[2006 KOREAN CINEMA PREVIEWS] Jo Dong-Oh's 중천 (The Restless)

It might still be early to see all this unfold, but it's clear that production strategies in Chungmuro are separating into three completely different routes, influenced by the box office performances of the last few years. This is quite different from periods like the blockbuster bubble in the early years of this decade, when with the advent of all that capital from venture companies, 70% of the industry threw itself in productions with inflated budgets banking on the simple idea that a couple of stars and a 'mainstream' concept, wrapped around Billions of Won's worth of CGI would be enough to attract an audience. The aftermath of colossal failures like 아유레디 (R. U. Ready?), 예스터데이 (Yesterday) and Jang Sun-Woo's crazy (but still undeservingly paired with those other turds) high-tech potboiler 성냥팔이 소녀의 재림 (Resurrection of the Little Match Girl) changed forever the way Chungmuro approached investment, changes which still involve the films we're seeing in theaters nowadays. Of course 'star directors' like Park Chan-Wook, Bong Joon-Ho, Ryu Seung-Wan, Jang Jin, Kang Woo-Suk and the like go their own way without the need to follow trends. Still, things are evolving for the rest of the industry, in what seem to be these three new directions:

1) Low to Mid Budget 'Concept' Films.
Generally costing between the 2 and 5 Billion Won, these films focus on talented actors (usually a couple of stars along with some familiar faces) -- and often promising first time directors backed by producers with good taste -- over pretty stars, with a little more creativity than usual, starting from a good script. With the right marketing, these films can often attract a good number of viewers, and even selling 1.5-2 Million tickets would get them well over the break even point due to the low(er) budgets.
Target: Domestic (Seoul) and Foreign market (Europe and North America)
Recent Examples: Fusion Dramas like 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown) and 음란서생 (Forbidden Quest); romcoms like 광식이 동생 광태 (When Romance Meets Destiny) and 작업의 정석 (The Art of Seduction); action comedies like 흡혈형사 나도열 (Vampire Cop Ricky) and 싸움의 기술 (The Art of Fighting).
Upcoming Films: 구타유발자들 (One Miserable Day) with Han Suk-Gyu and Lee Moon-Shik, 보고싶은 얼굴 (The Face I Miss) with Kim Seung-Woo and Jang Jin-Young, 가족의 탄생 (The Birth of a Family) with Moon So-Ri and Eom Tae-Woong

2) 'Local' Cinema.
You could alternatively call it 'Films for the Jibang, or the more traditionally-oriented moviegoing populace outside the capital. Cost varies gearing toward the low budget, but the key here is a winning formula, like that of the gangster comedy, that will attract a large audience in the capital but especially outside it. There's really no need for huge stars here (although it obviously helps), or even creativity. Just packaging something that looks 'fun' will do. Some of these films turn out to be pretty good, like last year's 강력3반 (Never To Lose), but most entries in this category are of the 'entertaining crap' variety. Of course since comedy rarely translates, the target is the local audience.
Target: Domestic Market (Seoul and Jibang)
Recent Examples: gangster comedies like 가문의 위기 (Marrying The Mafia 2) and 투사부일체 (My Boss, My Teacher); melodramas like 말아톤 (Marathon) and 너는 내운명 (You Are My Sunshine); human comedies/dramas like 마파도 (Mapado: Island of Fortunes) and 간큰가족 (Super Family); star vehicles like 댄서의 순졍 (Innocent Steps) and 청춘만화 (Almost Love)
Upcoming Films: 각설탕 (Lump Sugar) with Im Soo-Jung, 生, 날선생 (Young Teacher) with Park Geon-Hyung and Kim Hyo-Jin, 잘살아보세 (Mission: Birth Control) with Kim Jung-Eun and Lee Beom-Soo, 사랑따원 필요없어 (I Don't Need Love) with Moon Geun-Young and Kim Ju-Hyeok, 바보 (Fool) with Cha Tae-Hyun and Ha Ji-Won, 조폭마누라 3 (My Wife is a Gangster 3) with Shu Qi, and of course 가문의 부활 (Marrying The Mafia 3: Rebirth of the Family) with most of the crew from the second

