Director Park Chan-Wook 박찬욱 [“Decision to Leave”]

Helena · June 29, 2022

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/06/29/entertainment/movies/Park-Chanwook-Decision-to-Leave/20220629170003350.html
Director Park Chan-wook tones it down for his latest film 'Decision to Leave'

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr] | June 29, 2022

Park Chan-wook [CJ ENM]

For the first time in many years, the newest film directed by Park Chan-wook, “Decision to Leave,” for which he received Best Director at this year’s Cannes, isn’t rated R.

Compared to his prior films such as “The Handmaiden” (2016), “Thirst” (2009), “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” (2005), “Oldboy” (2003) and “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” (2002), the degree of implicitly sexual and violent scenes has been toned down.

The film rides a fine line between investigative drama and romance as a police detective named Hae-jun, portrayed by Park Hae-il, begins to fall for a suspect — a Chinese widow named Seo-rae, portrayed by Tang Wei. Seo-rae is on the police radar for presumably having killed her husband, who was found dead at the base of a mountain.

At a press event on June 2, Park, fresh back from Cannes, said that the two genres cannot be separated: “A detective meets a suspect, gains information about her, questions her, follows her and goes on a stakeout to watch her. He waits for her outside. The whole process of investigation is like how a couple begins their relationship.”

The film is the fifth collaboration of Park and his longtime business partner, screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyung, since “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance,” and according to Park at an online press interview Monday, the idea for “Decision to Leave” derived from a dare.

Park Chan-wook designed the narrative to ride a fine line between investigative drama and romance genreas as Hae-jun, portrayed by Park Hae-il, becomes attracted to a suspect named Seo-rae, portrayed by Tang Wei, as he questions her. [CJ ENM]

“From the beginning, Jeong had said that we could never make a love film,” Park said. “She said that we are not that kind [of people]. So I wanted to show her that we could, by actually doing it. It took a lot of wheedling and persuasion to complete the romance story with Jeong, and I don’t think she ever really felt that we did, even after we finished the script. She gradually seemed to realize it more as she visited the set and saw the actors perform, and after it was finished, she was ever so surprised, even though she had written it. I think the power of the narrative was brought forward by the performance of actors Tang Wei and Park Hae-il. The duo’s performance was superb in the sense that they hid their romantic feelings for each other but made it apparent for the audience.”

Since the world premiere at Cannes, it was famously known that Park and Jeong wrote the narrative with the intent to cast Tang Wei.

Spoiler

Director Park Chan-wook and writer Jeong Seo-kyung wrote the script with the intent to cast Tang Wei in "Decision to Leave." [CJ ENM]

"I have wanted to work with her since ‘Lust, Caution’ [2007], ‘Late Autumn’ [2010] and ‘The Golden Era’ [2014]," Park said.

"I think her attraction is, how may I put it, her composure is very erect," he said, quoting a line from the film when Hae-jun describes what he likes about Seo-rae. "It is actually a line that we wrote thinking of her, but I think it also goes for Park Hae-il as well. When we say that we like someone, and look for the reason why, and, more often than not, it’s ultimately because they are similar to us or they are idealistic as to what we want to become. When Jeong and I wrote the script, I thought this line was true for both of the actors.”

Park Hae-il's Hae-jun is a unique character in the sense that he shatters the image of those tough police detectives that local audience is familiar with. He is a gentlemen who always wears tailored suits with a dozen pockets containing various necessities such as lip balm, hand cream and eyedrops; he is kind to suspects and has strict principles against using force or violence during investigation; and although he wears sneakers, he always wears black ones to match his suits.

Spoiler

The character of Hae-jun was inspired from the Martin Beck police mystery series that Park Chan-wook came across during his high school years. [CJ ENM]

“The idea for Hae-jun was derived from the protagonist of the Martin Beck police mystery series,” Park said. “Instead of using the character’s profession as a means for showing action sequences, I wanted to show the detective as a worker, like a journalist or engineer. So it may seem realistic, but also far from reality; it did start from the notion that this character thinks of himself as a hardworking civil worker dedicated to work for the good of the citizens. He wants to pay respect to them through his attire, with suit and tie. He thinks that it’s also part of his duty and his dignity to look smart and clean, so he would need many pockets to maintain his look, even if he does spend nights on duty or at crime scenes.”

The female protagonists in Park’s films always have their own iconic color that symbolizes them; in “Lady Vengeance,” it was her red eyeshadow, in “Thirst,” it was the sapphire blue dress that she wore. In “Decision to Leave,” Seo-rae flaunts a turquoise dress that matches the color of the walls in her home, with patterns that can look like mountains or waves.

Spoiler

The wallpaper in Seo-rae's home from "Decision to Leave" are designed to look either blue or green, and like mountains or waves, based on different perspectives, according to Park Chan-wook. [CJ ENM]

“The wallpaper was purposefully designed so that for some, it may look like waves, and for others, it may look like mountains,” Park said. “It also looks blue or green [depending on the light], like Seo-rae’s dress. Even the characters’ emotions and situations, depending on the perspective, vary. Seo-rae may be identified as a widow of a victim, or she may be a murderess. She is a someone who cannot be stipulated by facts of what is real or not. So the waves became an important motive in this film. It’s a natural phenomenon to which one can feel the power of that mountainous fate. When it’s still, it’s not scary at all — one wants to be wrapped within it. But once it gets angry, one fears it — it’s ever-changing and a power that we cannot dare to go against. That’s what the waves felt like to me.”

Park, overall, is satisfied with how his attempt at romance turned out, although he says that it doesn’t mean he will continue to make less-brutal or violent films.

Park Chan-wook [CJ ENM]

“Among the multiple scripts that I have in store right now, there are films that are extremely violent, and there are also some that are even less violent than this one,” Park said. “It doesn’t mean that I’ve changed my course to this completely. I match the degree of expression depending on what the story demands. I am satisfied overall with how this project turned out. The two actors’ performance was admirable to me, so the film offers entertainment even after watching it multiple times. Compared to my other works, the film has less scenes which I regret.”

The film was released in theaters on Wednesday.

Helena · June 29, 2022

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/06/29/entertainment/movies/Park-Haeil-interview-Decision-to-Leave/20220629180922993.html
Actor Park Hae-il portrays the unprecedented in 'Decision to Leave'

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr] | June 29, 2022

Park Hae-il [CJ ENM]

In Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave,” actor Park Hae-il portrays the unprecedented: a gentlemanly police detective who begins to fall for a suspect in his murder case.

Park Hae-il's casting was equally unique in the sense that Park Chan-wook and screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyung approached him for the role before the script was even completed.

“When I met Park Chan-wook [for the casting], he just explained the narrative nonstop, for a full hour or so” because the script was incomplete, the actor said at a press interview at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, on Friday. “Although [my character, Hae-jun] is a police detective, he is reserved, polite, dignified and proud of what he does. As I pieced the images together in my head, it was a kind of character that I’d never imagined.

Hae-jun, portrayed by Park Hae-il, on a stakeout to watch Seo-rae, portrayed by Tang Wei, as she is a suspect in the death of her husband. [CJ ENM]

“I knew that they had to ensure the casting before they finished the script because they needed a Chinese actor, and the film could be made only when the two leads were secured. I thought that as they were finishing writing the script after they cast [Tang Wei and I], they may incorporate personal elements of myself within the character, and I did feel that as I read the completed script.”

Park Hae-il applauded Tang Wei on her dedication to study Korean for the film. The accent of her character, Seo-rae, is imperfect since she is a foreigner, and she uses archaic, literary words since she learned the language through watching historical drama series.

When she needs to spill her emotions, she uses a translation app on her smartwatch to deliver what she wants to say.

Seo-rae uses a translation app on her smartwatch to communicate with Hae-jun as she is a foreigner. [CJ ENM]

“I saw a review from a foreign journalist where [they] used the word ‘digitalog’ [a portmanteau of digital and analog] to describe our film,” Park said. “The review praised our use of smart devices while still maintaining the classic tone for the overall story. […] Before we started shooting, Tang Wei and I spent some time to get to know each other. Before I met her, I had this urbane image of her. But when I met her with Park Chan-wook, she was a humane actor, and I thought she was perfect for the character of Seo-rae. Before we started shooting, she asked me to record Hae-jun’s lines in Korean, so I took extra care to deliver the emotions with good pronunciation during the recording. In return, there were several lines in which Tang Wei speaks Chinese, so I asked her to record her lines in Chinese as well. It helped us to get used to each other's characters’ emotions when we acted.”

The actor also described how his character began to fall for Seo-rae.

