Director Jeong Joo-ri, “‘Next Sohee’ was possible with Bae Doo-na’s presence alone”

Director Jeong Joo-ri, who directed the movie 'Next Sohee', expressed her feelings about working together for the first time in 9 years.

On the morning of the 6th, director Jeong Ju-ri told various stories related to the upcoming movie 'Next Sohee' at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'Next Sohee' is an intense story about an incident that Sohee (played by Si-eun Kim), a confident 18-year-old high school student, experiences while going on field training, and Eugene (played by Doo-na Bae), a detective who investigates it, encounters it in the same space but at a different time. Also, last year, it was the first Korean film to be selected as the closing film of the Critics Week at the 75th Cannes International Film Festival.

Director Jeong Joo-ri's feature film debut, 'Doheeya', was invited to the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard section, as well as the Toronto International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, and London International Film Festival. He also received the Best New Director award at the Baeksang Arts Awards and Buil Film Awards. ‘Next Sohee’ is the first film to be released eight years after ‘Doheeya’ and has entered the Cannes Film Festival for the second time in a row.

On this day, ahead of the release, director Jeong Ju-ri said, "I am so, so nervous. It was 8 years until last year, and it has been 9 years since this year. This movie is also based on a true story, so I am a little cautious. I am also very worried about how people will view it." .

Director Jeong Ju-ri worked with Bae Doo-na for the first time in 9 years since ‘Doheeya’ in 2014. He explained, "In a way, because of the existence of 'Bae Doo-na,' the character, composition, and part 1 were clearly divided into parts 1 and 2. It was because of Bae Doo-na that I was able to attempt this work in the first place."

He continued, "That said, when I first planned and wrote the story, I wasn't sure that 'Actress Bae Doo-na will do it.' We haven't been in touch for a long time, and in fact, we don't know what will happen. In my mind, I have no idea what this person will play. “I was able to complete the story in detail because of the images,” he added.

Director Jeong Joo-ri said, "I completed the scenario and sent it to them, and they watched the movie as I wrote it. They understood what kind of movie I wanted to make as if it had come and gone in my mind. In fact, I felt a little uneasy and unfamiliar after writing the scenario, and actor Bae Doo-na said, “I became more confident with the support. I thought I could come out okay,” he said.

He also said, "I was able to use this character because there was actress Bae Doo-na. Actress Bae Doo-na was my strongest comrade while making the movie. I had never worked as a staff member on set before. I only wrote the script and directed it for the first time with 'Doheeya,' and I also "I didn't know much about him. I worked with him on set, feeling that he was my strongest comrade. I would be more grateful if you saw him as a persona," he said with a smile.

Director Jeong Ju-ri also mentioned Bae Doo-na’s charm. He said, "For me, the crucial charm of actor Bae Doo-na is that he is good at reading scenarios. I have never properly learned how to write a screenplay. I think I write while thinking about the movie I want to make. In general, the style of the scenario may be different from that of other movies." There is. Actress Bae Doo-na accepts what I wrote. She clearly captures that by leaving it as the atmosphere of the scene without using the fingerprint explicitly. That gives me strength. It makes me look forward to making a movie with this scenario. Many people in the field He expressed his affection by saying, “He is very considerate.”

Meanwhile, 'Next Sohee' will be released on the 8th.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr