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Actor-director Ha Jung-woo is understood not just for his commanding display screen presence but in addition for his rising confidence behind the digicam, solidifying his place as one of many main figures in Korean cinema.
His newest challenge, “The Folks Upstairs,” showcases either side of his expertise as he directs and stars in a movie that provides a surprisingly frank and humorous exploration of life collectively as a married couple.
Tailored from the 2020 Spanish movie “Sentimental,” the 47-year-old takes on the roles of screenwriter, director and actor on this challenge. Ha mirrored on how his earlier directorial roles in “Fasten Your Seatbelt” (2013), “Chronicle of a Blood Service provider” (2015) and “Foyer” (2024) formed his strategy to this newest movie.
“Due to the teachings and experiences gained from ‘Foyer’ in addition to ‘Chronicle of a Blood Service provider’ and ‘Fasten Your Seatbelt,’ I’ve the chance to fulfill the viewers with this fourth challenge,” Ha mentioned after the premiere in Seoul, Tuesday.
“All the course of, starting from ending a movie to releasing it, assembly the viewers, accepting their suggestions and studying from the result, is steady. That’s how I expertise progress, even when it’s only one millimeter at a time.”
Actors Kim Dong-wook, left, and Gong Hyo-jin in a scene from the movie “The Folks Upstairs” / Courtesy of BY4M Studio
The film facilities on a clumsy ceremonial dinner involving two {couples}. The downstairs couple, Jung-ah (Gong Hyo-jin) and Hyeon-soo (Kim Dong-wook), are affected by a strained relationship once they determine to ask their upstairs neighbors, Mr. Kim (Ha) and Su-kyeong (Lee Ha-nee).
Recognized for his or her loud nightly actions, the upstairs couple shortly steered the dialog towards sudden and delicate matters. This shift finally sparked a confrontation, forcing the downstairs couple to confront their very own hidden points.
The movie appears like a stage play, with a lot of the motion confined to the downstairs couple’s house through the tense dinner gathering. Its energy lies within the fast-paced and sharp dialogue and the forged’s highly effective ensemble efficiency.
Regardless of the construction, the director emphasised his focus was on the narrative, not the style.
“Regardless that it is structured like a comedy, I did not consider it purely as a comedy movie. Nor did I goal to ship some believable message,” Ha defined. “I used to be solely centered on collaborating with the actors to skillfully unravel a well-structured story. Watching the unique Spanish movie, I noticed that even when the area and tradition are completely different, folks have the identical difficulties, the identical awkwardness and the identical understanding.”
Ha mentioned the casting was a cautious course of as he sought actors who may make the unusual plot and formal dialogue sound actual, and his first alternative was Gong.
“The state of affairs within the state of affairs has a fantastical side, and there’s a lot of literary dialogue. I questioned how finest to specific these traces realistically, and the primary one that got here to thoughts was actor Gong,” the director mentioned.
From left, actors Kim Dong-wook, Gong Hyo-jin, Lee Ha-nee and Ha Jung-woo pose throughout a press convention for his or her film “The Folks Upstairs” at a theater in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Gong talked about the irony of portraying a pair in disaster whereas each she and Kim are newlyweds in actual life.
“We’re each newlyweds, so it was tough to really perceive the downstairs couple,” Gong confessed, including they sought recommendation from buddies who’ve been married longer and have kids.
Actor Lee expressed her fascination with working with Ha as a director and co-star for the primary time. She provided a humorous perception into her character’s relationship with Ha’s character, Mr. Kim.
“They’re a remarried couple, so she is aware of his execs and cons. In contrast to a primary marriage, she already is aware of him to the bone and has the desire to embrace his flaws,” Lee mentioned.
Although “The Folks Upstairs” offers with the personal lives of married {couples}, it properly avoids being too specific. As an alternative, it’s a comedy pushed fully by the frank dialog amongst them.
“The Folks Upstairs” will hit theaters on Dec. 3.
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