"Good News" can it be praised as a well-made commercial film beyond a Netflix movie. The key is how pleasingly the black comedy, which unpacks an incident inspired by a true story set in the sensitive three Northeast Asian countries of Korea, Japan and North Korea, will land.
On the morning of the 19th at the Busan Cinema Center, a press conference was held for the film "Good News" (director Byun Sung-hyun), invited to the Gala Presentation of the 30th Busan International Film Festival. Director Byun Sung-hyun and lead actors Sul KyungGu, Hong Kyung and Yamada Takayuki attended and talked about the work.
"Good News" is a film about a suspicious operation by people gathered in one place in the 1970s determined by any means to land a hijacked plane. It is based on the real Yodogo hijacking incident that occurred in March 1970. The Yodogo incident was an event in which nine members of the Japanese Red Army hijacked the Yodogo civil airliner, which was heading from Tokyo to Fukuoka, and went to North Korea.
The film was adapted with added cinematic imagination by director Byun Sung-hyun, who has been praised for his stylistic direction from "The Merciless" to "The Kingmaker" and "Gil Bok-soon." Riding on that, after its world premiere in the Special Presentation section at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, it has been noted for its immersive story, distinctive characters and unique direction.
Given that the incident is based on a true story involving the sensitive relations of three countries — Korea, Japan and North Korea — there must have been a sense of burden. Director Byun Sung-hyun calmly said, "It was based on a true story. 'News' is the result, isn't it. I tried to create the process to derive the result." He also addressed details such as quoting the Japanese manga "Tomorrow's Joe," saying, "I wrote a letter asking the publisher and the author for permission. Fortunately they seemed to understand the intent and the author appears to have granted permission to quote it. I thought it was a scene that was inevitably necessary for the film. It was also the work that most influenced the Red Army's identity. So the letter I wrote to the author with respect seems to have worked and allowed us to borrow it for the film."
How did the actors view this background. First, Sul KyungGu said, "It is based on a true story that actually happened in Korea and Japan in the 1970s. There are people who could plausibly have been intelligence agents or ministers at the time. The role I played felt like something the director created and threw out there. When I first read the script and asked the director my first question because it didn't seem to fit, he told me not to mix it."
He said, "In a way there are theatrical elements, and some notes asked me to act a bit exaggeratedly. I kept discussing with the director, and since the character has to oscillate between abnormal and normal, he wanted to show only the instant when returning to normal. I couldn't decide that myself. Our film felt like Director Byun Sung-hyun oversaw the whole and even for actors who appear briefly everything was created with a thoroughly calculated sense."
Hong Kyung said, "Seogomyung was a real person and a significant figure in that situation. As the intro of our film shows, it is a fiction that takes an incident as a motif but is largely reconstructed by the director's imagination. I also had freedom in how to explore the young person the director wrote. I worked on how to unfold the root, the figure that could be called Gomyung, that the director wrote."
Japanese actor Yamada said, "Before filming I researched the real person I was portraying and entered the set. But once on set, after many discussions with the director, I focused on the character the director created rather than trying to pursue realism."
Turning a sensitive incident into a black comedy both neutralizes its sensitivity and adds genre appeal. Director Byun Sung-hyun said, "When I first encountered this incident, it felt like a comedic situation in itself. Calling it a black comedy, I think it should not only make people laugh but also have sharpness. Although the incident occurred in 1970, it made me think I could use it to tell stories about the present era that I feel now, so I chose this incident as the subject."
Director Byun Sung-hyun also said about the device of breaking the fourth wall, "It aligns with what I want to talk about. When you break the fourth wall and an actor looks into the lens, it gives the audience distance more than immersion. I wanted them to be observers. I wanted the audience not to participate in the commotion but to watch it. Through the unidentified character we give and receive narration and I worked with the hope that the audience would watch this commotion." He added, "People believe things that way. When a film has an epigraph, they assume that epigraph exists, but I wanted to say it may not. From the time I was writing the script."
