The Korean director Hong Sang-soo has many fans in Japan for his witty, light-hearted dialogue between men and women. While Kim Min-hee, who starred in "On the Beach at Night" and is the director's muse, has recently been playing supporting roles and behind the scenes, the person who is becoming the face of Hong Sang-soo's films today is Kwon Hae-hyo, who starred in "And Then," and is known in Japan for his role as Deputy Director Kim in "Winter Sonata." "I've appeared in 10 of his films, and in all but two I've played the role of a film director (laughs)."
In a sense, having played the role of a film director, which could be said to be his alter ego, Kwon has literally become one of the faces of Hong Sang-soo's films. "I sometimes wonder why he always plays the same role, but for a director, his work begins with himself.
I think the director honestly wants to show through his films the world he knows, or the world he feels is close to him."
Even so, Hong Sang-soo's films, while all seemingly similar, always offer fresh surprises, such as the way he handles time. The newly released "WALK UP" is set in a small apartment with four floors above ground and one below, but when Byung-soo, a film director played by Kwon, visits the apartment, the circumstances surrounding him somehow change every time he "climbs the stairs."
Set in a small apartment on the outskirts of the city, this is director Hong Sang-soo's 28th feature film. Starring Kwon Hae-hyo, the film also stars Lee Hye-young (In Front of Your Face) as the apartment's landlord. The film will be shown at the 70th San Sebastian International Film Festival. Currently showing at Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho and other theaters nationwide.
Is it a change in time, a dream Byun-soo has, or perhaps a multiverse? "I appear in this film, but the real protagonist may be that building. He said that he was interested in this film when he saw the space of the building, and that he thought about what kind of story would be good if a film were made there."
Unique directing philosophy
Still, is it not difficult to act in a work in which the situation changes with each change of floor? "The director's films are always shot in chronological order, and the content to be shot that day is written out and given to us that morning. So, we who are acting go into filming without knowing what happens next.
Once you're involved in the profession of acting, you probably have a sense of obligation or obsession about what scenes you have to act and how you have to express them, but with director Hong Sang-soo's works, you are completely free from that and can be free.
Especially when I'm only performing one scene, I often film without knowing the scenes before or after the one I'm acting in, so I can just listen to what the other person is saying, say my lines, concentrate on the role, and act freely.When I read a script, I just follow the words with my eyes.
The world of the play, which I had only seen with my own eyes, becomes something fresh again when I act with my co-star. This process is extremely interesting and enjoyable."
The film has a surprising final scene, and Kwon recalls the filming of it as follows:
"Naturally, that scene was shot in order and was the last one we shot. But it was difficult to get the timing and rhythm right, so we had to reshoot just that one scene about 30 times, from morning to night. I ended up going through more than two packs of cigarettes in the process (laughs)."
A special screening of a masterpiece starring Kwon Hae-hyo will also be held.
To celebrate the release of "WALK UP," the "Hong Sang-soo Special" currently being held at Stranger in Sumida Ward also features Kwon Hae-hyo's work. In this film, set in a hotel along the Han River, Kwon plays the son of the main character, a poet.
A woman who looks exactly like Minjung, the lover who left painter Yeongsoo, appears... Kwon Hae-hyo plays one of the men who courts the woman who looks like Minjung. Along with "Hotel by the River," this film has not yet been released in Japan.
