Director Lee Sang-geun reminisces about the journey of bringing 'Pretty Crazy' to the big screen.
Recently, at a café in Sogyeok-dong, Seoul, we met with Director Lee Sang-geun to discuss his film 'Pretty Crazy.'
'Pretty Crazy' is a comedy that follows the struggles of a young unemployed man, Gil-gu (played by Ahn Bo-hyun), who gets caught up in a bizarre part-time job of monitoring Seon-ji (played by Im Yoon-ah), who turns into a devil every dawn.
Director Lee initially considered this project as his debut film after writing the first draft in 2014. He recalled, "I started in early July and finished by early August. I wrote aggressively in a café, surrounded by studying high school students, eating frozen fried rice."
The film's production gained momentum in 2022, with the title changing from 'Date at 2' to 'Pretty Crazy.' Lee explained, "The title 'Date at 2' always appeared at the top of my file list because of the number '2.' It kept catching my eye. When I revisited it much later, it had matured over time and was quite different from what I initially envisioned. As a student who loved films back then, it was bold and experimental, with raw elements that were strong." He laughed, adding, "A few years after my debut, I thought, 'I can refine and present this to the audience now.' I kept the basic idea but rewrote everything from scratch, except for the title and character names, changing even the family structure."
Lee also mentioned, "It was hard to search for because there's a radio program with the same name," he laughed. "I believe a title should have a narrative. 'Date at 2' was missing the bracketed 'at dawn.' I wanted to give a twist from thinking of 2 PM to 2 AM. The new title, 'Pretty Crazy,' starts with the move of Seon-ji's family. Moving signifies not just physical relocation but also emotional shifts. I hope the film stirs emotions and leaves a 'bang.'"
'Pretty Crazy' is set to release on the 13th.
Reporter Kim Ji-won, TenAsia bella@tenasia.co.kr