On 3 November 2010 director Kim Jee-woon attended the London Korean film Festival to introduce his most recent film, the controversial I Saw The Devil. A couple of hours before the screening he was kind enough to answer some questions for Colette Balmain..
[Colette Balmain]: One of the main themes of your films seems to me to be the instability of identity. In an interview about The Good, The Bad and the Weird (South Korea: 2008) you are quoted as saying the repeated discussions about identity in the film by the protagonists “reflects a Korean sensibility.” Could you explain what you mean by this?
[Kim Jee-woon]: One of the common features of my films is the presence of lonely, alienated and solitary characters. However, this reflects my personal interest rather than being a direct comment on Korean national identity.
[CB]: While you deny that your films are political, the internal division of the subject, in for example A Tale of Two Sisters (South Korea: 2003) could be understood as a metaphor for the divided nature of the Korean state. In other words, that it is one nation, which has been artificially separated by outside forces.
[Kim Jee-woon]: The European perspective on my films is very different to the Korean one. The contemporary Korean filmgoer is not affected by the issues that affected the War generation. If my films are to be understood as political, then this should be understood in terms of people’s rights/human rights.
[CB]: Why did you return to the horror genre with I Saw the Devil (South Korea: 2009)? Was it that the story dictated the genre? Or would you not classify I Saw The Devil as a horror film?
[Kim Jee-woon]: Rather than a horror film, I Saw the Devil is a hard-core thriller with horror elements. I was interested in the current trend in thriller and gore cinema and wanted to bring my own style to the genre in order to critique the serial use of violence in contemporary society. I wanted to use the theme of revenge in order to see where it went and how far I could push it. It is not just for the shock factor, but I wanted to use a commercial genre to show the emotional turmoil of both the protagonist and the antagonist and depict the full and true extent of human anger and violence.
[CB]: Although I know that everyone who is interviewing will want to talk about the problems that I Saw The Devil ran into with the censors in Korea, I have to ask you about it. Were you surprised when you were asked to make cuts for its cinematic release in South Korean? And which version will be showing tonight at the London Korean Film Festival?
[Kim Jee-woon]: I had no idea that the film would need to be edited before being shown in Korean cinemas. This was the first time that a South Korean film has had two bans on humanitarian grounds. I didn’t expect it at all as imported foreign films shown in movie theatres have had equivalent levels of violence. I feel that the film ran into problems because the performances in it are very realistic. In fact, in Canada, the film was rated 14.
The version playing at the London Film Festival has the restored parts that were cut for the South Korean release but I have also made some minor edits in order to improve the pacing in parts.
[CB]: This brings me to the question of violence in your films and Korean cinema more generally. I feel that the violence was a moral dimension in your films and that criticism of “extreme” East Asian cinema overlook the context and/or the narrative which gives meaning to your films.
[Kim Jee-woon]: In terms of the cuts for I Saw the Devil, the only part that was cut was the scene involving cannibalism. This affected the rhythm and the build up of suspense within the overall narrative. Once it becomes cut, a film looses all rhythm. In Korean terms “eating sushi with a little less wasabi!”
[CB]: Finally, there are reports that you are to direct a film for Lionsgate, The Last Stand, is this true?
[Kim Jee-woon]: Things are still very much in the discussion stage. With the film industry, the film starts to happen when production starts. We are scouting for locations and filming is scheduled to start in Spring/Summer.
[CB]: What made you decide to direct an American film, given that few foreign directors have had much success in Hollywood – The Pang Brothers and Hideo Nakata come to mind – especially as you are used to having total control over your films.
[Kim Jee-woon]: In the normal Hollywood system, the director is appointed at the last minute. I have had involvement with the project from the start which I believe will help me in bringing my vision to the screen. I anticipate struggles with the system and clashes between the Hollywood system and my personal style.
I would like to thank Paul Koren, the Korean Cultural Centre and the London Korean Film Festival Centre for making this interview possible. Many thanks go to Kim Jee-woon for being so honest and entertaining. Finally, this wouldn’t have been possible without the excellent translation skills of An Ji-yoon.