“As Hae-jun meets Seo-rae, his characteristics such as his politeness, pride and dignity about his profession would have been amplified,” Park said. “There is a scene where Hae-jun asks Seo-rae whether she would like to see the photographs of her husband’s body. She first says she just wants to hear the description, but then changes her mind and says she wants to see the pictures. I believe that was the first moment Hae-jun developed feelings for her. And when she sees her husband’s body in the morgue, her expression remains unchanged, unmoved — different from how a typical person would react. His curiosity toward her accumulated that way, I think, and he wanted to know more about her as a person, and her patterns as a suspect. His emotions towards her subtly vary over time. Then, he is thrown into a whirlwind of emotions [as he falls for her].”

Spoiler

Hae-jun begins to fall for Seo-rae as he continues to investigates the case. [CJ ENM]

The actor also described his impression of Park Chan-wook, with whom he was working for the first time.

“He was more intimidating because of his softness,” Park said. “When we refer to someone as intimidating, it’s usually because their characteristics are very distinct and clearly outlined. However, Park Chan-wook was subtle and ambiguous, just like his film, which was what made him more daunting. When we meet someone, we try to figure them out based on their energy, but I couldn’t with him because he doesn’t show that.”

Helena · June 29, 2022

Daily Box Office - 2022-06-29 (Wed) <preliminary numbers> 
Rank | Title | Release Date | Admissions (Total) | Number of Screens | Revenue Share
1. Top Gun: Maverick | 2022-06-22 | 208,210 (2,037,618) | 1,324 | 48.8%
2. Decision to Leave | 2022-06-29 | 114,587 (124,804) | 1,374 | 25.1%
3. Witch Part2. The Other One | 2022-06-15 | 51,018 (2,387,591) | 756 | 11.2%

 4. The Roundup | 2022-05-18 | 46,177 (12,181,535) | 746 | 10.4% 

5. Broker | 2022-06-08 | 5,988 (1,232,707) | 177 | 1.1%
6. Lightyear | 2022-06-15 | 3,764 (296,182) | 107 | 0.7%

 7. Jurassic World: Dominion | 2022-06-01 | 2,498 (2,822,575) | 54 | 0.4%
8. Into Great Silence | 2022-06-29 | 1,024 (1,024) | 48 | 0.2% 

9. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent | 2022-06-29 | 810 (2,121) | 110 | 0.2%
10. Thor: Love and Thunder | 2022-07-06 | 624 (624) | 1 | 0.3%
Source: https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/stat/boxs/findDailyBoxOfficeList.do

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https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065574050169475
Park Chan-wook's 'Decision to Leave' starts off with second place at box office

YonhapNews / 2022-06-30 09:47:27

▲ This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows director Park Chan-wook's "Decision to Leave." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Director Park Chan-wook's new film "Decision to Leave" started with the second place at the box office. According to the integrated network of movie tickets by the Korean Film Council, "Decision to Leave' mobilized about 114,000 spectators the day before its release date and ranked second after "Top Gun: Maverick (often referred to 'Top Gun 2')."

 “Decision to leave” by director Park Chan-wook is about a detective Hae-jun played by Park Hae-il who works on the investigation of a dead husband who starts to feel suspicion but at the same time feels attracted to the recently widowed wife Seo-rae played by Tang Wei. Director Park won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival last month for this film.

  "Top Gun 2," starring Tom Cruise, mobilized about 208,000 people, almost double the numbers of 'Decision to leave" the day before. Although "Top Gun 2" is in its second week of release, it maintained the number of audiences despite the release of new films, and took the top spot at the box office for eight days in a row. As of this morning, the reservation rate was 44.1%, significantly ahead of the "Decision to Leave." In fact, "Top Gun 2" surpassed 2 million cumulative audience on the afternoon of the June 29. (END)

Helena · July 1, 2022

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065581511472695
'Top Gun: Maverick' tops the chart 9 days in a row

YonhapNews / 2022-07-01 11:51:17
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Joonha Yoo.)

▲This photo, provided by Lotte Entertainment, shows, a scene from the movie TOP Gun : Maverick. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows, a scene from ' Decision to leave'. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- “Top Gun : Maverick” (shortened for Top Gun2) and director Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to leave” will be going head to head against one another at theatre this weekend. 

 According to the integrated network of movie tickets by the Korean Film Council, “Top Gun2” secured its top position after attracting 146 thousand viewers. It has been 9 days since “Top Gun2” topped the movie chart with total of more than 2.18 million viewers. The audiences have remained the same, despite the slight decrease in number of screens leading up to long term Korean box office hit.

  “Decision to leave” which premiered on Wednesday placed second on the chart with 63 thousand viewers a day. Some of the audiences left polar opposite comments such as “it left a long lasting impression” or “the movie is way too complex, it is very hard to understand the plot”. 

 According to the reservation rate, “Top Gun2” which has higher demand in IMAXs reached 45.1 percent where as “Decision to leave” was only at 13.7 percent as of this morning.

  “The Witch: Part 2 The Other One” and “The Roundup” continued on with their performance with 32 thousand viewers a day for “The Witch Part 2 The Other One” and 35 thousand viewers for “the Roundup”. “The Roundup” successfully surpassed “A Taxi Driver” which was placed number 17th on the rank of total viewers by achieving total viewers of over 12.21 million viewers. 

 “Prisoners of the Ghostland” starring Nicolas Cage and drama film “Come on Come on” starring Joaquin Phoenix awaits for its viewers this weekend.

  Meanwhile the total number of movie viewers reached 15.447 million from 14.55million last month, which is in total of 6.3 percent increase. Compare to before COVID-19 the total number of movie viewers are less than June of 2019 when Aladin and Parsite drew incredible amount of people to the theater, and similar to June of 2018. (END)

Helena · July 4, 2022

[eng sub] Decision to Leave DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY｜ft. Park Chan-wook, Tang Wei, Park Hae-il

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https://variety.com/2022/film/asia/korea-box-office-top-gun-maverick-decision-to-leave-1235308645/
‘Top Gun Maverick’ Fires Off $9.7 Million Second Weekend Ahead of ‘Decision to Leave’ at Korean Box Office

By Patrick Frater | Jul 3, 2022

“Top Gun Maverick” flew even higher on its second weekend at the Korean box office, holding on to the top spot and fractionally increasing its gross take. The sky-high performance was more than enough to overshadow the otherwise promising opening of Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave.”

“Top Gun Maverick” earned $9.72 million between Friday and Sunday, with a 59% market share, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That compared with $9.55 million and a 57% market share on its debut weekend. After 12 days in Korean cinemas, the film has accumulated $27.6 million.

The meticulously-made “Decision,” which earned Park the best director prize at Cannes in May, represented interesting counter-programming to the unabashed spectacle of “Top Gun Maverick.” It opened brightly with $2.57 million over the weekend, representing a 16% share, and $3.84 million over its opening five days.

“The Witch: Part 2. The Other One” earned $1.73 million on its third weekend, advancing its cumulative to $21.0 million. Crime action film The Roundup earned $1.62 million in fourth place, extending its aggregate haul since May 18 to $99 million.

Behind the top four, there were relatively thin pickings. “Lightyear” earned $222,000 for a $2.63 million cumulative. And Korea’s other Cannes prizewinner, “Broker” earned $80,000 for a $9.16 million cumulative after four weekends.

While there remains extreme polarization between the top titles and the also-rans, the monthly figures show box office in June holding on to the comeback gains of May. The country dropped most of its COVID protocols at the beginning of May, allowing theatrical cinema to bounce back.

Gross revenues in June were KRW158 billion ($122 million), slightly ahead of May’s KRW150 million ($116 million) in local currency terms. June enjoyed 15.5 million ticket sales, compared with May’s 14.6 million.

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https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsList.php?tid=181941834
‘Decision to Leave’ ranks No.1 for the Nth round of viewing

YonhapNews / 2022-07-08 16:39:21
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)

▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows movie "Decision to Leave" (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 8 (Yonhap) -- Director Park Chan-wook's new film in six years "Decided to Break Up" is showing little progress, contrary to expectations. However, it seems like the movie is aiming for a long-term screening, as the Nth viewing continues among movie enthusiasts.

  "Decided to Break Up" recorded a cumulative number of 680,000 viewers since its release on June 29 to the previous day, according to the Korea Film Council's integrated network of movie tickets on Friday. The number of viewers per day fell from 114,000 on the opening day to 33,000 on the previous day.

  Compared to Park's previous works such as "Old Boy" (3.26 million), "Lady" (4.28 million), "Lady Vengeance" (3.65 million), and "Bat" (2.23 million), new movie’s performance does not meet the expectations. 

 Director Park chose new writing technique of leading the story to the psychology of the characters in "Decision to Break Up", refraining from using provocative descriptions, which was his trademark. Thanks to this, it received ‘15’ rating. Combined with this, Movie receiving favorable review and the director winning director's award at Cannes Film Festival led many to predict the movie to be a hit.  

