MOVIE
Director Min Yong-geun “Dear Kim Da-mi and Jeon So-ni”
On the afternoon of the 28th, a press screening of the movie 'Soul Mate' (directed by Min Yong-geun) was held at the Lotte Cinema Konkuk University entrance in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Actors Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-ni, Byun Woo-seok, and director Min Yong-geun attended the press conference held after the preview.
'Soul Mate' is the story of two friends, Miso (played by Da-mi Kim), Ha-eun (played by So-ni Jeon), and Jin-woo (played by Woo-seok Byeon), who recognized each other from their first meeting and shared everything together, including joy, sadness, excitement, and longing.
Director Min Yong-geun, who made an impressive debut with the movie 'Hyehwa, Dong', returns with 'Soulmate' 10 years after 'A Certain Perspective - Ice River'. It sheds light on not only friendship but also individual life, and by bringing in the subject matter of painting, it not only raises emotions more dramatically, but also differentiates itself from the original work to stimulate interest.
On this day, director Min Yong-geun said, "I also like the original a lot. I felt burdened by the fact that there are so many fans of the original. As time goes by and I write the scenario, and although it is the same original, as I tell the story in my own way, there are times when I forget that there is an original. “Yes, I couldn’t remember the original story after writing the scenario, filming with the actors, and going to the actual filming location. At times, it was similar to the original setting, but at times it moved away from it. I wanted to be free and not be tied to the original,” he said.
He continued, "While making the movie and watching it again, I think the biggest thing that came to mind was that I wanted to capture the faces of these three actors. What's different from the original in the movie is that there are hyper-realistic drawings, but it's also the technical aspect of drawing them the same. “In fact, when I met these artists, they told me that the very act of looking at a face and approaching it in the same way to draw that face every day was the feeling of composition itself,” he added.
Director Min Yong-geun said, "The subject matter of drawings was probably similar to the attitude I have when trying to capture the faces of my actors in movies. Our movies have a lot of close-ups. Aside from simply showing facial expressions, actors Da-mi Kim, So-ni Jeon, and Woo-seok Byun are I wanted to portray various emotions through the faces of the characters, such as emotional changes and subtle psychology that are not visible to them. Of course, what sets this movie apart is not the attitude toward approaching the appearance of the face. “I think it was,” he explained.
Director Min Yong-geun said of Kim Da-mi and Jeon So-ni, "I was jealous. Actor Byun Woo-seok also understands and can tell," and added, "We filmed scenes together and filmed separate scenes, but when we filmed them meeting after not meeting each other, it was like that." “The eyes were so affectionate that I felt a sense of relative alienation. I had an experience of feeling jealous.”
Meanwhile, 'Soulmate' will be released on March 15th.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr
