Our childhood to face beyond the 'secret hill'

In school, everyone receives a 'home environment survey' from school at the beginning of each semester. It serves as basic information in the student record book, and also serves as a way for the homeroom teacher to grasp the environment surrounding the student. Recently, relatively few items have been simple, but there was a time when there was a time when even 'self-reliance' was written down. Some felt ashamed of their parents' occupations when asked to write down their parents' occupations in detail. This is an experience that everyone should have had. The story of this film begins when a sensitive 5th grade girl begins to lie about her home environment.

On the 5th, a press conference for the movie 'Secret Hill' (director Lee Ji-eun) was held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Director Lee Ji-eun and actors Moon Seung-ah, Lim Seon-woo, Jang Seon, and Kang Gil-woo attended.

'Secret Hill' tells the story of Myeong Myung (Moon Seung-ah), a sensitive and sensitive 5th grade girl who wants to be loved by everyone, and faces the truth she wanted to hide in a writing contest. am. Director Lee Ji-eun's debut feature film is a sensational film that was invited to the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival Generation Kplus competition section.

Actress Moon Seung-ah plays the role of Myeong, a 5th grade class 7 student at Eunnam Elementary School who has many things she wants to do and become. Actor Lim Seon-woo took on the role of Ae-ran, the pretty and smart homeroom teacher that Myeong likes the most. Actress Jang Seon played the role of Myeong-eun's mother, Kyung-hee, who is responsible for the family's livelihood by selling pickled fish in the market. Actor Kang Gil-woo appears as Myeong-eun's father, Seong-ho, who helps his wife, Kyung-hee, picket fish and housework without doing anything special.

'Secret Hill' is director Lee Ji-eun's first feature film debut. When asked about the reason for starting the work, he said, "The film started a long time ago. I started with a home environment survey I did in elementary, middle and high school. I write down my family and parents' occupation. I thought I could do it. I didn't think of anything else, so I buried it. I started with the desire as a director to see a new teenage female character. I wanted to draw a small human with a fierce desire. These two things “We made a movie together,” he explained.

Next, director Lee Ji-eun said, "What I wanted to deal with through this movie was, is it better to be honest or tell a lie? This is the biggest question. I tried to make it possible for the audience to relate to the confused images of Hyejin and Myungeun, who go their own way while writing honestly."

The background of the movie is set in 1996, and when asked what kind of reality he was trying to do, he said, "I think there is also a generation of parents in the family environment survey. It was necessary to give children freedom, and the 1990s seem to have that kind of freedom. The reason for the year 1996 was that it changed from a primary school to an elementary school, so we set this era. If I mention the IMF, I think there will be too many stories, so I set 1996 as the background. I couldn't do a lot of historical research visually, but I tried to historically research people's emotions and figures. I wanted to focus on the reaction of the characters." Intent was introduced.

'Secret Hill' is a movie that catches the eye with the delicate acting skills of actress Moon Seung-ah, born in 2009. Regarding casting, director Lee Ji-eun said, "There is something written in the first chapter of the scenario. The goal was 'I will definitely find Myeong-i.' It's important to be good at acting, but I thought it would be nice to be someone who can have a conversation. I wanted to find an actor who was greedy for this role and enjoyed exploring it, and that was actor Moon Seung-ah. I met him for the first time, but he was very savvy and human-to-human. It was fun. When I was acting, I was so comfortable and immersed in it that I was surprised."

The acting of actress Moon Seung-ah, who dominates the screen, becomes the force that sustains the play. Moon Seung-ah explained, "My acting teacher has always been the director. I met and practiced with the director a lot and became close. I naturally melted into Myeong-eun. I hate my family, but they are precious to me."

He said, "I've never been ashamed of my family, but I understand something. I like that there are some people who have tears in their eyes because they understand. It would be nice to go home and tell my family I love them today." He explained why he moved to the role.