3) Blockbusters and Korean Wave Bait.
The biggest difference between the kind of blockbusters made in Korea nowadays and those made in the 'blockbuster bubble' a few years ago is that these projects don't try to mimic Hollywood formulas to attract the local public or combat Hollywood at their own game domestically. Au contraire, these films almost intentionally disregard the genre's lack of popularity at home to focus on the lucrative International market. Costs can go in the 8 figures (US$) pretty easily, with often huge stars connected in some way to the Korean Wave. These films employ the 'product placement' mentality of the Americans, product which can be a star (Korean Wave mainstays like Jeon Ji-Hyun, Bae Yong-Joon, Kwon Sang-Woo) or a popular genre in the foreign market (Wuxia, J-Horror, Film Noir, Puppy Love Melodramas).
Target: Foreign Market (Asia, North America, Europe)
Recent Examples: 'International' blockbusters like 태풍 (Typhoon) and 데이지 (Daisy), horror films like 분홍신 (The Red Shoes) and 가발 (The Wig), Wuxia like 무영검 (Shadowless Sword) and 형사 Duelist [only wuxia on paper, obviously], melodramas like 외출 (April Snow) and 파랑주의보 (My Girl & I).
Upcoming Films: Horror like 아파트 (A.P.T.) and 여고 괴담 5 (Whispering Corridors 5), huge blockbusters like 디워 (D-War) and 공자 (Confucius), action noir like 열혈남아 (Waltz of a Dog), Korean Wave melodramas like 여름이야기 (Tale of Summer), and of course Wuxia like 중천 (The Restless)

That's why they're spending 9 Billion Won (which some say will rise up to 11) on the film while everyone else is trying to spend less; why they're making a Wuxia (무협, muhyeop in Korean) despite the fact the genre won't work with the local audience, as the lukewarm reaction to last year's 무영검 (Shadowless Sword) showed, because they're influenced by the film's subsequent conquering of foreign markets with 10 Million in distribution sales, which ended up allowing the film to break even, and of course by the popularity the genre is enjoying in Europe and North America; why they're casting people like Kim Tae-Hee, who still hasn't shown any redeeming quality as an actress, but commands legion of fans in Japan and South East Asia after her 'eye gyrations' in that embarrassment called 천국의 계단 (Stairway To Heaven). Yes, it has Jung Woo-Sung, who should command enough attention in Korea not to make domestic box office result a debacle, but it's pretty obvious what the makers of this film are trying to do: conquer the International market, increasingly hungry for Wuxia. And if they can, kill two birds with one stone and get the Korean Wave market too.

Director Jo Dong-Oh might be a first timer, but his extensive collaboration with Kim Sung-Soo in films like 비트 (Beat), 태양은 없다 (Our Sunny Days) and especially 무사 (Musa: The Warrior) -- which, too, shot in China, and although is not a Wuxia, we're dealing with similar shooting conditions -- as assistant director promises a lot better than many other newcomers pushed around by producers with two pages' worth of a concept. And if you look at those titles, one thing instantly jumps at you: Jung Woo-Sung starred in all of them, as his relationship with Kim Sung-Soo both as friends and as navigated working partners is pretty clear to most people in the industry. So in a way that washes away the thoughts of stars handpicked because of their marketability. Jung has a long history with Director Jo just like he does with Kim Sung-Soo, and although his image has changed significantly since the 'youth angst' days of Beat, his acting has also improved considerably. Now Kim Tae-Hee -- who doesn't really debut here, unless her management company wants people to forget about her appearance in 선물 (Last Present) -- is clearly another story, as just looking at her Drama appearances shows she clearly is not too concerned about quality. Still, I've seen worse actresses turn it up a few notches for films they cared about, so I wouldn't be surprised if this film turns out to be the first instance of 'real acting' from the popular star.

Whether The Restless will be closer in sensibility to Shadowless Sword or will simply turn out to be a big melodramatic potboiler posing as a Wuxia, is still a big question mark. But this is clearly one of the biggest productions of 2006, and it'll certainly attract a lot of attention in the near future. The Restless stars Jung Woo-Sung, Kim Tae-Hee, So Yi-Hyun and Hur Joon-Ho (who will probably carry the entire film on his shoulders); soundtrack is by Sagisu Shiro of Musa: The Warrior and 新造人間キャシャ-ン (Casshern); costumes by the legendary Wada Emi. The film will release during the Chuseok Holidays this Fall.