 When Park returned home with the Cannes Film Festival trophy in late May, he said, "I'm a little worried that I'll be seen as a limited person who only make art films. The movie I make is always a commercial movie for the public." 

 Director Park's concerns seem to be becoming a reality after the release. The movie failed to attract audiences as a speculative review that the movie ‘glorifies an affair’ emerged and unlike the previous works, which were full of violence and sex, this movie is rather calm.

  Some predict, however, that the Nth viewing craze will steadily improve the progress until masterpieces release at the end of this month.

  An official from CJ ENM, which distributes "Decided to Break Up" said, "The number of Nth viewing audiences are expected to increase as it has been less than 2 weeks since its release. Word of mouth among enthusiasts will pave the way for a long-term success of the movie.“ (END)

Helena · July 13, 2022

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065570420881474
‘Decision to Leave’ surpasses 1 million in 2 weeks

YonhapNews / 2022-07-14 08:47:10
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)

▲ photo provided by CJ ENM

SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- Movie "Decision to Leave," starring Park Hae-il and Tang Wei, exceeded 1 million cumulative audiences on Wednesday, announced distributor CJ ENM.

 "Decision to Leave" was released on June 29 and took two weeks to surpass 1 million cumulative viewers. The estimated break-even point is 1.2 million audiences as the movie costed 11.3 billion won to produce.

  "Decision to Leave" is the first new film by director Park Chan-wook in six years and its release drew attention as he won the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival in France in last May. However, its box office performance is low compared to Park's previous films such as "The Handmaiden" (4.28 million), "Bats" (2.23 million) and "Lady Vengeance" (3.65 million).

  "Decision to Leave" is about detective Hae-jun (Park Hae-il), who investigated the death case, falls in a love with the deceased's wife, Seorae (Tang Wei). (END)

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Helena · July 17, 2022

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065600176514451
Writer Jung Seo-kyung says "'Decision to Leave' is director Park Chan-wook's best work"

YonhapNews / 2022-07-17 17:02:42

▲ This photo, shows writer Jung Seo-kyung of the movie “Decision to Leave” posing before an interview with Yonhap News held at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on Friday morning. (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows a scene from "Decision to Leave." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- “I was like ’Did I really write this?' It felt more like a question mark than an exclamation point." 

 Writer Jung Seo-kyung of the movie “Decision to Leave” recalled how she felt when she saw the finished work for the first time. She is an inseparable partner of director Park Chan-wook. The two have been together for 20 years, and have co-authored “Lady Vengeance” (2005), 'I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay” (2006), “Thirst” (2009), and “The Handmaiden” (2016). 

 “I liked it and found it beautiful because it was far from the work that I wrote. I think that’s why I got to like this movie,” she said in an interview at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on Friday, as she pointed out “Decision to Leave” as director Park’s best work.

  “When I look at the work I’ve written, I feel a lot of complex emotions, but ‘Decision to Leave’ is not like that. I think it was the first time for me to watch a movie while feeling it’s another separate movie. I just wrote a scene about a boy meeting a girl in a beach, but I didn’t know it was going to be made like this. I didn’t know that I was going to feel like I was going in the movie and feel the emotions together, not did I think that I was going to cry for the pity woman.”  

 “Decision to Leave” is a story of detective Hae-jun (Park Hae-il), who feels suspicious and love at the same time for Seo-rae (Tang Wei), the wife of the deceased as he investigates a murder case. This work, which has the characteristics of both a detective drama and a romance drama, has a distinctly different color from Park Chan-wook's previous works with no brutal violent scenes, or passionate bed scenes. 

 “After many considerations, I removed all the physical interactions of the two people. I left only one kissing scene. I didn’t mean to do that from the beginning. I love the line that says, ‘Throw the cell phone into the sea. Throw it somewhere deep and don’t let anyone find it.’ I think this line shows the meaning of love, and it made me remove the unnecessary things.”

  "Neither the director nor can I stand romantic things well, but this time I realized that I liked some melodrama," writer Jung said, as she laughed.  

 “When the director saw the movie, he said to me, ‘After all, a movie is all about melodrama,’ and I completely agreed with him. The quality of emotions I felt at the end was different. Melodrama really touches the essence of human beings!, I thought.” 

 As the most memorable scene, she chose the ending of the movie. Writer Jung said that the scene reminded him about the myth of Orpheus.  

 “Although the director and I didn’t intend it, it felt like Orpheus wandering between Hell and Earth to search for his lost wife. It was like a man who must wander forever in search of his loved ones. The man in the movie was Hae-jun in search of Seorae, but it made me think that, that man was there for a long time and will be there forever.”

  “Decision to break up” is the first time writer Jung and director Park wrote a screenplay with a specific actor in mind. Writer Jung wrote the screenplay with Seorae as a Chinese woman to cast Tang Wei. "The director wanted to do a movie with a melodrama genre, but I was not very confident. I love Tang Wei, so I thought could do it easily if it was Tang Wei. Tang Wei is a person who is always herself regardless of time and space. As a writer, she’s also really beautiful to look at, and is a speaker of little but direct words.”

  Writer Jung also praised Park Hae-il as "an amazing actor" and that "he will always stand by one’s side until his actor finds his own pace." 

 “You know, the waves crash on the sea, but the bottom is really calm. In that sense, Park Hae-il is an actor like the deep sea. Everything was so good that if I was stuck on an inhabited island, I thought I would choose Park Hae-il.”

 “Decision to Leave” received the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival and received high expectations even before its release. However, unlike the favorable reception among domestic and foreign media and movie fanatics, the cumulative number of audiences exceeded only 1 million within two weeks of its release, showing a poor performance. 

 "If you think about it, everything would have been perfect if it wasn't for that expectation,” writer Jung said. "The 1 million audience is so precious, and I'm also grateful to the audience who felt deeply after watching the movie many times." 

 “The director also said, ‘Even if I had known the results, I would have still written the same script and filmed it the same way.’ I think it’s just the results of one’s decision.” (END)

Helena · July 20, 2022

http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/interview.jsp?blbdComCd=601019&seq=439&mode=INTERVIEW_VIEW
A Movie as a Product of Nature, Writer Chung Seokyung of Decision to Leave

by KIM Subin | Jul 19, 2022

"I didn't imagine the story of a man wandering the seashore of the waves would be so heartbreaking!"

Director Park Chanwook and Scriptwriter Chung Seokyung's melodramatic detective story Decision to Leave marks the 1st month of its release. The audience is giving steady and enthusiastic support to the suspenseful romance between 'Seorae (Tang Wei),' the wife of a man who died unnaturally, and 'Haejun (Park Haeil),' a detective hovering around her. As Director Park Chanwook's partner, who has been working with him since Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Scriptwriter Chung Seokyung also wrote a lot of screenplays and scripts, including the movies The Truth Beneath, Believer, TV series Mother, Little Women, a new drama series, etc. With Scriptwriter Chung Seokyung, let's find out what makes us ruminate Decision to Leave over and over again after we watched it.

- The number of audiences for Decision to Leave exceeded 1 million on July 13. And the audience continues to watch it several times repeatedly, saying 'the more you watch it, the deeper meaning you can feel.' What do you think of the review?
= I hardly watch my movies again because I'm a bit embarrassed. I watched Decision to Leave at Cannes for the first time, and I thought I could watch it again and again, thinking, 'It's the first time I've watched this movie.' The story itself is supposed to spin like a revolving door. When Seorae's love ends, Haejun's love begins, and when Haejun realizes it, he goes out to look for Seorae... In a way, the story was written as if it would never end. Maybe, that's why I wanted to watch the film again, I think.

- It is said that you planned Decision to Leave with Director Park Chanwook, who was working on The Little Drummer Girl in London, England. He had declared that he wouldn't make a melodramatic movie or a romantic comedy, nevertheless, he made the film anyway. Are there any attractive points that could change his mind in this story?
= Well, rather than having attractive points, I think we wrote this story quite smoothly after deciding to write it. There's a killer, there's a detective, and a husband dies in the film, so I thought about how the man should die to start the story. I think I've had an idea of death falling from a mountain all the time. So, I thought about looking at the mountain while falling from it and dying, and the image of the person who fell matched the mountain.

- Then, the beginning of the story is more of a thriller than a melodrama?
= Writing a melodrama was hard for me. I was not confident in writing the scene where the main characters looked at each other and said they loved each other. One character just happened to be a detective and the other a murderer. Since a detective loves his work and reads a lot of things from a crime scene more than anyone else, I thought Haejun could read the murderer's mind at the scene and feel it close. A detective is not the one who judges if a suspect is right or wrong, but the one who catches the real culprit. Therefore, in the process of investigating the case, I thought a suspect's mind could come to the detective's mind as if he was reading his or her letter. The director's first idea was a romance movie. He told me to do a melodrama. Since Director Park likes Émile Zola's style, he is attracted to something like a tragic romance. That's how it started.

