[On the Record] Ari Ester: "Bong Joon-ho is a Free-spirited Storyteller"

Director Ari Aster Interview

Film 'Boys Afraid' Opens on the 5th
"A Universal Story Based on Experience"

"I loved Korean films so much that I dug into them like digging a well. After discovering many great works, I gradually became more and more immersed."

We recently met director Ari Aster (37), who left a deep impression worldwide with the films Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019), at a caf? in Seoul. The director said he was fascinated by Korean culture. Visiting Korea for his new film Disappointment Blvd., he held a GV (guest visit) with director Bong Joon-ho, was invited as the opening film at the Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival, and diligently toured various places for a week. His appearance, wearing a hat and carrying a single backpack while managing his schedule, was impressive.

Ari Aster [Photo by Sidus]

Ari Aster's love for Korean cinema is extraordinary. As a foreign director, he is one of the few who distinguishes the term "Korean Renaissance" and jokes, "I probably should have been born Korean," showing his deep interest in our culture. In foreign media interviews, he has revealed that he has been greatly inspired by Korean films, especially in their narrative delivery style, making this interview even more anticipated.

In the interview, he said, "Obaltan (1960) was a film ahead of its time," and added, "Director Kim Ki-young is the same." He also revealed, "I have been watching Korean films for a long time through videos and DVDs."

"Bong Joon-ho is my hero" - A unique love for Korean cinema

Ari Aster and Bong Joon-ho have become inseparable to the point that Bong Joon-ho appears as a related search term when looking up Ari Aster. He expressed affection, saying, "Director Bong Joon-ho is my hero." Previously, Bong described Hereditary in the English making book preface as "true horror is family (blood relations) itself," calling it "a work that says family is hell." This impressive critique has shown his affection for Ari.

He seemed to understand Bong Joon-ho's cinematic world better than anyone else. Ari Aster said, "I agree with many people who say Bong Joon-ho is the greatest living filmmaker." He continued, "He uses witty, outstanding, and very entertaining humor. He has the ability to tell stories freely without being confined to genres," showing his admiration.

He cited Memories of Murder (2003) and Mother (2009) as impressive works. Ari Aster praised, "Every element, including storytelling, is outstanding." He added, "It's amazing that Parasite (2019) surpassed those. Continuously making films that outdo previous works is incredible."

Bong Joon-ho (left) Ari Aster [Photo by Sidus]

He also listed other Korean directors one after another. Mentioning Park Chan-wook, he described him as "the most creative and stylistic director." He said, "Lee Chang-dong is a novelist before being a director. His works are literary and use mystery well. He subtly expresses themes while delving deeply into them. His handling of complex themes is impressive."

Ari Aster also said, "I like director Hong Sang-soo as well. He is a creative director who reminds me of Eric Rohmer. It's unique. Even if the content seems similar, he continuously develops the story interestingly. Director Jang Joon-hwan's Save the Green Planet! also seems like an excellent masterpiece," he continued.

Then he laughed and said, "I could keep talking, but I'll stop here." Throughout the interview, the part where he spoke excitedly and confidently was about Korean cinema.

"Disappointment Blvd. is a comedy... Joaquin agrees"

Ari Aster [Photo by Sidus]

Disappointment Blvd., which opens on the 5th of next month, depicts a strange journey where Boy experiences horror as his memories, fantasies, and reality become intertwined while he must go meet his mother. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix and Patti LuPone. The director has drawn empathy by dealing with family relationships oscillating between obsession and ambivalence in each work. This film impressively portrays maternal love close to horror.

Ari Aster revealed, "It started from my experience planning a trip." He said, "It's a three-hour film with thousands of scenes. I focused on storytelling. I thought about how to contribute to storytelling while structuring it efficiently. At the same time, I wanted to make an interesting and fun film that arouses curiosity."

When asked how much of his experience was reflected, he said, "It's hard to answer," but added, "The film contains that answer." He summarized, "Based on personal experience, it features various universal and archetypal characters. I can say it was made reflecting universal stories based on personal experience."

Actor Joaquin Phoenix, who plays Boy, a son obedient to his mother Mona while suffering from anxiety and paranoia, received praise for a performance surpassing Joker (2019). Joker also earned him the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival (2019). The director recalled, "Joaquin said he liked it as soon as he read the script. He asked many questions, which was interesting."

He continued, "We shared visions through many conversations even before filming. While creating the character, I felt that the actor and I shared the same sense of humor." He said, "When I gave him the script, I worried, 'He should think this is funny.' After all, Disappointment Blvd. is a comedy, so I hoped people would find it fun. Fortunately, Joaquin said right away after reading the script that it was very funny and amusing."

Movie 'Boys Afraid' Still Image [Photo by Sidus]

Ari Aster expressed confidence, saying, "I made it freely." He added, "If you follow the film with an open mind, you will understand the intention. I ask the audience not to assign meaning to every moment too rigidly but to watch freely."

Finally, he urged interest in theaters. The director emphasized, "Movies are best experienced in theaters," and appealed, "We paid great attention to sound, including surround techniques and mixing."

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