He then said that there was no sense of difference in acting in a different era from his own. He said, “Although it is the MZ generation, it was not a problem to move into that generation because it is a pro.” She also expressed her affection for the role, saying, "Thanks to Myeong-eun, I became the class president and won an award for writing. I am grateful for Myeong-eun."

Jang Seon, who plays Myeong-eun's mother, said, "It seems that there are contradictions of adults that I see because I am a child, and there are aspects of me that I cannot see because I am young. It's like a story about an individual who acknowledges me as I am. I thought it would be nice for the audience to think that way along with my family and growth," he explained his feelings about the main character, Myeong-eun.

Ae-ran is an important character to the extent that the first scene of the movie is related to homeroom teacher Ae-ran. Lim Seon-woo said, "When I first read the scenario, I didn't try to act like a teacher. I focused on showing the distance between Myung-eun and the teacher rather than the typical teacher I've seen. I try to be a good teacher, but in the end I thought I was doing my own thing. I wanted to express the same sense of distance as others even though I was kind. Since it was 1996, I tried to create an external part through the hairstyle and makeup of that time. “He introduced the person he was in charge of.

Actor Kang Gil-woo, who showed unique acting skills in various independent films such as 'Six Nights' (director Choi Chang-hwan), 'Green Night' (director Seo-jin Yoon), and 'Jeolhae Altitude' (director Kim Mi-young), said that it was his first time acting as a father. He explained the character, "'Seong-ho' is like a bastard, sleeping but thinking a lot. He reminds us of our father in the past." He continued, "This is my first time acting as a father. Seong-ho will also be a father for the first time, so I didn't think I had to play someone's father. When I read the script, it didn't seem like it was written as a professional role. There was no burden in thinking and acting as a father. When I said the line 'My daughter is amazing', I acted thinking that Seongho knew everything. 'I think I was incompetent like a tsundere, so I thought I was sincere and courageous. “I thought,” he added.

He also said, “While preparing and acting the character, I thought a lot about my childhood and my father. I remembered what a young father looked like. I don't even remember what happened. When I look at 'Secret Hill', I forgot, but when I think about the people I met and the feelings, I think I can feel rich emotions."

In the play, Myeong-eun writes a letter expressing her sadness about her family. When asked what it would be like if Myeong-eun's mother and father saw it, Jang Seon, who played the role of Myeong-eun's mother, said, "I was asked a similar question in a conversation with the audience. As soon as I heard this question, I thought, 'My heart hurts so much'. If it were Kyung-hee, I would keep it in mind even if I read it, and I would have my original daily life. If it were me, I would talk to myself and become a mother like a friend. Kyung-hee, who has no room for heart, would have spent the day pretending not to have seen it. Same," he replied.

Actor Kang Gil-woo, who plays Myung-eun's father, also burst into laughter, saying, "In the case of Seong-ho, honesty will be the medicine. I think he will work hard to show his changed appearance and put on a suit."

Regarding the reason why he had to watch 'Secret Hill', Lim Seon-woo said, "I feel good, but I feel complicated. So far, we have been enjoying it, but thinking that we are going out to the world starting today, I am nervous and excited at the same time. The best things I think I put it in this movie. I hope the time I watched the movie can be valuable." Next, Jangseon expressed confidence, saying, "It's a time when audiences are slow in theaters these days, but I am confident that I will be able to make everyone cry regardless of gender and age."

In addition, Kang Gil-woo said, "I think it's the most unpopular work among the many works I've filmed. Even if you don't like it a lot, no one will hate it. There are a lot of fine details. I would like to see it over and over again," he said, revealing his strong affection for the work. Next, Moon Seung-ah explained, "The more you watch, the more fun it is. Please spread word of mouth." Director Lee Ji-eun said, "When I think of that character, I hope my heart will be moved and I can be happy."

'Secret Hill' will be released on July 12th.

photo courtesy of foreigners

Reporter Lee Ha-neul, Ten Asia greenworld@tenasia.co.kr