- Detective Haejun is different from the somewhat wild and outspoken detective characters in many Korean cop films. It seems that you created the character without being conscious of the characters in the existing typical cop movies.
= While making movies, I had a few opportunities to meet detectives, and I felt good about them every time I met them. They seemed scary, but I thought they were very considerate of the other person and approached the criminals humanely. I also thought that we could live safely thanks to them. I wanted to include what I have experienced in reality a lot. I think the director especially wanted to develop the detective character into a neater and more polite one.

- Besides Martin Beck, who is well known as the main character in the Nordic mystery novels, is there any character or image that came to mind while you were making Haejun's character?
= Since the director likes the series, he recommended that I should read them. I think Director Park liked Martin Beck's image of an office worker with sincerity. I think Haejun was born by combining a sincere office worker and the detectives I met.

- Haejun told Seorae, "You are very upright. Few people can be upright like that without being nervous." Did you include the impression from Actor Tang Wei in the script?
= It was the director who wrote the line. When I first heard it, I was like, 'Oh, cool, huh?' I liked that because I didn't know what it meant clearly. It's funny when you hear it at first, and then you think about whether she is really upright or not. After that, you may feel sad. Seorae couldn't have come to Korea if she had lived in China happily. She must have led a very harsh life in China and even in Korea, where she couldn't make herself understood in Korean, and she has no one who understands her or she should understand. In the meantime, it was sad to think how great it was to maintain her posture straight. I think it's a good line. And when we think of Actor Tang Wei, we can recall her straight posture anyway. She is the person who approaches and shakes hands with a straight posture. There is cheerful straightness in her that we cannot feel because we are people who bow.

- Did you map out Seorae's past in China?
= I didn't map it out but just thought about it like a story. In the original script, the book 『Shan Hai Jing, the Classic of Mountains and Seas』 was included a lot but most of them have been edited out in the end. 『Shan Hai Jing, the Classic of Mountains and Seas』 is a kind of a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. For example, it tells a story of a beast with furs and horns in a country, explaining the beast eats this and does that, etc. So, from the POV of 『Shan Hai Jing, the Classic of Mountains and Seas』, I thought about Seorae's story. People living in the mountain area have stiff hair and sharp nails because they have to climb the mountain. People living on the seashore like to dig and hide well, do not show their minds easily, and breathe only with gills. Seorae is the character who should live in the sea, but she was born in the mountain. It must have been very hard for her to live with the body with gills but without furs. That's why Seorae comes down all the way to find the sea.

- Any images or figures you recall while creating the character Seorae?
= Instead of a figure, I imagined a person who came from a place where civilization or social systems are strong or strict. Someone from outside the law, relationships, or culture. That's why Haejun asks, "Seorae, what era are you from? The Tang Dynasty?" I thought it would be nice if Seorae had been like a jellyfish only with DNA in a stratum and then suddenly made into a human being without knowing anything.

- Since the lines Seorae and Haejun exchange are in a literary style, they seem to be more powerful and meaningful.
= I tried hard to write the lines realistically. I always try to write them naturally, but people always say they're written in the literary style. So I even thought about writing historical dramas because it wouldn't matter if the lines were less realistic in the script for a historical drama. I think the audience is getting used to my style. This time, I'm glad that people said, "I think it's meaningful because the lines are written in the literary style," rather than "the lines are written in the literary style too much." I thought of the words that Seorae could use. What would Seorae say if she used old-fashioned expressions in Korean? If she had watched a historical drama, she would say 'He lost his life' instead of 'He died' or 'He passed away' when she described her husband's death. And like the expression, 'At last,' the timing is right, but the meaning is slightly different in the context. I think I am glad when I finally find such words or expressions.

- The language barrier between the two characters seems to make the actors' gazes more affectionate.
= I watched the movie 4 times in total. I saw it at the premiere, at Cannes, and 2 times at other film festivals. I see something different every time I watch the movie. What I liked this time was the scene where Haejun says 'I want to know the pattern' and Seorae unlocks the cell phone and returns it. Seorae is not upright in the scene. She is bending her shoulders. Also, Seorae slightly bends her shoulders in the scene where she tries to leave, thinking that the first interrogation is over. That's kind of touching, too. I can feel that Seorae has lived like that, and she is scared now in the scene. And I think the audience would have liked Seorae at that moment unknowingly. I thought that's how she expressed the fear she felt in physical language. I wonder if that character would have expressed it like that if she knew Korean. That's why Tang Wei is a good actor.

- You worked with Production Designer Ryu Seonghee, Costume Designer Kwark Jungae, and Music Director Cho Youngwuk, all of whom you have been working together for a long time. Nevertheless, you said that Decision to Leave is the work that the distance between the script and the completed version of the film is the farthest.
= Watching the last scene at Cannes, I thought that filming, music, makeup, and production design were all well matched. I felt the script was too small here. When I watch a movie, I think, "This is how the script was filmed." And then I say, "The actor acted well." This time, however, I kept thinking, "What did I write, and how did it turn out like this?" while watching the film. I think the other staff members felt the same way. Since we have been working together for a long time, everything has turned out to be perfect in the end. Of course, it was my first time working with the director of photography, but the filming was great, too. While watching the whirlpool in the sea in the film, my heart seemed to indwell there. When I said to the DP, "I think the whirlpool acted so well," he said that was the power of CG. I couldn't believe it looked so natural by CG. (Laughs) In the script, it was written that the sea was swirling, but I didn't know that it would swirl like that. None of the scripts I wrote had this much nature. No matter how hard I try to use nature, it seems to be another matter to make nature natural.

- Do you prefer mountains to the sea?
= Yes, my heart pounds when I see conifer forests on the plane while passing through places like Finland and Hokkaido. I feel that 'I'm here now, and I'm safe here.' Maybe people who live in the mountains think they can hide between trees. But my husband always wants to go to the beach, especially the hot and humid one near the equator. When he goes there, he says he can breathe easily and feel like he's in his hometown. I think there must be a reason why we met. It's good to think of people as agricultural products or regional products, thinking about the characteristics of people from the mountains or the sea. People born in summer, fall, or winter can also be different. I wanted to portray people as products of nature. With this mindset, the movie also came out as if it were a product of nature.

- You quoted Confucius saying, "The wise man likes the sea and the kind man likes the mountains" in the line. Is it a sentence you like?
= Not exactly. While describing Seorae as a Chinese character, I thought it would be great if Actor Tang Wei acted her character with pride. That's why I wanted to include 『Shan Hai Jing, the Classic of Mountains and Seas』, the class of China, and the quotes from Confucius and tried to draw the history of the anti-Japanese movement in China. Sometimes, we feel China distant and sometimes close, but I wanted to remind us of the long history between Korea and China, and also I wanted Tang Wei to act thinking that we were together in some way in that imagination.

- What kind of work are you working on now?
= The TV series Little Women will air soon. I spent about 2 and a half years writing the script. I had a very hard time writing the script for the 12-episode drama, but I totally forgot how much I suffered when the writing was over. I keep saying 'What should I do?' while writing a script, but when the series is over, and everyone says, 'You must've suffered greatly from that,' I say, 'When did I suffer from that?' (Laughs) TV dramas and movies are different in length of time. I think I know a lot about the two-hour thing for a movie. 30 minutes later after the film started, people would feel like this, and after an hour, people would expect this, and then what kind of a story should flow here, and the story that flows underneath it has to come out of around this time, and then the story should change its direction around here, and so on. Since I've written movie scripts for more than 10 years, I've got the hang of it. What if it extends to 12 hours? Since I am set for 2 hours, I started thinking of it as two episodes at first. So after the second episode, the story ends. It was not easy for me to continue exploring 12 hours. But a story has its own size in terms of the way it summarizes a person's life rather than the depth of the subject. If the 2 hours of a movie is the time to contain the core of human life and death, I think 12 hours of a TV series can be the time length to depict one season at least.

Helena · August 2, 2022

https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/ebook/magazine/koreanCinemaToday41/4/index-4.html

“My films are always commercial films for the public. That's why they don't go well with the Festival de Cannes in a way.”

This is what Director Park Chanwook said to the press when he arrived at Incheon International Airport, who won the Best Director Award for Decision to Leave at the 75th Festival de Cannes. The nickname 'Cannes Park,' given by his longtime friend Director Ryoo Seungwan, is a critical keyword to explain Director Park Chanwook.

Park Chanwook is the most invited Korean film director to Cannes Competition and the most trophy-winning director. Starting from Oldboy, which won Grand Prix at Cannes in 2004, Director Park Chanwook was invited to Cannes with THIRST, which won the Jury Prize in 2009, followed by The Handmaiden, which was invited to Cannes Competition in 2016. With Decision to Leave, he was invited to Cannes Competition 4th time in 2022. Also, including the Best Director for Decision to Leave, Director Park has won 3 times at the Festival de Cannes.

However, there is also a risk of limiting Director Park and his films in the category of 'art films'. For this reason, he particularly emphasized that Decision to Leave is a commercial film for the public ahead of its release. As he said, Director Park Chanwook is a 'commercial film' director. After debuting with The Moon is What the Sun Dreams of in 1992, Director Park Chanwook became a successful 'commercial film director' with Joint Security Area, which drew about 6 million viewers in 2000. Over the next 30 years since his debut, he has made 20 feature films and short films. Director Park's representative films, Oldboy (2003), Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005), and The Handmaiden (2016) gave the audience a new pleasure with commercial genres of revenge, action, and romance. However, his 'commercial films' are just extremely unconventional and beautiful.

Director Park Chanwook's new commercial film, Decision to Leave, is a meticulous mystery genre film and melodrama whose main character is a detective, and a man and a woman in the film, who should never meet, fall in love 'at last.' The film has been pre-sold to 192 countries around the world and is ready to meet global audiences. Marking the 30th anniversary of his directorial debut, Director Park Chanwook once again opened the horizon of a new commercial film through Decision to Leave.

Spoiler

Park Chanwook is the most invited Korean film director to Cannes Competition and the most trophy-winning director. With Decision to Leave, he was invited to Cannes Competition 4th time in 2022. Also, including the Best Director for Decision to Leave, Director Park has won 3 times at the Festival de Cannes.

2022 marks the 30th anniversary of your directorial debut. It must be very special for you to have won the Best Director at the 75th Festival de Cannes this year.

I feel like I got a gift to celebrate the 30th anniversary of my debut. Especially, Chinese actor Tang Wei starred in Decision to Leave, while Broker, in which Song Kangho won the Best Actor, is a Korean film directed by Japanese director Kore-eda Hirokazu. I think it is very meaningful for Asian human resources and capital to exchange like that.

You made Decision to Leave during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Any difficulties while making the film?

I filmed it without much difficulty, but I couldn't relax even for a moment. Rather, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, I realized again how important it is to watch movies in theaters. During the Pandemic, I couldn't watch movies in theaters for a while, but I was very shocked when I saw a movie in the movie theater again. That's why I came to think again about 'watching a movie in a movie theater,' which I had taken for granted. I've felt a sense of calling to make a film that we can watch in a movie theater, and I've felt a stronger desire to make films we can watch in theaters more. Some people talk about the survival of films and the survival of movie theaters separately, but I don't think so. The essential meaning of 'watching a movie in a movie theater' matters most. Therefore, it is nice to hear that a '10 million-viewer' movie has come out in the Korean theater district after the Pandemic and that moviegoers are heading to movie theaters again.

Korean movies are constantly creating global issues. What do you think is the potential of Korean movies?

Hard to satisfy the Korean audience with sophisticated movie tastes. For example, when making a crime thriller movie, the Korean audience is not satisfied if the filmmaker is focusing on only one genre. They demand that our lives be described comprehensively. In genre movies, laughter, horror, and emotion are all needed. Because we have to make movies that satisfy such a sophisticated audience, Korean movies seem to have always developed anew.

Spoiler

Especially, Chinese actor Tang Wei starred in Decision to Leave, while Broker, in which Song Kangho won the Best Actor, is a Korean film directed by Japanese director Koreeda Hirokazu. I think it is very meaningful for Asian human resources and capital to exchange like that. Director Park Chanwook

“I think I've always made romantic comedies. (Laughs)”

Introducing Decision to Leave, you said you wanted to make a 'classical and elegant movie.' And as you mentioned, the atmosphere of the film seems different from your previous films.

I wanted to make a pure movie. 'Being pure' means neither including political messages or any claims made by the director nor focusing on cinematically spectacular attractions or techniques. I wanted to make a movie that drew deep inspiration by making it concise with the minimum elements that make up a movie. I thought a classical movie style could look rather new in modern times.

You made Decision to Leave during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Any difficulties while making the film?

I filmed it without much difficulty, but I couldn't relax even for a moment. Rather, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, I realized again how important it is to watch movies in theaters. During the Pandemic, I couldn't watch movies in theaters for a while, but I was very shocked when I saw a movie in the movie theater again. That's why I came to think again about 'watching a movie in a movie theater,' which I had taken for granted. I've felt a sense of calling to make a film that we can watch in a movie theater, and I've felt a stronger desire to make films we can watch in theaters more. Some people talk about the survival of films and the survival of movie theaters separately, but I don't think so. The essential meaning of 'watching a movie in a movie theater' matters most. Therefore, it is nice to hear that a '10 million-viewer' movie has come out in the Korean theater district after the Pandemic and that moviegoers are heading to movie theaters again.

When Decision to Leave was premiered at Cannes, the British media 'Guardian' gave full marks and praised it, saying, "Director Park Chanwook has returned to Cannes with a fantastic noir romance movie." Why did you choose noir and romance, the most representative genre for a commercial film?

Personally, I love those genres. When I first read the Swedish crime mystery novel <Martin Beck> series in high school, I absolutely fell in love with it. The main character is a gentle detective who is thoughtful and considerate of the other person, and I wanted to make a movie with such a detective. The other is romance. I think I've always made 'romantic comedies'. (Laughs) When Scriptwriter Chung Seokyung, who wrote the script with me, said, "We will never make a melodrama," I decided, "Then I will make a great melodrama!" Korean singer Jung Hoonhee's song 'Fog' also became a motif of the film. It is a song that I've liked since childhood, and Song Changsik, a legendary Korean folk musician, sang the same song, too. Imagining a movie starting with the song by the female singer Jung Hoonhee and ending with the song by the male musician Song Changsik, I came to think of a melodrama in which a woman and a man are the main characters.

It is said that you cast Tang Wei and Park Haeil even before writing the script. First, tell us about the process of casting Tang Wei.

As soon as I watched Director Ang Lee's film, Lust, Caution, I was fascinated by Actor Tang Wei. After watching Director Kim Taeyong's Late Autumn and Director Ann Hui's The Golden Era, I made up my mind to work with Tang Wei. To cast Tang Wei, the female lead was set as a foreigner. However, since I didn't want Tang Wei to say no to me after the script was done (Laughs), I met her and told her the story of the movie verbally before completing the script. I explained the plot in Korean, and the translator interpreted it into Chinese for Tang Wei. It took about an hour, and I was very happy that she willingly decided to join me. Tang Wei is an actor who is thoughtful and has her own perspective on acting. She is a rare actor with lovely charms and a profound presence that is difficult to encounter. I wanted to include all of Tang Wei's characters in the movie.

Actor Park Haeil never appeared in your movies before. What made you decide to cast him?

Although it is my first time making a movie with him, I've known Actor Park Haeil personally for a long time. His representative films, such as Rules of Dating and Memories of Murder, are completely different characters from Park Haeil himself. Real Park Haeil is the guy with a pure soul. Rather than hiding something, he is a transparent person, and he is also funny in a way because he reveals everything even though what he thinks is somehow wacky. The image of Park Haeil I have seen for a long time was perfect for the detective in Decision to Leave. While filming, he expressed a gentlemanlike detective character more than I had imagined. Both Tang Wei and Park Haeil always surprised me. In a melodrama, the chemistry between the two main characters is more important than anything else. Acting is an interaction. Since the two actors are thoughtful and caring, they could work while impressing each other. Such feelings are also evident in the movie.

Decision to Leave is a very elaborate crime mystery and melodrama giving lingering feelings a lot. Compared to your previous work, the film is also characterized by a very restrained expression.

After I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, the film was given a 15 rating in Korea. I wanted to show the love of grown-ups. When I introduced it as a 'love of grown-ups,' people expected a lot of sensual or erotic scenes in the movie. So, I thought I should make it the other way around. (Laughs) I wanted to show subtle and hidden emotions rather than violent and stormy ones. To do so, I had to reduce some stimulating factors. Not every love is passionate and deadly. There's love that can't be expressed well and such love can be more affectionate and heartrending. I think love is the most effective emotion that reveals 'what kind of a human you are.'

Spoiler

The lingering feelings of the last scene are long, and it is like the title of the movie, Decision to Leave, is finally completed by meeting the ending scene of the movie.

Although we make up our minds, our decisions rarely succeed. In a way, the word 'decision' seems to lead to failure. I like the title Decision to Leave because it is a title that the audience would not believe as it is. The meaning of the last scene also made it possible for the audience to find their own answers.

