An aging widower with two sons and two daughters makes a living operating a horse-drawn cart but, in a city that is modernizing after the destruction of the Korean War, automobiles are quickly rendering such carts obsolete. The Coachman is a drama told with warmth and sympathy about a family trying to lift its way out of poverty and into the middle class. The father, played by the iconic Kim Seung- ho, represents many older residents of the time who were not able to cope with the rapid social changes of the era. The Coachman was the first Korean film to win a major overseas award, receiving the Silver Bear (Special Jury Prize) at the 1961 Berlin Film Festival. Although now somewhat overshadowed by its contemporaries The Housemaid and Aimless Bullet, The Coachman remains a crowd-pleaser and a revealing portrait of a society in transition. Restored in 2021 by the Korean Film Archive.

For $30, receive one ticket to this film and a select menu item at Café Paradiso, located in FLC’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. Learn more about our Dinner + Movie combo here.