MOVIE
Let's take a look at the observation points of 'The Land of Happiness'
'The Land of Happiness' is a film that tells the story of Park Tae-joo, who was implicated in the assassination of the president on the orders of his superior on October 26, 1979, and Jeong In-hu, a lawyer who took on his defense and jumped into the worst political trial in South Korea. 'The Land of Happiness' is raising the expectations of potential viewers by revealing some interesting points to watch before its release.
The first point to watch is that the film's subject matter is a story that runs through the 10.26 assassination of the president and the 12.12 incident. 'The Land of Happiness' mentions the modern history of the Republic of Korea and deals with a trial that has not received much attention in the important historical events. The film revolves around three characters caught up in the whirlwind of history: Park Tae-joo (Lee Sun-kyun), who is involved in the assassination of the president under the orders of his superior and is tried unfavorably as a soldier; Jeong In-hoo (Jo Jung-seok), a lawyer who struggles to save him; and Jeon Sang-doo (Yoo Jae-myung), the head of the joint investigation team who is at the center of power at the time and controls the trial for greater power.
Director Choo Chang-min directed the film to introduce the audience to the worst political trials that spanned the 10.26 presidential assassination and the 12.12 incident, as well as the little-known figures who were affected by them. As Director Choo Chang-min said in explaining his directing intentions, “If you focus on another line of history, you will be able to feel a new kind of fun,” the film raises expectations for another incident in the modern history of the Republic of Korea that will be shown.
'The Land of Happiness' features characters that were reborn with cinematic imagination based on real events. First, Jung In-hoo, played by Jo Jung-seok, is a character that adds cinematic imagination to the appearance of the lawyers who were in charge of the defense of the October 26 presidential assassination trial. He appears as a 'courtroom dogfight master' who jumps into the trial to save Park Tae-joo. After jumping into the trial, he experiences a change of heart upon seeing Park Tae-joo, who holds the convictions that he must uphold as a soldier and maintains an upright attitude. Jo Jung-seok perfectly portrays Jung In-hoo, who changes as the trial progresses, and adds sincerity to his unique witty and sly appearance, creating his own character and raising expectations.
Park Tae-joo, played by Lee Sun-kyun, is the only soldier among those on trial, and is in a situation where the verdict is finalized through a single trial rather than a three-trial system. Lee Sun-kyun gradually reveals his inner self after meeting Jeong In-hu, a lawyer who does his best for him, and he is expected to show high-density chemistry with Jeong In-hu, which will help the audience immerse themselves.
Lastly, Yoo Jae-myung plays the role of Jeon Sang-doo, the head of the joint investigation team who moves the trial for power. Jeon Sang-doo, the center of great power, eavesdrops on the trial of those involved in the 10.26 presidential assassination case in a secret room and sends secret notes to the judge in real time, thereby influencing the trial. Jeon Sang-doo will show a fierce acting showdown with Jeong In-hu, maintaining a confrontational stance until the end over the life or death of Park Tae-joo. Yoo Jae-myung's transformation into Jeon Sang-doo full of ambition with creepy acting skills on the screen, and the audience's continued rave reviews of the tense confrontation with Jeong In-hu are increasing the anticipation for the release.
The last point of interest is the efforts of the production team to guide the audience to 1979 and the detailed court scenes. Since 'Land of Happiness' is based on a real incident that occurred in 1979, the production team's biggest task was to perfectly show the audience the era. Director Choo Chang-min and the production team vividly brought 1979 to life on screen based on such thorough research.
First, the production team put meticulous effort into all areas including the actors' performances, art, costumes, and filming to faithfully express the era. In order to create a film-like feel, they utilized 100% of the expensive equipment called 'anamorphic lenses', and succeeded in accurately reflecting 1979 by using incandescent lights instead of LED lights that gave off a digital feel. In addition, in order to perfectly express the scale of the courtroom at that time on screen, they studied the shape of the desks where the judges were sitting, and in order to faithfully express the courtroom scene, which is the most important scene in the movie, they filmed it by perfectly matching the positions of the defense team and the audience, and even the number of defendants, based on existing documentaries, and they made great efforts to bring out even the smallest details. As a result, the courtroom scene, which is the highlight of the movie, was born as a vivid scene that seems to unfold before the audience's eyes, doubling the sense of immersion when watching it on a large screen in a theater.
'The Land of Happiness' will be released on August 14th.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
