Director Na Hong-jin Reveals the Origins of 'Hope': "A Sense of Foreboding That War Might Break Out on the Korean Peninsula" [31st BIFF]

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Director Na Hong-jin's cinematic world begins with a sense of "foreboding." He revealed that the starting point for 'Hope' was also anxiety about war.

On the 8th, the master class "Na Hong-jin: He Is the Genre" was held at Shinsegae Department Store Centum City in Haeundae-gu, Busan, as part of the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). Director Na Hong-jin attended and shared various insights.

Director Na Hong-jin stated, "Humans are extremely multi-layered and complex beings, so I believe it is impossible to categorize them into a single type."

He continued, "When such characters begin to increase by two or three, or even four within a single work, the story inevitably becomes as complex as a spider's web. At first, I felt that the structure was becoming too complicated, but I ultimately decided to embrace that complexity."

He revealed, "I thought about pulling not only the characters in the film but also the audience into that spider's web. Rather than trying to tidy up the story neatly, I wanted to create the narrative together with the audience within that space."

Director Na cited "foreboding" as another crucial element in his works. He said, "For me, foreboding is close to a sensation felt when observing a phenomenon or situation. This is also an element I consider extremely important. If I do not feel such foreboding, I generally do not use it as film material and tend not to start the work itself."

He then mentioned 'Hope,' stating, "At that time, I was feeling a strong sense of anxiety that war might break out on the Korean Peninsula." He recalled, "Around 2017, various news reports continued to emerge, and after the PyeongChang Winter Olympics ended, I felt such intense foreboding that I thought war might actually happen."

He added, "That emotion ultimately became an important starting point for writing 'Hope.' For me, foreboding is one of the most important elements that drives me to write a screenplay."

He stated, "When you incorporate such elements, a mystery naturally forms."

He continued, "When the cause of anxiety or foreboding is complex, multi-layered, and difficult to define easily, people instinctively feel fear. As that fear grows, one eventually wants to find an answer."

He revealed, "However, while watching a film, one cannot easily find that answer. Therefore, the audience becomes more focused on the film in search of the answer, ultimately believing that 'there must definitely be an answer within this movie.'"

He added, "When making films, I consider the process of keeping the audience continuously searching for answers to be extremely important."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original