Director Na Hong-jin Says Violence in "Hope" Is "Very Low Compared to My Previous Film, 'The Wailing'"

[Sportschosun reporter An So-yoon] Director Na Hong-jin spoke about the level of violence in the film "Hope."

At the press and distribution screening for "Hope" held on the 6th at Megabox COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Na said, "As you will see when you watch the film, the level of violence is very low compared to my previous work."

"Hope," which opens on the 15th, tells the story of Beom-seok, the head of the Hope Harbor branch office located in the DMZ, who hears from local young people that a tiger has appeared. As the entire village goes on alert, he is drawn into an unbelievable reality. The film is directed by Na Hong-jin, known for "The Chaser," "The Yellow Sea," and "The Wailing."

Na also explained the focus of his direction, saying, "First, I came up with the name 'Hope,' and then created the fictional place name 'Hope Harbor.' I chose the name while imagining a small village somewhere in Korea." He added, "I don't know how audiences will see this film, but 'Hope' has a much lower level of violence than my previous work. I wanted to make it that way this time. There are knives and guns in the film, and they can be cruel weapons, but I thought they could be expressed effectively."

He also discussed the action direction, saying, "Above all, I focused on the actors' safety. We finalized the shot division a year before filming, and after preparing the continuity and storyboards, we discussed everything with the actors and staff." He added, "This time, I wanted to film without holding back, and the preparation process to actually carry that out was quite long."

Reporter An So-yoon antahn22@sportschosun.com