Despite these details, Director Byun Sung-hyun said of the Gala Presentation invitation from the Busan International Film Festival, "When I heard about the Gala Presentation I honestly didn't know the section well. At first I thought, 'Is that so.' But then I saw the directors in the same section and felt I shouldn't belong there. I wondered if I should be in it and felt apologetic. But I also felt a bit proud."
From "The Merciless," "The Kingmaker," "Gil Bok-soon" to "Good News," Director Byun Sung-hyun and Sul KyungGu worked together four times in a row. Sul KyungGu said, "Working together for four consecutive films didn't mean there was no concern; it made me more worried. It seemed viewers might feel burdened that I appeared in four consecutive films by Director Byun Sung-hyun, so I really wondered whether I should do it."
He said, "I started with Director Byun Sung-hyun from 'The Merciless' and at first I felt some resistance. But after that I enjoyed this style a lot. I was also curious how we would present the large-scale film 'Good News.' With 'The Merciless' you tried to make me stiff, but this time you said you'd crumple me again, so I was curious how you'd crumple me. They said I was crumpled in this film. I'm grateful that they try hard to change me anyway."
Director Byun Sung-hyun also said, "I like Senior KyungGu. I like him as an actor, as an older brother and as a senior. I really like him," drawing laughter.
Due to the background, there are scenes in which Korean actors use Japanese as well as Japanese actors. Director Byun Sung-hyun said, "I was surprised when Hong Kyung spoke Japanese. Usually when actors perform in a foreign language they try to memorize the lines so they stick in the mouth. But the actor Hong Kyung started by studying Japanese from hiragana like the Korean alphabet. He said he wanted to hear the other actor's lines. I listened and was surprised," expressing gratitude.
He added, "I asked a lot about the Japanese performance. I asked whether the lines I wrote sounded natural or if there might be better lines for the situation so that it wouldn't seem awkward to Japanese audiences. I asked and relied a lot on Mr. Yamada here."
Park Ga-eon, the Busan International Film Festival's senior programmer, said, "I don't speak Japanese and we often encounter English, and when we watch foreign films we evaluate Korean lines more strictly than anyone. I was curious. But as for the English part, even to my eyes the lines themselves were fundamentally natural. Beyond the acting. So I thought the translation was extremely well done." He added, "Hong Kyung doesn't just handle English but Japanese as well, and it felt like actual spoken language rather than acting."
Hong Kyung said, "I don't think I was that outstanding. It's a bit embarrassing. The production company CEO and producer gave me enough time. Thanks to the director, but as an actor being able to have a long pre-production period was an important factor for someone without experience like me. The roles of the CEO and producer seemed important. Rather, I feel embarrassed that I didn't live up to that time. I'm grateful that you see it positively."
The only Japanese actor present, Yamada, said, "I think many Japanese actors, not just me, struggle with this, but regarding lines we discuss that when you want to convey this feeling, perhaps this expression would be good, and we proceed exchanging opinions. It was like that this time too," saying he worked to reduce linguistic gaps.
He added, "Language is also culture. Literal translation or direct transfer does not always convey what you want to express, and there are difficulties. Trying various things this time was an opportunity to learn in many ways. I thought it's a big challenge to carry forward. If there are opportunities to work jointly with other countries in the future, I would actively pursue them."
Yamada said in his closing remarks, "My generation may know the name of the incident covered in this film but actually didn't know much about it. I was glad to have the chance to encounter a real incident through a comedy like this. I think knowing history is important. I'm happy and grateful to participate in such a work."
Finally Director Byun Sung-hyun said, "We worked hard filming, so I hope you enjoy it," and Sul KyungGu said, "I also worked hard with the director, so I hope you like it. Please be generous." Hong Kyung urged, "Our film has a lot to offer. There are many kinds of comedy, and after passing through several comedic beats there are scenes that will hit you and offer consolation. I think those moments exist, so please enjoy them."
Senior programmer Park Ga-eon said, "Watching films has dulled the sense of box office, but I felt this was a well-made commercial film I haven't seen in a while. So I thought audiences would like it," raising expectations for "Good News."
"Good News" will be released on Netflix on Oct. 17.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Lee Seok-woo.
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