Toward the end of the 19th century, King Gojong (PARK) of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty briefly sought refuge with the Russian consulate under the threat of foreign invasion. Here he fell in love with a drink that had yet to gain popularity in his homeland: coffee. Returning to the throne, he hires the beautiful Tanya (KIM) as his personal barista. Tanya becomes involved in a dangerous social circle that involves not only the Russian sniper Ilyich (JOO) but also the mysterious so...more

Toward the end of the 19th century, King Gojong (PARK) of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty briefly sought refuge with the Russian consulate under the threat of foreign invasion. Here he fell in love with a drink that had yet to gain popularity in his homeland: coffee. Returning to the throne, he hires the beautiful Tanya (KIM) as his personal barista. Tanya becomes involved in a dangerous social circle that involves not only the Russian sniper Ilyich (JOO) but also the mysterious socialite known as both BAE Jeong-ja and Sadako (YOO). With her intimate connection to the King, Tanya must decide if she will become a pawn in the political battlefield of late 19th century Korea.

Director CHANG Youn-hyun was a major force in the late-1990’s Korean Wave with titles such as 1997’s <The Contact> and 1999’s <Tell Me Something>. Over the last decade he has directed <Some> (2004) and <Hwang Jin Yi> (2007). <Gabi> is adapted from a novel by KIM Tak-hwan, who also penned the original story behind <Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow>, one of the most successful Korean films of 2011.less