[Limelight] Clash of Worldviews, Choi Dong-hoon Has Become a Kind Narrator

Movie 'Oegye+in' SF, Family, Crime, Martial Arts, Comedy, Horror...
Released in Two Parts with a Vast Universe, Unified Sensibility Absent
"One Character's Lines Revised Thirty Times... Accepting Concerns of Children's Drama"
"Humans Are Quite Complex Beings... Could Be a Story About Mental Illness"

‘Tazza (2006)’, ‘The Thieves (2012)’, ‘Assassination (2015)’... Director Choi Dong-hoon's films overflow with a desire for storytelling. It even takes precedence over emotional delivery. He stacks a large amount of content within a limited running time. Therefore, the shot lengths are short and the pace is fast.

The movie ‘Alien+In’ reaches a level where editing alone cannot resolve its complexity. Its universe is so vast that it is released in two parts. In the present year 2022, Guard (Kim Woo-bin) and Thunder (voice of Kim Dae-myung) manage aliens trapped inside human bodies. Meanwhile, in the late Goryeo period, the Taoist Muruk (Ryu Jun-yeol) and the thunder-shooting girl Ian (Kim Tae-ri) struggle to obtain the divine sword. As the gate of time opens, the stories connect into one.

The color palette cannot be defined by just one or two hues. Its roots lie in science fiction (SF) fantasy. Family and crime form the main threads, but it bears various fruits such as comedy, martial arts, romance, and horror. While it guarantees a rich visual experience, it is not a fused form. It fails to evoke a unified sensibility, leaving only dazzling ornamentation.

There is less room for active audience participation compared to previous works. Watching the intersection of time and space requires no effort to fill in gaps. The sequence is mixed, but the economy is low. The universe is explained overly kindly. When Choi met Asia Economy via video call on the 18th, he said, "I wanted the audience to easily approach the complex and unfamiliar universe." Below is a Q&A with Director Choi.

- The characters explain situations that the audience could visually infer, especially Thunder.

▲ The story moves quickly, and there are many parts the audience might miss. To fully understand the complex universe, it had to be explanatory. I watched ‘Alien+In’ Part 1 about 120 times. I spent about thirty times revising Thunder’s lines. After much deliberation, I emphasized a kind and friendly personality.

- The young Ian (Choi Yu-ri) in the present does not remain a listener at the same position as the audience. She investigates Guard’s secret with curious eyes. This might cause the story to be perceived as a children’s drama, making the events seem less serious.

▲ I didn’t want it to look serious (laughs). I wanted the strange and unfamiliar events to be seen through a child’s perspective. Even if it might be perceived as a children’s drama, that was more important. If an adult actor had played the role, it wouldn’t have been realized. The audience’s involvement would have been greatly reduced as well.

- It must have been difficult to simultaneously attempt genre fusion and connect present and past.

▲ I thought more about the latter than the former. I didn’t want to follow the chronological flow as it is. I wanted to enhance the joy of watching the film by changing the order or structure. I still prefer a structure where the mystery is solved in the latter part. It’s a plot rarely used in mainstream films, but it seemed to fit well with this movie. After 2 years and 6 months of contemplation, I pushed it through.

- The link between the two time-spaces is merely the movement of Ian and Jajang (Kim Eui-sung). There is no particular reason for setting it in the late Goryeo period. Perhaps that’s why the dramatic effect of cross-editing is not strong.

▲ I made ‘Jeon Woo-chi (2009)’ 13 years ago, but I wanted to tell more stories connecting present and past. If given the chance, I wanted to show it through cross-editing. Rather than dramatic effect, I wanted to arouse the audience’s curiosity. Many viewers will wonder why the present and past unfold simultaneously. The answer can be found near the end of Part 2. Part 1 only presents a single line. The past in the present could also be the future….

- The late Goryeo background is set in 1391. Does Part 2 include content related to the founding of Joseon the following year?

▲ No. The story stops at 1391. In high school history class, I memorized the founding year of Joseon as 1392. Like 1492 for Columbus discovering the New World, or 1592 for the outbreak of the Imjin War (laughs). Naturally, I came to recognize the late Goryeo as 1391. I wanted to avoid the Joseon era, which often appears as the main background in films and dramas. But going back to Unified Silla would have felt too alien.

- The immortals Heukseol (Yeom Jung-ah) and Cheongun (Jo Woo-jin) almost take charge of the comedy. Even if the lines themselves are less funny, their delivery is varied. Their ridiculousness sometimes covers the story’s awkwardness or absence.

▲ This is my third collaboration with Yeom Jung-ah. She is one of the few actors who can bring out the flavor of words. Her drama acting is excellent, but she is especially good at purely twisted expressions. Once I decided to entrust her, the previously blocked script flowed smoothly. Cheongun was a character devised because Heukseol needed a close friend. I thought if Jo Woo-jin showed his characteristic indifferent face, it would be an interesting combination.

- You paid a lot of attention to alien and robot designs.

▲ The former was designed to look similar to humans but with a scary vibe. I wanted to cover their mouths. I hoped their inner feelings would be conveyed through movements like mime in silent films. The latter are of two types. Guard’s robot was designed to instantly convey a combat type feeling. It was designed by Dexter Studio. The red robot opposing it was given a sense of unfamiliarity and fear simultaneously. We signed a licensing contract with British designer Vidi Ji and produced it.

- Most aliens die trapped inside human brains. Only some control humans. Yet, the opposite situation, where humans recognize this, is also hinted at.

▲ This was the point I worried about most while writing the script. Humans cannot know that an alien entity is embedded within them. But there are exceptions like werewolves or Hyde. In that sense, ‘Alien+In’ could also be a story about mental illness. The alien controlling humans cannot be defined as a possessor of extraordinary abilities. That too was just an error. I wrote the story thinking humans might be quite complex beings.

- The success of Part 1 is directly linked to Part 2. The box office must be more crucial than ever.

▲ People around me keep asking if I’m worried. Each time, I say no one can know whether it will succeed. Personally, this film is the start of a full-fledged adventure series. Whether it continues depends entirely on the audience’s choice. I will humbly watch over the fate of this film.

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