[26th BIFF] 'Haengbok-ui Naro' A Warmly Woven Question Mark on Death and Happiness

Photo by Yonhap News

[Busan=Asia Economy Reporter Lee Iseul] "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness," which warmly explores questions about happiness through heavy themes such as money and death, opened the Busan International Film Festival. The press screening of the opening film, held prior to the opening ceremony, was delayed by about 20 minutes due to an unexpectedly large number of journalists gathering, showing intense enthusiasm.

Director Im Sang-soo said at the press conference for the opening film "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness," held on the afternoon of the 6th at the outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan, "Although it deals with money and death, it is somewhat different from my previous works," adding, "We need to think deeply about death."

"Heaven: To the Land of Happiness" tells the story of 203 (played by Choi Min-sik), a prisoner without a gallbladder, and Nam-sik (played by Park Hae-il), a patient without money, who accidentally come into possession of a large sum of money and embark on a special journey dreaming of a glamorous ending to their lives. This is director Im Sang-soo's new work after six years since "My Dear Desperado" (2015), starring actors Choi Min-sik, Park Hae-il, Jo Han-chul, Im Sung-jae, and Lee El. It was invited to the "2020 Official Selection" of the 73rd Cannes International Film Festival, which did not take place due to the pandemic but announced its selected works.

Director Im Sang-soo, who deals with heavy themes such as death and money, said, "As I get older, I find myself thinking about death," and shared the background of the film's conception: "I reached an age where I started receiving obituaries of acquaintances one by one, and naturally began to contemplate death."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the film, Choi Min-sik plays prisoner number 203, who embarks on a passionate escape in search of his last happiness in life while serving time in prison, and Park Hae-il plays Nam-sik, who inadvertently joins him on this special journey.

Since the film deals with the friendship between the two men, their acting chemistry was important. Choi Min-sik shared the process of building their friendship, saying, "We accumulated quite a few bottles of alcohol between us." He expressed affection, saying, "Eight out of ten times, we exchanged stories in a hazy state. It was so familiar that it felt amazing."

Park Hae-il responded, "It has been 15 years since I wished to meet the senior through a project someday," adding, "Although the road movie genre was unfamiliar, I thought it would be happy to be on set with the senior. I acted with the desire to react to every breath and movement." He continued, "The senior arrived 30 minutes early and was the first to come for makeup on set. I also always tried to come earlier than scheduled."

Director Im Sang-soo and the actors prepared by holding script meetings for "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness" at a separately arranged accommodation. Park Hae-il recalled, "Before filming, we had intense discussions about the script. We started after building a significant part of the work and characters. The film moved forward like a fast train."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, the use of female characters is regrettable. Director Im said, "It is commonly called a two-man road movie, but while writing the script, I tried to balance it. I wondered what it would be like if characters such as high-ranking members of an organization, subordinates, police officers, and detective captains, which we commonly see, were portrayed as women."

Meanwhile, the 26th Busan International Film Festival will be held for ten days until the 15th at six theaters including the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, CGV Centum City, and Lotte Cinema Centum City, with 29 screens.

Busan=Reporter Lee Iseul

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.