'The Restless' Preview (Downloadable, 14:00, Windows Media)
- footage starts after a couple of minutes of introduction

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INTERVIEW WITH JUNG WOO-SUNG
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How did you get the chance to star in 'The Restless'?
I liked the people I was going to work with. Not only there's great people you can easily work with like President Jo Min-Hwan and Director Kim Sung-Soo, but there was this guy working as assistant under Kim Sung-Soo, famous for his 'touchy' personality in Chungmuro, for eight long years without saying a bad thing, and that was Jo Dong-Oh. How could I possibly refuse working with someone like that (laughs)? I accepted without even looking at the script, but it's nothing really new for me: I decided to star in 태양은 없다 (Our Sunny Days) hearing its basic outline while working on 비트 (Beat); I heard the story of this slave warrior in the Goryeo Dynasty and decided to star in 무사 (Musa: The Warrior) while working on Our Sunny Days. The only films I agreed to star in after reading the script were 내 머리속의 지우개 (A Moment To Remember), 데이지 (Daisy) and 새드무비 (Sad Movie).

You're shooting another Wuxia in China. Compared to 'Musa', how was the shoot this time. Was it difficult?
Just like back then... I can't really say whether it was difficult or not. I mean, obviously it feels like it might be hard for you physically, but the key is how you approach it mentally. Back when we shot Musa, it was their (Chinese's) land, but we essentially invited them in our film. Since we had a good final result with that film, we were able to make The Restless. I guess the hardest thing was the fact we mostly shot at night, so changing my sleeping habits wasn't easy. We'd usually prepare the day's shoot around 4 in the afternoon, start shooting at 5 or 6 and continue all night long, then rest during the day. So there were a few difficult spots indeed.

In 'Musa' you introduced realistic action like getting penetrated by a sword. Is the Wuxia action in 'The Restless' any different?
There's a lot more wire action in this, especially for the other actors. Since it's a fantasy, even swords are used in an illusory, daydream like fashion. But since in the film I'm a living being and not a transcendental spirit like the others, I use swords with intensity and raw power, and I don't fly around, with a few exceptions. My wire action scenes happen when pent-up anger explodes every now and then, think like when I'm hit by my antagonist' spear and fall down.

Although there have been a few Wuxia films in the past, none had really any impact at the box office. It must be a big burden for you.
The biggest problem until now in our industry is the limitations the genre faced in terms of development. They focused too much on the technical and visual aspects of the film. In The Restless we certainly focused on those elements, but the characters and the story come alive as well. Every character in the film lives guided by the memories of their past, so in a way this might still be a love story, but memories play a big factor. I think this is something which can involve the viewers, and make them think.

What kind of meaning does the character you play in the film have for Jung Woo-Sung as an actor?
In this profession you always feel a certain pressure to make the character come alive. All the things I experienced and learned as an actor feel like combining to form a more mature and complete character in this film, in my opinion.

How do you compare working with Jeon Ji-Hyun in 'Daisy' and Kim Tae-Hee here?
Jeon Ji-Hyun conveyed the character's sentiments right as she felt them while reading the script, trying to re-experience those sentiments. In comparison, Kim Tae-Hee tends to analyze her character a lot more, approaching it rationally. So she nagged a lot more, it felt like she wasn't too confident about this situation of playing a spirit at first. I just told her acting starts from feelings, from understanding what you feel and trusting that feeling.

Your career now spans a decade. Any worries or changes since then?
My attitude towards the industry and the way I work hasn't changed that much. If anything, I learned a lot, not only in terms of experience, but also how to enjoy what I do. That's what those 10 years did to me, they gave me a space to learn and learn to have fun doing this. Films are still a lot of fun to me, just the feeling of my work turning into a scene inside a film makes me excited. And another thing, working in the industry for so long gave me a new dream, that of 'director.' That Hollywood company's name, Dreamworks... I think they really chose it well. It feels like a dream.

[Source: Yonhap News]