Idol music video lend director Hong Won-gi presents a new horror film, "Gwishi," with notable actors including Yoo Jae-myung and Moon Chae-won.
On the 9th afternoon at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a press preview and press conference for the film "Gwishi" (director Hong Won-gi; provided by Michigan Venture Capital and Jerry Good Company; distributed by By4M Studio; produced by Jerry Good Company and Johnny Bros; co-produced by CCM and Westworld) were held. Attending the event were actors Yoo Jae-myung, Moon Chae-won, Seo Young-hee, Won Hyun-jun, Solar (Mamamoo), Cha Seon-woo, Bae Soo-min, Seo Ji-su, Son Joo-yeon and director Hong Won-gi, who discussed the film.
"Gwishi" is a film that tells a chilling story about people who try to obtain what they do not have in the ghost trading market Gwishi, which unfolds when the fox's window opens. Yoo Jae-myung, Moon Chae-won, Seo Young-hee, Won Hyun-jun, Mamamoo Solar, Cha Seon-woo, Bae Soo-min, Seo Ji-su and Son Joo-hyeon, among various actors, present stories such as "Delivery" and "Cop Cam" in an omnibus structure.
Director Hong Won-gi said of the "Gwishi" universe that runs through the film, "I wanted to build a universe and chose the title with the motif of a ghost market. In fact, it's a market where you can buy people's desires. I expressed desire itself as ghosts and created a world where you can buy them."
He added, "The points that connect each episode and the characters that run through them are somewhat related," and said, "I wanted to create an expansion of the universe showing that you can enter Gwishi even in Vietnam," emphasizing the scale of "Gwishi" from Korea to Vietnam. He especially added, "The ghost market is a place that buys people's desires, and it implies that you must pay a price."
To that end, Moon Chae-won took on a horror film for the first time since her debut. She said, "I'm afraid of horror films, so as an audience I don't watch them often. As an actor, I had never tried this genre nor had I been offered it. When I received the offer this time, filming could be a new experience for me, and I became curious about the result. I thought it would feel new to fans and more viewers, so I started with a light heart."
She continued, "There wasn't really that much time to prepare the character. I finished it by the 3rd or 4th shooting session. I naturally empathized and understood. I'm a woman and want to look pretty, and because the job is one that's seen a lot, the desire to look pretty wasn't hard to understand, so it started naturally. I focused on trying to play a character more consumed by desire."
Seo Ji-su, who even engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Moon Chae-won, said, "It was my first action scene so I prepared a lot, but the senior kindly guided me and filming was fun," and Moon Chae-won replied, "I shot without feeling scared because of the makeup. As an actor filming a horror movie on set, you don't feel fear. Ji-su has a lively and cheerful personality, so filming was pleasant."
Yoo Jae-myung also joked, "I'm not a fan of horror films and it was my first time seeing one in a theater. Coming here, I felt dazed." He said, "After reading the script I asked the director a lot about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of the space, and the symbolism of Gwishi. Not all spaces feel realistic; they are symbolic spaces, but I tried hard to make them feel realistic." He added, "We actually filmed in an underground space. During the shoot, after seeing countless grotesque images, we'd go outside to ventilate as soon as a cut was done. It was a different experience throughout the production. It was an emotion I felt for the first time," emphasizing the unfamiliarity.
Veteran actor Seo Young-hee said, "Having appeared in horror films often, I felt some burden. I wanted to show a somewhat new side in this film, but the desperation as a mother seems to have been my point." She said, "What I regret is that my daughter and I hardly had any joyful moments in the film. Still, it was fun to film with a beautiful daughter," and added, "When reality crossed over, I just watched the film and it was very heartbreaking. On the other hand, I wondered whether students need to study this hard and give their best to this extent; students and parents who are studying now, stay strong."
Bae Soo-min said, "This is my first challenge in screen acting, and it was an honor to appear in a horror work with great seniors," and added, "Since it hasn't been long since I experienced student life, I thought a lot about my friends. I thought a lot about how I would normally talk and spend daily life with friends. That helped me portray the student role better."
Cha Seon-woo, a former member of idol group B1A4, said, "In the film I appear as Yoo Jae-myung's junior. Filming with the senior in person taught me a lot on set. Acting as a junior policeman made me naturally follow along. As you can see, I really answer a lot. If I'm told to do this, I say yes; told to do that, I also say yes. I tried to learn from the senior on set as well. It was a good time." He also laughed, "There are juniors like Solar and Seo Ji-su, and it would have been nice to film together, but since the episodes are different, it's a pity we couldn't film together on set. If there's a good opportunity next time, I'd definitely like to do it together."
Director Hong Won-gi, asked about comparisons to the similar-timed release of the Conjuring series, said, "The differences are that there are people's limits and greed, and I tried to express the subtle emotions Koreans can feel, along with gory jump-scare scenes. Though the stories are broken, I tried to give continuity as if they were not entirely broken. I infused a lot of resentment, greed, shamans, and the sentiments Koreans can feel. I also like horror films like The Conjuring, so you can see distinctions from those films. I boldly adopted gory scenes felt in Western horror films. I tried to show everything I could show. I tried to express that as well as possible."
Above all, he said, "I used to be busy shooting beauty shots, but now I'm busy shooting blood-soaked scenes. Many of the friends who used to take my beauty shots are here. What makes horror films fun as a director is that they require many ideas. How can it look real, how can it look horrific. Researching idea-driven killing scenes really resonated with me. Since the story itself isn't realistic, putting people's inner thoughts into unrealistic places and making them feel painful and entertaining was fun. So I plan to continue making films like this. I'm preparing a few more."
"Gwishi" opens on the 17th.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Lee Dae-seon.
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