Your next work is known as the HBO's series, The Sympathizer. Robert Downey Jr. will star, and you will write the script and direct some parts of the series.

It is the story of a man who has lived as a double agent in the United States since the Vietnam War. I'm pondering a lot about how to adapt the great original work that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016. Some parts are likely to have strong violence or exposure. Please look forward to the series, too. In the future, I desire to make an English movie and a Korean movie alternately in Hollywood.

by Park Hyeeun

Helena · August 2, 2022

https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/ebook/magazine/koreanCinemaToday41/3/index-3.html

"SOMEONE WHO IS TRANSPARENT AND RESERVED BUT HAS PRIDE AND DIGNITY. A MAN OF GOOD MANNERS AND INNOCENCE." — Director Park Chanwook

This is the reason Director Park Chanwook conjured up only Actor Park Haeil when casting detective Haejun, the main character of Decision to Leave. If you have watched Park Haeil's representative films so far, you will be somewhat surprised. He has always fascinated audiences with the 'unplumbed' characters in the movies.

Let's recall Actor Park Haeil's masterpieces. A young man suspected of a serial killer, who everyone thinks is the real culprit in Bong Joonho's Memories of Murder (2003). The young man pleads not guilty with a clear, innocent face, but everything surrounding him is just suspicious. Park Haeil's innocent face, who plays the role, seems rather creepy. The main character of the romance movie, Rules of Dating (2005), keeps pestering women to 'sleep together' with a cute boy-like face. In Eungyo (2012), which became a hot topic with Park Haeil, who transformed into an old man, the actor played a genius poet in his 70s, ruining his life enthralled by the youth of a high school girl in her teens. The moment Park Haeil appears in the movie, we wait for a twisted story hidden behind his boy-like innocent face.

Spoiler

Memories Of Murder

Spoiler

Rules of Dating

Spoiler

Eungyo

However, Director Park Chanwook was deeply impressed by Park Haeil's 'Dignity and Self-esteem,' which is a 'condition for a noble human,' when he saw the character Janghan Park Haeil played in The Last Princess in 2016. Just in time, Director Park Chanwook needed a 'gentleman-like detective' that had never appeared in Korean films. Ironically, Park Haeil never played a detective role in 20 years since his debut, perhaps because the suspect character in Memories of Murder was too intense. It was the perfect condition for a completely strange, fascinating, and new detective to be born. As a result, Park Haeil stood on the red carpet at Cannes for the first time in his life with Director Park Chanwook's Decision to Leave. Now, it is no exaggeration to say that Park Haeil's representative film is Decision to Leave.

Park Haeil's acting in Decision to Leave is as hard as a mountain and as ever-changing as a wave. After meeting beautiful Seorae, a prime suspect and the wife of a man who died from a fall in the mountain, the detective suspects and tracks her and falls in love with her. Eventually, the love ruins this dignified detective. The whole process goes so intimately that it remains an intense 'cold case' that sweeps everything away in the end. In the film, where misunderstandings and confusion, doubts and beliefs intersect moment by moment, Park Haeil shows the character who takes a firm center like a mountain and creates ever-changing feelings like a wave.

Spoiler

Decision To Leave

For the past 20 years, the seasoned strength of Park Haeil, who has explored almost all genres, including romance, comedy, action, drama, period drama, and fantasy, starting with the theatrical stage, has exploded in Decision to Leave. And this will be the beginning of a new era where we meet Park Haeil, who we have never seen before. In the summer of 2022, he will play Admiral Yi Sunsin, the best hero in Korean history, in HANSAN: RISING DRAGON, the prequel of ROARING CURRENTS, the top box office hit film in Korean cinema history. Also, the road movie Heaven: To the Land of Happiness, where he stars with Choi Minshik, is also ready to be released. by Park Hyeeun

Spoiler

Heaven: To the Land of Happiness

Spoiler

HANSAN: RISING DRAGON

Helena · August 3, 2022

http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/features.jsp?blbdComCd=601013&seq=594&mode=FEATURES_VIEW
The 47th Toronto International Film Festival in Canada Invited 5 Korean films

by Park Hyejin | Aug 02, 2022

A total of 5 Korean films, Hunt, Broker, Decision to Leave, A Man of Reason, and Walk Up

On July 28 (local time), the invitation lineup was announced for the 47th Toronto Film Festival in Canada. A total of 5 Korean films, Hunt, Broker, Decision to Leave, A Man of Reason, and Walk Up were included on the list. Especially, Hunt and A Man of Reason, the two directorial debut films from Actor Lee Jungjae and Actor Jung Woosung, have been invited side by side, making headlines.

Decision to Leave of Director Park Chanwook, who won the Best Director award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, was invited to the North American Premiere of the 47th TIFF. Director Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Broker, a film in which actor Song Kangho won Best Actor at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, was invited to the Canadian Premiere of the 47th TIFF. Walk Up, directed by Hong Sangsoo, will be unveiled for the first time in the world at the 47th TIFF. Director Lee Jungjae's Hunt was invited to the North American premiere, and director Jung Woosung's A Man of Reason was invited to the Toronto Film Festival for the world premiere.

Actor Lee Jungjae, Actor Jung Woosung, Going to Toronto Side by Side as Their Directorial Debuts

Hunt was officially invited to the ‘Gala Presentation’ section and will be screened in the North American Premier on September 15. Hunt, written and directed by Lee Jungjae and starring Jung Woosung, depicts the story of Park Pyongho (Lee Jungjae) and Kim Jungdo (Jung Woosung), the KCIA agents who are suspicious of each other to find spies in the organization, facing a huge incident called ‘Korea's No. 1 assassination operation.’ In May, Hunt was officially invited to the Midnight Screenings at the 75th Festival de Cannes and received great acclaim.

Spoiler

The Gala Presentation section is one of the most anticipated sections of the Toronto International Film Festival, and Korean films such as Director Kim Jeewoon's The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008), Director Im Sangsoo's The Housemaid (2010), and Director Cho Uiseok's Cold Eyes (2013) have been invited so far.

Actor Jung Woosung's directorial debut, A Man of Reason, will be unveiled for the first time in the world at the 47th TIFF Special Presentation section. A Man of Reason depicts the story of a man who gets released from jail after 10 years and tries to start a normal life escaping from his past, starring Jung Woosung, Kim Namgil, and Park Sungwoong.

Hong Sangsoo’ new film Walk Up will be unveiled for the first time in the world at the 47th TIFF.

Hong Sangsoo’s new film Walk Up was invited to the Special Presentation section, along with Decision to Leave, the winner of the 75th Cannes and directed by Park Chanwook, Broker by Kore-eda Hirokazu.

The Toronto Film Festival expressed expectations by saying "Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo adds a new chapter to his impressive body of work, taking a gently delightful new perspective on themes dear to his poetics." as to the reason for the invitation of Walk Up. Walk Up has a running time of 97 minutes and stars actors Kwon Haehyo, Lee Hyeyoung, and Song Sunmi.

The Toronto International Film Festival is the largest film festival in North America, which introduces a wide range of films of various genres and styles from all over the world. The 47th Toronto International Film Festival this year will be held in Toronto, Canada, for a total of 11 days from September 8 to 18.

Helena · August 3, 2022

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065577087968646
Scenario version of 'Decision to Leave' provides distinctive contrast between mountain and ocean

YonhapNews / 2022-08-02 10:38:17
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Joonha Yoo.)

▲This photo, provided by Eulyoo publishing company, shows the cover of the scenario version of 'Decision to Leave'. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲These photos, provided by CJ ENM, show scenes from 'Decision to Leave.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, August 2 (Yonhap) -- “On a black screen Chinese character indicating mountain,"山" and word mountain in Korean,"산" gets written in cursive simultaneously. Fogged up sea, on the screen Chinese letter indicating the ocean,"海" gets written in cursive along with the Korean word ocean,"바다" simultaneously.”

 Director Park Chan-wook’s block buster movie “Decision to Leave” deals with case of unnatural deaths from Busan and Leepo, which the evidences lead two different cases to meet in the middle. Main character Seo-rae acted by Tang Wei and Hae-jun acted by Park Hae-il gets acquainted due to the death from a fall case, and parts ways at a beach. 

 Recently published “Decision to leave scenario version” written by director Park Chan-wook and Jung Seo-Kyeong exemplifies much more detailed contrast imageries. According to the scenario, by writing down word mountain and the ocean it distinguishes the contrast between the scenes. 

 Unlike the movie, both parts starts off from the mountain and from the ocean. The scenario places both of the scenes at the mountain where Seo-rae’s first husband Ki Do-soo acted by Yoo Seung-mok dies, and the ocean where Hae-jun who gets transferred to Leepo police station goes on fishing. These contrasts lay the foundation between the frustration of Ki Do-soo who loves the mountain and Seo-rae who love the ocean.

