Fermentation Family (aka Balhyo Gajok), starring Song Il-kook and Park Jin-hee, may have an awkward-sounding title (at least in English), but the stills from the upcoming cable drama are quite easy on the eyes.
Pictured together here are series stars Song Il-kook (A Man Called God) and Park Jin-hee (Giant) from the drama’s open set day, and already the chemistry is crackling between them. Take the above shot: They look like they’re either about to bite each other’s heads off or start making out, or maybe both.
Normally I’d find the drama’s unwieldy title off-putting (even if it’s apt given the traditional (fermented) Korean cuisine milieu), but in this case I don’t even care, since what has my attention is the credentials of the producers: Writer Kim Ji-woo and Park Chan-hong have paired twice before, and both Devil and Resurrection were standouts — tightly written, dark, and gritty.
This drama is aiming lighter than those previous projects, though, so I’m expecting less in the way of dark crime material and more of the heartwarming variety. The drama is centered around a family that runs a Korean restaurant who bumble through life, as well as the oddball characters who gather there, and promises to tell a “cheerful, touching story.”
The romance between the leads described as one of those bickering relationships that graduates to friendship, mutual helpfulness, and then a “family-like, warm romance.” Now, that’s an ill-thought-out simile: Familial is just about the last quality I look for in a romance, myself. (I’m going to write this one off as a promotional foot-in-mouth moment rather than an actual faux-incest motif.)
The broadcaster, jTBC, is another of the new cable channels that has yet to premiere. It is preparing an impressive drama lineup with which to launch: Fermentation Family joins the list along with others like Padam Padam: The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats and sageuk drama Queen Insu starring Chae Shi-ra.
Fermentation Family premieres on December 7.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/10/song-il-kook-and-park-jin-hee-in-fermentation-family/
Park Jin-hee is coming back to dramaland! The star of Giant and The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry has signed on to headline a new cable drama opposite Song Il-kook (Crime Squad). Song has been considering the role and other names have been bandied about for the lead actress, but both are now confirmed to star.
The drama is called Fermentation Family or Balhyo Gajok, which is just the weirdest title ever. But now that a character description is in for Park Jin-hee, it starts to make a little more sense (it still sounds horrible though). She’ll be playing a naturally gifted chef who dreams of becoming the chef of the best fusion restaurant in Korea. But the reality is that she’s the cook in a tiny neighborhood joint with bizarre local clientele, including hotheaded gangsters like the one played by Song Il-kook.
The story is about the unlikely family that forms among the people who are connected through this neighborhood eatery. So fermentation can be literal, like with many Korean foods (kimchi, soybean paste), and it can also be figurative, as in “raising a family.” I just wish it were a better-sounding word in English. “Family” also takes on a double meaning if it refers to the mobster family as well as the bizarro family that forms around the leads.
This drama comes from the PD-writer team behind Mawang / The Devil and Rebirth / Resurrection, PD Park Chan-hong and writer Kim Ji-woo. Those aren’t exactly light and fluffy dramas, which makes me think that this might skew towards the dark thriller type of drama. That’s what I thought initially with the writer, director, and Song Il-kook. But the premise as it sounds now seems to center on Park Jin-hee’s character, and on her restaurant as the focal point for this ragtag family. And to me, ragtag family sounds comical (and awesome). It’s anyone’s guess which way it’ll go.
Fermentation Family premieres December 7 on jTBC.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/09/park-jin-hee-and-song-il-kook-headline-new-drama/
Song Il-kook is reportedly in contention as the leading man in a new drama with an interestingly uninteresting title: It’s 발효가족, which means literally Fermentation Family. It’s a horrible sounding name, so for now I’m going to call it by its phonetic Korean name, Balhyo Gajok. Phew, that sounds better to my ear, strangely, though it means the same thing.
There’s barely any information about the project in official news reports, but from the dribs and drabs I’ve been able to pick up, the fermentation part of the title likely comes from the drama’s involvement with kimchi, although it also deals with gangsters. Now there’s a title for you: Kimchi and Gangsters. True, that would make it sound much more comedic, but then again, it’s not like fermentation conjures up images of badass gangsters either.
But before you mentally check out of the show before it’s even begun, there’s one key consideration: Directing it is PD Park Chan-hong, who did Rebirth (aka Resurrection) and Mawang (aka The Devil) — two dark thriller dramas oft-noted for their high-quality storytelling and acting (and, as it happens, both starring Uhm Tae-woong). That track record right there is enough to make me sit up and take notice, because it’s rare that we get dark K-drama thrillers that work well, and here’s a guy with two standouts on his resumé.
A rep confirmed that Song has received the script and is considering the role, but cautioned that it’s too early to make casting statements. (There are wee little rumors that Kim Jung-eun — I Am Legend, Forever the Moment — is in contention for the female lead, but those are not yet substantiated.) Song had a modest success last year with the weekend action drama A Man Called God, but fared less well this year with Crime Squad. Balhyo Gajok will be produced by Olive Nine, but currently doesn’t have broadcaster commitment.
Source/Credit;
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/09/song-il-kook-considers-drama-with-mawang-pd/
