'The Assassins' Director Heo Jin-ho, Deep in Thought: "It Is Not a Film That Reaches a Conclusion" [★FOCUS]

*This content was translated by AI.

Amid the ongoing controversy over historical distortion surrounding the film 'The Assassins,' attention is once again turning to the production intentions revealed by director Heo Jin-ho in an interview before its release.

Heo explained that rather than defining the 1974 assassination of Lady Yoo Young-soo as a single conclusion, he wanted to follow the records and lingering questions from that time, posing multiple possibilities cinematically.

'The Assassins' is a film that traces the suspicions and masterminds behind the assassination of Lady Yoo Young-soo, which occurred on August 15, 1974. Since its release, it has become the center of controversy as criticism of historical distortion has emerged from political circles and related organizations over certain settings in the film.

Heo revealed that he directly remembers the incident from when he was a fifth grader in elementary school, which is what first led him to this work. He stated, "It was an event that made the entire nation sad, and my older sisters were extremely upset. I didn't fully understand it, but I thought it was a big deal," adding that he had wanted to make a film about the incident, which remained as a great sorrow from his childhood.

However, given that the work deals with a true historical event, he said his biggest concern during production was "from what perspective to look at it."

Heo stated, "I felt from the start that it was a sensitive issue," and "I thought we could not approach this film in a way that resolves or concludes the incident." He further explained that in developing the script, he tried not to lose sight of perspectives such as "it might not be so" and "it might have been a coincidence."

He said, "I was concerned about why I wanted to make this film, how I should make it, and from what perspective. This is because there are actual victims," revealing the burden and concerns that come with dealing with a real-life incident.

Research was also conducted extensively. Heo revealed that he referred to related documentaries from major broadcasters, books covering the 1970s, Japanese records and perspectives, and investigation records from the time. However, he explained that he used cinematic imagination in the process of connecting objectively confirmed facts with the gaps between them.

Heo said, "There were certain facts. While there are objective facts, such as records indicating that Japan was aware of it, I made many assumptions about why it happened and under what circumstances it occurred."

He continued, "It was difficult to say definitively 'it was exactly this.' I wanted to create a structure where one could keep chasing this possibility or that possibility," explaining, "There are many scenes created with cinematic imagination among the given facts. Rather than drawing a specific conclusion from the facts, I used many hypothetical lines."

This aligns with the explanation that Heo chose a mystery structure that follows official records and the questions remaining around them, rather than reconstructing the incident itself into a specific conclusion. The film unfolds by tracing the incident through fictional characters such as an on-scene detective and a journalist.

The way the sniper Moon Tae-gwang is portrayed was similar. Heo revealed that he chose to leave questions until the end rather than clearly defining the character.

He said, "In a sense, it was a character I entered with questions," adding, "I thought it would be better to leave ambiguity rather than clearly define exactly who this person is."

He continued, "It was a character we built together by constantly asking actor Park Jung-min, 'Why did you do that?' and 'What were you thinking?'" He wanted the audience to follow along with questions as well, rather than providing clear answers for the character.

Heo also explained why he placed the Declaration of Free Press Practice in the latter part of the film, stating it was to show the atmosphere of that era together. He had previously stated, "It is a scene connecting those who lived while upholding their beliefs in that era, an age of violence."

Meanwhile, evaluations surrounding 'The Assassins' remain divided. Political circles and some organizations are criticizing the film as historical distortion, arguing that it strongly implies possibilities different from the official investigation results.

On the other hand, the production team stated, "'The Assassins' is a feature film reconstructed with cinematic imagination based on various records, using the historical incident of 1974 as a motif," and "It is not a film produced to newly confirm a specific historical conclusion or to deny or distort existing facts."

They also added, "It is not a film produced with a specific political purpose in mind," and requested, "Please view the work solely as a product of creation."

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*This content was translated by AI.