[Sportschosun Jo Ji-young Reporter] The thriller built on Shin Min-a's blood, sweat, and tears, and her all-out performance down to her eyes, has thrown down its gauntlet in theaters.
On the afternoon of the 15th, a press and distribution screening for the suspense thriller 'The Eyes' (directed by Yeom Ji-ho, produced by Dream Capture) was held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Ichon-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul. Attending the event were Shin Min-a, who took on a dual role as Seojin, a photographer who investigates the death of her twin sister while gradually losing her sight to hereditary optic neuropathy, and Seoin, Seojin's twin sister who overcame her visual impairment to succeed as a ceramic artist before meeting a mysterious death; Kim Nam-hee, who plays Detective Dohyeok, the officer who watches over Seojin's obsession while helping her track down Seoin's death; and director Yeom Ji-ho.
'The Eyes' follows a protagonist who is slowly losing her sight to a hereditary disease and, while uncovering the suspicions surrounding her twin sister's death, comes face to face with the truth. The film arrived in theaters in early summer as an immersive entertainment movie that lets audiences feel the danger drawing closer the more they try to see, as well as the fear and thrill that grow stronger when things remain unseen.
In particular, 'The Eyes' draws attention because Shin Min-a, who has continued to reinvent herself across genres and characters in films such as 2020's 'Diva,' 2023's 'Our Season,' the 2022 drama 'Our Blues,' and the 2025 Netflix series 'Karma,' takes on a dual role once again. She naturally captured Seojin's behavior as the character gradually loses her sight, while also detailing the wide range of emotions that move between Seojin and her sister Seoin, proving her reputation as a 'thriller queen.'
That day, Shin Min-a said, "I focused on making the relationship with the younger sister, who is the closest person to her but also someone she has complicated feelings about, feel relatable. As the story moved toward the climax, I also paid attention to bringing out Seojin's fear and the audience's curiosity about who the culprit might be. I think this will be a film that makes people reflect on precious people and relationships."
Speaking about portraying visual impairment, she said, "I tried to act with the point of gradually losing sight in mind. I experimented with things like changing the position of my eyes. I tried to express the details of who Seojin is now. In the latter part, I acted with a bandage on, and even my hearing became sharper in real life. I could feel the fear that came from that. I empathized with a character placed in such a frightening and difficult situation. I hope the fear I felt comes across well to the audience too."
On playing two roles, she laughed and said, "I've done this kind of acting before, but this project was completely different. These are sisters with different goals. I had to show complicated emotions, so I approached them as different characters in different works. Seeing two people with my face in one frame was fascinating when I watched the film, but because I approached them as such different characters, they looked different."
She added, "It's a Spanish original, but it has been adapted into a Korean thriller. I am satisfied because I think it has been adapted well to our emotions. So I hope many people will enjoy it even more."
Kim Nam-hee said, "From the moment I read the script until today, when it was finally unveiled, I worried about whether my character would be clearly understood. I tried to work closely with the director and Shin Min-a through a lot of discussion." He added, "I had so many concerns that I even said during filming that I couldn't do it."
He continued, "I watched the film for the first time today too, and I couldn't quite adjust to it visually or mentally. I laughed because it was absurd, and I laughed because it was bizarre. I don't know whether it will come across well cinematically to audiences. It is the result of everyone's discussions, and we did our best. Still, the shock hasn't worn off yet."
Asked about working with Shin Min-a, he said, "Isn't Shin Min-a an actress who is almost like an idol to men? It was really great to work with one of the most respected actresses. I think we acted while feeling each other's energy. We exchanged performances with a tense energy, and that made it an impressive work."
Director Yeom Ji-ho said, "It is a film based on a Spanish original. The European sensibility and our own sensibility felt subtly different. I wondered whether the way the story is driven would suit Korean audiences. I worked hard to make it something Korean viewers could accept naturally, without any sense of strangeness."
He also spoke about the casting process for Shin Min-a and Kim Nam-hee, saying, "Both roles are difficult characters. Shin Min-a was the actress who anchored 'The Eyes.' We also needed a face that audiences had not seen much in thrillers. She acts well, and she felt fresh in a thriller, so I cast her." He added, "When I looked at Kim Nam-hee's filmography, I felt he acted very well in a way that suited the role."
'The Eyes' stars Shin Min-a, Kim Nam-hee, Lee Seung-ryong, and Kim Young-ah, with Yeom Ji-ho of 'The Neighbor' directing. The film opens on the 24th.
Jo Ji-young Reporter soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