  The scenario put more emphasis on Seo-rae’s “山海經” which reads Shanhaijing “The Book of the creatures living in ocean and the mountains.” Shanhaijing is a Chinese geography book, but in the movie, the book was handed down by Seo-rae’s maternal grandfather and used as a book to create stories and to teach Korean. Small little Koreans written in Shanhaijing used for the cover of the published version of the scenario was written by actress Tang Wei. 

 Published version of the scenario includes the details one could not notice throughout the movie. 

 The TV drama Seo-rae watches in the movie is called “White Flower” and “Red Alart” the lines from the drama acts as the indication of Seo-rae’s emotional and current state throughout the movie. The drama “Red Alart” is a South Korean drama about sorting out the aftermath of the nuclear power plant incident. Influx of Chinese tourists spikes the demand for tour guides it provides Seo-rae with a reason to move to Leepo where Hae-jun is stationed. 

 Books placed on top of Hae-jun’s dining table in a scene where Hae-jun cooks shrimp fired rice to Seo-rae are books by Swedish writer, Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, Martin Beck series. Director Park Chan-wook mentioned how he was inspired from the protagonist detective from the Martin Beck series to create Hae-jun.

  The way Ho-shin acted by Park Young-woo, and Seo-rae got to know one another was deleted from the movie, but the scenario version contains the story of their first encounter. A grandma Seo-rae was taking care of every Tuesday as a caretaker passes away, and at the funeral home, Seo-rae encounters Ho-shin with the mourner’s armband staring at Seo-rae.

  The Rolex watch Ho-shin has on when he was found dead in a pool, is the same exact model as Seo-rae’s first husband Do-soo had. It seems as Seo-rae collected Do-soo’s watch after he dies from a fall, and gifted Ho-shin with the watch after replacing a broken glass piece. (END)

Helena · August 4, 2022

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/08/04/culture/artsDesign/Park-Chanwook-Gucci-ArtFilm-Gala/20220804111044318.html
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook to be honored at this year’s Art+Film Gala

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr] | August 4, 2022‘

Park Chan-wook [CJ ENM]

Luxury Italian fashion brand Gucci announced Thursday that Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook and American artist Helen Pashgian will be honored at this year’s Art+Film Gala hosted by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma). Gucci has been sponsoring the annual event since its establishment in 2011.

Lacma CEO Michael Govan noted Park as an auteur “whose unforgettable films never fail to show us the power of cinema.”

The Art+Film Gala annually invites notable people from the fields of art, film, fashion and entertainment to strengthen dialogue between art and film in Los Angeles. Proceeds from the event go to the museum’s funding for its exhibitions, acquisitions and educational programming.

Past honorees of the event include artists Kehinde Wiley, Amy Sherald, Betye Saar, Catherine Opie, Mark Bradford, Robert Irwin, James Turrell, Barbara Kruger, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, and John Baldessari, and filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, George Lucas, Kathryn Bigelow, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, and Clint Eastwood.

Other Korean celebrities who’ve attended the event include Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Min-ho and Gang Dong-won.

Helena · August 5, 2022

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065580936583331
Increased popularity in screenplays of drama and movie.., ‘Decision to Leave’ ranks first

YonhapNews / 2022-08-05 11:42:35
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)

▲This photo, provided by eulyoo, shows screenplay of "Decision to Leave." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, August 4 (Yonhap) -- Screenplay of “Decision to Leave,” co-written by Writer Jeong Seo-Gyeong and director Park Chan-wook’s ” topped the chart as soon as it was published amid the increased interest in screenplays for dramas and movies.

 Screenplay of “Decision to Leave” placed first place overall including the art category, according to the Bestseller chart for fifth week of July conducted by Kyobo Book Centre on Friday.

 68.5% of buyers were Female, more than twice as many as males, 31.5%. By age, Buyers in twenties were 41.1%, in thirties 33.1%, and in forties 14.1%.

 Kyobo Bookstore analyzed that “Audiences buy screenplays to posses them like goods (movie’s merchandise) or to read again famous lines” while mentioning drama scripts such as Director Bong Joon-ho's “Parasite,” “Our Beloved Summer,” and “Our Blues.” 

 The first revised edition of the novel “Pachinko” by Korean-American writer Lee Min-jin, who is visiting Korea next week, ranked second with the publication. 

 Peter Bieri’s philosophy essay “EINE ART ZU LEBEN” ranked eight, 42 places higher than last week, after famous YouTuber Milanonna recommended it. (END)

Helena · August 11, 2022

https://www.screendaily.com/news/decision-to-leave-revealed-as-south-koreas-oscar-submission/5173358.article
‘Decision To Leave’ revealed as South Korea’s Oscar submission

BY MICHAEL ROSSER | 11 AUGUST 2022

(Image)
SOURCE: CJ ENM
‘DECISION TO LEAVE’

Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave has been selected as South Korea’s entry for best international feature film at the Academy Awards.

The romantic thriller premiered in Competition at Cannes in May, where Park won best director. The decision to enter it into the Oscar race was announced by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) today.

It stars Park Hae-il (The Host) as detective in charge of an investigation after a man falls to his death from a mountain peak and develops an interest in a key suspect – the dead man’s wife, played by Chinese actress Tang Wei (Lust, Caution).

“All of the submitted works were well made and it was encouraging that there was an artistic variety,” said a KOFIC statement of the selection process.

“However, considering the characteristics of the Academy Awards, the film’s simple artistry, the director’s name recognition as well as workmanship and directing ability, the possibility of box office success in the North American market, and the ability of overseas distributors to promote were also considered. From this point of view, we agreed that the Decision To Leave was the most appropriate choice and we expect it to be well-received.”

The feature was pre-sold to 192 regions by CJ ENM – close to the highest sales in Korean film history held by Bong Joon Ho’s Palme d’Or winner Parasite, also handled by CJ. Parasite went on to become the first Korean film to win in the Oscars foreign-language category in 2020.

Decision To Leave will receive its North America premiere at Toronto in September, in the special presentations strand, and will go on to play the New York Film Festival in October. Mubi has distribution rights for the UK and North America, where a release is set for October 14 in both territories.

It was released in Korea and France on June 29, taking $14m and $1.9m to date respectively.

Decision To Leave marked the fourth Cannes appearance for Korean director Park, after 2003 Grand Prix winner Oldboy, Thirst in 2009, and The Handmaiden in 2016. It also topped Screen’s Cannes jury grid, which was previously led by Oscar winners Parasite in 2019 and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car in 2021.

—

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220812000482
Cannes-winning ‘Decision to Leave’ selected for Oscar entry

By Hwang Dong-Hee (hwangdh@heraldcorp.com) | Aug 12, 2022

Director Park Chan-wook (center), actor Park Hae-il (left) and Tang Wei are seen on the set for “Decision to Leave.” (CJ ENM)

Park Chan-wook’s romance-thriller “Decision to Leave” will represent South Korea at the Academy Awards next year, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) announced Thursday.

The council said it selected the Cannes-winning film as the country’s entry for best international feature film for the 95th Academy Awards, which is scheduled for March next year.

The jury of five experts in the film industry explained that they considered many factors, including directorial recognition, cinematic quality, potential popular appeal in the US, and promotional ability of overseas distribution.

The Oscar’s non-English movie section stipulates that each country can submit a single film as its official representative. KOFIC has been selecting the country’s films for the Oscars since 2001.

Previously, at the 92nd Academy, Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” (2019) won the award as well as three others, including best picture and best director, becoming the first South Korean film to receive Academy recognition.

Park won best director for “Decision to Leave” at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film revolves around a detective (played by Park Hae-il) who investigates a murder case where he suspects a mysterious widow (played by Tang Wei) but falls in love with her.

The film was released on June 29 in theaters.

Helena · August 26, 2022

The 27th Chunsa Film Arts Awards [Nominations]
=> http://www.chunsa.or.kr/award2.html?cate=award2

For films released from July 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022. The preliminary examination is conducted by film critics, and the main examination is conducted by film directors. Kim Jong-won, Kim Hyung-seok, Nam Dong-cheol, Seo Gok-suk, and Yang Kyung-mi participated in the preliminary trial, while Yoo Young-sik, Park Jong-won, Shin Seung-su, Jo Jom-hwan, Ku Hye-sun, and Lee Tae-ri participated in the main trial.

Best New Director 신인 감독상

Best Screenplay 각본상 ‘
‘Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심’ Chung Seo-kyung 정서경
'Gull | 갈매기' Kim Mi-jo 김미조
'A Leave | 휴가' Lee Ran-hee 이란희
'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현' Kim Han-min 김한민, Yoon Hong-ki 윤홍기, Lee Nara 이나라
'Mogadishu | 모가디슈' Lee Ki-cheol 이기철, Ryoo Seung-wan 류승완

Spoiler

Best Supporting Actor 남우조연상

Helena · August 29, 2022

The 31st Buil Film Awards 제 31회 부일영화상 (2022) [Nominations]

[ Homepage | instagram | facebook ]
Date: 2022-10-06

-> For films released from August 11, 2021 to August 10, 2022 <-

http://www.busan.com/view/busan/view.php?code=2022082818253886877

 * Best Film 최우수작품상
'In Front of Your Face | 당신얼굴 앞에서' 

'Broker | 브로커' 

'Emergency Declaration | 비상선언' 

'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현'

 ‘Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심'

 * Best Director 최우수감독상 

Spoiler

* Best New Actor 신인남자연기상 

* Best Screenplay 각본상
Kore-eda Hirokazu 고레에다 히로카즈 (‘Broker | 브로커')
Byun Sung-hyun 변성현, Kim Min-soo 김민수 ('Kingmaker | 킹메이커')
Lee Jung-jae 이정재, Cho Seung-hee 조승희 (‘HUNT | 헌트’)
Chung Seo-kyung 정서경, Park Chan-wook 박찬욱 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')
Jung Wook 정욱 (‘Good Person | 좋은 사람’)

 * Best Art Direction & Technical 미술/기술상 

Art Direction 미술 | Han Ah-reum 한아름 ('Kingmaker | 킹메이커')

 * Popular Actor 남자 인기스타상 

* Popular Actress 여자 인기스타상

CJ ENM

Helena · August 30, 2022

https://variety.com/2022/film/asia/park-chan-wook-oldboy-theatrical-release-20th-anniversary-neon-1235353367/
Neon Lands U.S. Rights to Park Chan-wook’s ‘Oldboy,’ Sets Theatrical Release for 20th Anniversary

By Rebecca Rubin | Aug 29, 2022

Neon has landed U.S. distribution rights to South Korean director Park Chan-wook’s film “Oldboy” and plans to bring the dark revenge thriller back to theaters in honor of its 20th anniversary.

It will mark the first time Park’s film plays on the big screen since its initial release on Nov. 21, 2003. Neon has not specified the exact date that “Oldboy” will return to the big screen.

“Oldboy,” which Park co-wrote with Hwang Jo-yun and Lim Joon-hyung, won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, led by jury president Quentin Tarantino. The acclaimed film stars Choi Min-sik as Oh Dae-Su, a man who was kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. After he’s released, he has five days to find his captor. Yoo Ji-tae and Kang Hye-jung co-star in the film.

It’s the second installment in Park’s “Vengeance” trilogy following 2002’s “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” and preceding 2005’s “Lady Vengeance.” The film has been remade twice, including a less-praised 2013 version directed by Spike Lee and starring Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen.

Though “Oldboy” received rapturous reviews, the film received a very limited theatrical run (and generated only $707,000) in North America. In 2004, Variety called the movie a “wild, intensely cinematic ride.” Film critic Derek Elley noted the “David Lynch-like movie look almost untranslatable in Hollywood’s increasingly conservative environment,” which may explain why “Oldboy” didn’t have a bigger theatrical rollout in the United States at the time.

Park’s next film “Decision to Leave” premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and will travel next to the Toronto International Film Festival. The romantic mystery drama is South Korea’s best international feature film entry at the 95th Academy Awards.

Neon’s Jeff Deutchman negotiated the deal with Thierry Wase-Bailey at Celsius.

—

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/10-thrillers-recommended-park-chan-wook/
Park Chan-wook names his 10 favourite thrillers

By Swapnil Dhruv Bose | TUE 23RD AUG 2022 21.30 BST

South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook is often cited as one of the most prominent practitioners of the thriller genre. Known for his works such as The Handmaiden and the acclaimed Vengeance trilogy, Park Chan-wook has established himself as an important voice within the ever-changing landscape of contemporary cinema.

Recently, Park Chan-wook became a major part of the current discourse surrounding global cinema after the premiere of his latest thriller at this year’s Cannes festival. Titled Decision to Leave, it garnered widespread critical acclaim, and Park Chan-wook won the coveted Best Director accolade.

In recent years, Park Chan-wook has expressed a desire to move away from the thriller genre and work on other domains such as sci-fi and westerns. However, he will always be an authority on thrillers, so we have compiled a list of ten chilling thrillers recommended by the revered South Korean director.

“One day, I saw Vertigo,” Park Chan-wook recalled. “During the movie, I found myself screaming in my head, ‘If I don’t at least try to become a film director, I will seriously regret it when I’m lying on my deathbed!’ After that, akin to James Stewart when he was blindly chasing after some mysterious woman, I searched aimlessly for some kind of irrational beauty.”

While talking about Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, Park Chan-wook said: “I thought it would be good to see the movie first. Then I gave up. I thought, ‘No one can make kidnapping movies anymore’. I wanted to somehow chew his movie and digest it and make my own with the nutrients. But even if I couldn’t make a movie that surpassed him, I could at least try to make a movie that felt different from him.”

Check out the full list below.

Park Chan-wook’s 10 favourite thrillers:

Ms. 45 (Abel Ferrara, 1981)
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
The Housemaid (Kim Ki-young, 1960)
M (Fritz Lang, 1931)
Memories of Murder (Bong Joon-ho, 2003)
The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
High and Low (Akira Kurosawa, 1963)
Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg, 1988)
Don’t Look Now (Nicolas Roeg, 1973)
Seconds (John Frankenheimer, 1966)

Park Chan-wook also mentioned the seminal 1960 South Korean thriller The Housemaid, considered one of the greatest cinematic achievements in Korean history. The filmmaker cited Kim Ki-young’s masterpiece as a chief source of inspiration.

“He’s able to find and portray beauty in destruction, humour in violence and terror,” Park Chan-wook commented. “I’m still making films that are too modest compared to his, but I will continue to work hard to make films as daring and brave as his.”

https://youtu.be/Rh5QzhNNi3k

Helena · September 2, 2022

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065598304611442
‘Decision to Leave’ invited to London Film Festival

YonhapNews / 2022-09-02 16:31:32
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.) 

▲This photo, provided by Korean culture center in Belgium, shows movie Decision to Leave. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, September 2 (Yonhap) -- Director Park Chan-wook’s movie “Decision to Leave” was invited to 66th London Film Festival. 

 Director Park Chan-wook and actor Park Hae-il will meet fans at the event, according to Film distributor CJ ENM on Friday.  

 The event, the biggest film festival in London, has been opening annually in London since 1957 and will open on Oct. 5 this year. (END)

—

https://www.screendaily.com/news/bfi-london-film-festival-2022-unveils-full-line-up/5173992.article
BFI London Film Festival 2022 unveils full line-up

BY MONA TABBARA1 SEPTEMBER 2022

SOURCE: LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
[CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT:] ‘WHITE NOISE’, ‘THE WHALE’, ‘DECISION TO LEAVE’, ‘THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER’

Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, Joanna Hogg’s The Eternal Daughter, and Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave are among the titles that will play at the 66th BFI London Film Festival (LFF), that runs from October 5-16.

A total of 164 feature films (up from last year’s 159), including 23 world premieres, six international premieres and 15 European premieres have been programmed, with a curated programme of over 20 features and 15 short films available digitally across the whole of the UK on BFI Player until October 23.

Scroll down for the full LFF 2022 line-up

..

Headline Galas

…

Decision To Leave (S. Korea) 

Dir. Park Chan-wook

…

Helena · September 5, 2022

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2022/09/689_335556.html
'Decision to Leave' invited to more international film festivals

By Lee Gyu-lee | 2022-09-05

A scene from the suspense romance film "Decision to Leave" / Courtesy of CJ ENM

Director Park Chan-wook's suspense romance film "Decision to Leave," which won him the Best Director Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, has been invited to two more international film festivals ― the BFI London Film Festival and Fantastic Fest.

The film's distributor, CJ ENM, announced Sunday that the film, which has been sweeping various film festivals globally since the Cannes win, has added two more to the list.

The film will compete at the 66th BFI London Film Festival, set to be held from Oct. 5 to 16.

It will also have its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest, scheduled for Sept. 22 to 29. Park will also receive a lifetime achievement award at the event for making acclaimed films, such as "Old Boy" (2004), "Thirst" (2009) and "The Handmaiden" (2016).

The genre-bending "Decision to Leave" revolves around detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) and a mysterious Chinese immigrant named Seo-rae (Tang Wei), who is the wife of a murder victim. Despite the nature of their relationship as a cop and a suspect, Hae-joon finds himself attracted to her while trying to figure out whether she is the murderer or not.

The film, which hit domestic theaters in June, has been invited to several international film festivals, including New Horizons Film Festival in Poland and Melbourne International Film Festival in Australia.

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