean director has also worked on other projects like Genome Hazard and Save Me. Christmas Carol is a 2-hour long movie that has elements of abuse and bullying, making it restricted to a certain audience. Despite its dark themes, the film has managed to gain many positive reviews for its storyline and acting, especially in the case of Park Jin Young, who played two roles flawlessly.
Christmas Carol starts with Joo Il Woo being sent to a Juvenile center after he is caught causing trouble in a nearby restaurant. Once there, he meets his teacher (Cho Soon Woo), who used to visit his apartment back when Joo Wol Woo (his brother) was alive. Joo Il Woo tries to find the right moment to kill his brother’s murderers but eventually finds out that the situation has always been more complex than he had imagined.
The storyline of the movie is adapted from Joo Won Gyu’s novel, which goes by a similar name. Asides from Park Jin Young, The cast of the show includes Kim Young Min, Kim Dong Hwi, Heo Dong Won, and Song Geon Hee. Christmas Carol is the kind of movie that gets its viewers hating the villain, even though it’s just an actor playing his role. The Park Jin Young film has a rating of 8.1 on IMDB, making it a worthwhile movie to watch if you’re looking for something dark and impactful.
Christmas Carol: Trailer
Christmas Carol: What Happens In The Movie?
When he gets into the Juvenile Center, Joo Il Woo attacks Moon Ja Hoon, who he thinks is the main guy who killed Wol Woo by drowning him in a water tank. The attack causes him to be sent out of the classroom for punishment by a teacher who everyone calls “The Psycho.”
Han Hee Sang, the psycho, makes everyone involved in the attack kneel and bark like a dog. Joo Il Woo shows resistance and is beaten up by him. Cho Soon Woo gives him first aid and warns him that he should stop thinking about revenge and focus on getting out of the center.
Joo Il Woo says he won’t forgive the killers and hides a pair of scissors in his cast. That night he is made to sleep in the detention room, and in the middle of his sleep, he is attacked by one of Moon Ja Hoon’s friends, who was also involved in beating up Joo Wol Woo. Il Woo’s head is attacked, but he still manages to hurt the other man with the scissors he has hidden. Han Hee Sang arrives and stops the fight before he kills him.
Il Woo is sent off to the detention room once again, and the higher-ups of the Juvenile Center decide to send him off to another place. Cho Soon Woo intervenes and requests that he be given another chance. Later he has a consultation session with Joo Il Woo and explains that he, too, feels guilty for what happened to Wol Woo and would like to help Il Woo take revenge for his brother. He hands him the keys to the Laundry room to show him the true reality of Han Hee Sang.
When Il Woo goes to the room, he secretly watches Son Hwan emerging from the Boiler room with pills and cigarettes. He finds out that Han Hee Sang has been abusing Son Hwan in exchange for cigarettes for Moon Ja Hoon. Jo Il Woo confronts Son Hwan and advises him to stop what he’s doing. Son Hwan lets his anger out on Jo Il Woo for not being there for his disabled brother when he needed him the most.
Son Hwan lived in the same apartment as the brothers and their grandma and was with Wol Woo before his death. Now that he was in the detention center, he chose to live as an underling and obeyed Moon Ja Hoon’s commands, even if it meant hurting himself greatly.
He helps Il Woo be up to date with whatever Ja Hoon and his gang plan against him. After seeing Son Hwan suffer from abuse, Il Woo suddenly remembers the time Wol Woo used to lie in pain at night and wonders if he was facing the same abuse from someone.
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On Christmas Eve, Wol Woo was supposed to meet up with Il Woo, but he didn’t show up and instead hung out with Son Hwan before heading to the grocery store. Both of them are regretful of what happened. Moon Ja Hoon invites over another guy to kill Il Woo, but Son Hwan hears it and informs Il Woo beforehand. Il Woo, Son Hwan, and Cho Soon Woo team up to kill Moon Ja Hoon in a matter of 40 minutes.
After an intense fight, Joo Il Woo is fatally injured and is not able to kill Moon Ja Hoon. That’s when Cho Soon Woo arrives and kills the rest of the remaining guys, including Moon Ja Hoon. Il Woo isn’t able to understand why Cho Soon Woo would take such a drastic step, but he picks things together and realizes something horrific. He hears Cho Soon Woo say that he loves Wol Woo and that he was killing Moon Ja Hoon for his sake.
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Christmas Carol: Ending Explained
After Cho Soon Woo is arrested, Joo Il Woo finally figures out that Cho Soon Woo used to visit his apartment on Sundays and would offer instant noodles to his family. What they weren’t aware of was that he used to abuse Wol Woo behind closed doors and was also the real person behind his death. On the day of Christmas Eve, Wol Woo was beaten up by Moon Ja Hoon at the grocery store, but he wasn’t dead after the chaos. That’s when Il Woo finally calls Wol Woo and hears him shouting through the phone.
He tries to return to his home somehow, but things take a worse turn when Cho Soon Woo finds an injured Wol Woo and takes him to an apartment’s terrace. That’s where he abuses him, and the pain eventually kills Wol Woo. He is unable to comprehend what happened, and in shock, Cho Soon Woo hides his body in the water tank. The only evidence that Il Woo had was the call, which makes him think that Moon Ja Hoon was the perpetrator.
Back in Jail, Son Hwan spits on the face of Cho Soon Woo, and Joo Il Woo promises to kill him as soon as he’s out of jail. Soon Wo claims he feels lighter now that he has avenged Wol Woo, completely ignoring the fact that he is the real villain. Seeing Il Woo trying to avenge his brother and thinking Ja Hoon was the murderer gave him a sense of ease, knowing he wouldn’t be targeted. But eventually, the truth comes out, and Il Woo finds out what kind of person Soon Woo is.
Both Joo Il Woo and Son Hwan return to the terrace to sing the Christmas Carol that Wol Woo loved singing. When Wol Woo was alive, no one liked being around him, but Wol Woo always tried his best to make his brother like him. After Il Woo joined the gang, his attitude got much worse, and he wasn’t able to notice Wol Woo hurting. After his death, he realizes that his brother loved him and is left with nothing but regret for what has happened.
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