MOVIE
'Our Day' Ki Joo-bong "I have no questions about Hong Sang-soo's field work, because I acknowledge the director."
Director Hong Sang-soo's new work and 30th feature film, 'Our Day', was screened as the closing film at the 76th Cannes International Film Festival Director's Week last May, and was then invited to the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), ahead of its release on October 19. It was revealed to domestic audiences for the first time in Busan.
At the 28th Busan International Film Festival, two works, the director's new work 'Our Day' and Hong Sang-soo's 29th feature film 'In the Water', released in April, were simultaneously invited to the Icon section. The Icon section is a section that introduces new works by leading contemporary artists.
Q. Why does poet Hong Eui-ju continue to smoke despite his health condition and doctor's dissuasion?
Ki Joo-bong: Personally, it’s similar to my actual situation, but I don’t know. I think I just do it even if the doctor tells me not to. And then even if I die, that's what happens.
Song Kyeong-won: It seems like the boundary between movies and reality is breaking down. This situation seems similar to director Hong Sang-soo's movie. (laugh)
Q. When you saw the scenario and the movie, what felt most different?
Seungyoon Kim: First of all, the rock-paper-scissors scene is very dynamic, and the game itself seems to rely on chance, but in fact, the director's script is so specific that he even writes down who loses how many times, when what is played, how many drinks, and even the timing. And it was accurate. The director gave me the script on the same day, but I memorized it better than I expected, so even though it was a long take, I remember being immersed in it and having fun filming it. I also watched the work for the first time today, and when I read the scenario, I thought that the contents of the different parts that I didn't know about were symmetrical and gave a very strange feeling, so I was very touched.
Ki Joo-bong: When I saw 'Our Day' at Cannes, the audience was about 1,000 seats, and when I lit my last cigarette and the movie ended, everyone stood up and gave me a standing ovation. It was such an emotional experience. I felt like there was a common consensus, and today, as I watched the movie with the audience and saw their reactions, I realized that they were all feeling the same thing. I think it will be a new memory.
Q. When I saw the character Jaewon in the movie who asks a lot of questions to the poet, I thought that actors had no choice but to ask questions when analyzing their characters and works. I wonder how I resolve these questions when they come to mind.
Ki Joo-bong: Actually, there aren’t many questions to Director Hong Sang-soo on set. If I do this, I start by acknowledging that something is going to connect the director with the best picture, so I don't have any other questions or thoughts.
Seungyoon Kim: When such questions arise, I think as an actor, how to further think about them and sublimate them into acting is something I need to continue to think about and express.
Song Kyeong-won: If I had to pick what I wanted to convey in this movie, I think it would be through lines like “don’t attach meaning” or “don’t try to understand everything.” The moment you fix the meaning, in fact, as the audience mentioned earlier about anxiety, when you say 'anxiety' you have to express that anxiety, but in fact, the work that the actors did was closer to something that naturally seeped out rather than me expressing a specific anxiety. I think the director was close to capturing those moments. However, this is my 1/100 opinion, and since it is an open movie that allows you to do whatever you feel, I think it would be enough for each person to take things like ‘the intensity of red pepper paste ramen’ and ‘the desire to smoke a cigarette’ with them.
Ha Seong-guk: When I feel anxious and uncertain, I tend to try to enjoy small achievements in front of me. Being able to make a blanket with my own hands in the morning, or being able to cook my own food... When I accumulate a few things like that, I personally think that the day has passed very well, so I do that.
Park Miso: Actually, I have to be anxious to be stable, and these days, I live my life thinking that I am a bit happy, but I think that makes me more anxious. So, even when I feel anxious, I think I value those feelings and emotions and try to feel them fully.
Seungyoon Kim: I started to think about ourselves, as the word ‘us’, the name of the cat in the movie, means. So, things like the cat jumped or how many meals it can eat are words and perspectives from a human's perspective, and in fact, when you see it sleeping in 'our' closet, you live with your own instinct, not with any right answer. I thought it was just there.
The reason why I'm always happy and thankful for the director's set is because the director and good seniors are there, but when I receive the script that day, I stick to one page of the script, and when the cut sound comes, I go home and forget everything. Every time I go to the director's set, I think, "Today was meaningful because I was faithful to that moment," because of my lines and the acting I did. So, I thought that the title ‘Our Day’ was very similar to the director’s scene.
Song Kyeong-won: While watching director Hong Sang-soo's latest work, I thought that the movie and the actors became similar, and I think that was the case during this GV session as well.
Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr
