[Interview] Kim Hye-su and Yeom Jeong-a's Underwater Action... I Wanted to See It Right Away

Movie 'Milsoo' Director Ryu Seung-wan
Returns with 'Milsoo' after 2 years since 'Mogadishu'
Presents new action scenes unfolding underwater

In the 1970s, "smuggling" was classified by the Park Chung-hee regime as one of the five major social evils and was cracked down on as a serious crime described as "the most vicious criminal act that promotes ruinous luxury and vanity, and destroys the national economy" (excerpted from the National Archives video). During an era of rapid economic growth but severe shortages of goods, smuggling became the most efficient way to fill those gaps. Director Ryu Seung-wan, who recalled the draft of the film "Smuggling" from stories about female smugglers based in Busan seen in the old magazine "Mysteria" and historical records of haenyeo (female divers) involved in smuggling that he saw at a local museum during a location scouting trip in Gunsan with film colleagues, said, "I decided to direct it myself because I thought I could show an underwater action story of haenyeo that no one has ever seen before, a completely new story." The following is a Q&A with Director Ryu, whom we met on the 26th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Director Ryu Seung-wan. [Photo by Oeyunaegang]

- The film is set in the fictional city of Guncheon, following your previous work "The Outlaws." Is there a special reason for this choice?

▲ Setting the film in a fictional city was meant to represent the world of the genre. I thought it would allow me to freely and extremely unfold the story without being tied to reality. I was able to be free from simply restoring or recreating my memories of the films that fascinated me since childhood, the 1970s popular culture, the glamorous music and fashion, and so on. That made it easier and more enjoyable to work on the project.

- You could have explored various stories set in the 1970s, so why choose "smuggling"?

▲ Society is always prohibiting and enforcing something, and individuals try to break free from that. The 1970s as a historical backdrop was intriguing. Measuring miniskirt lengths on the street, cutting hair to crack down on long hair. The wide collars and bell-bottom pants in old photos of my parents, the free-spirited hairstyles, the fashion and music of the 1970s, all brought back a comfortable and cozy feeling from my childhood, which I liked.

Also, smuggling back then was completely different from smuggling today. In the 1970s, if you went to a coffee shop, people would pull out 007 bags containing foreign cigarettes, overseas magazines, and Ray-Ban sunglasses. At Namdaemun Market, juice powder called "Tang" and Cheongsimhwan (herbal medicine) imported from China were secretly traded. These were familiar everyday items but were considered crimes. Nowadays, smuggled goods tend to be serious items like drugs or gold bars, but back then, smuggling was seen as a way to make a living, with a mindset of "this much is okay," and it wasn't considered a major crime. However, as the line was crossed repeatedly, the process of desire pushing humans toward danger was something I wanted to portray attractively.

The movie "Milsu" is a story about haenyeo set in the fictional city of "Guncheon."
[Photo provided by NEW]

- This is a rare female-led film in Korean cinema. Did you feel any pressure?

▲ I already made a great film called "No Blood No Tears" (starring Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Hye-young) 21 years ago. Although it was a complete box office failure (laughs). My previous film "Mogadishu" was about civilians stranded in Africa?what kind of box office appeal would that have? Of course, box office success is important, but as a director, the reaction of each individual viewer matters more to me. I believe that even if a film doesn't succeed at the time, a good work will eventually receive the recognition it deserves, and I act when I am convinced of that.

Also, "Smuggling" is not just a female two-top film; although two female characters lead the story, it is a narrative about people around Eom Jin-sook (played by Yum Jung-ah) changing. Since the protagonist is a haenyeo, the main roles were female, and instinctively, I thought of Kim Hye-soo and Yum Jung-ah for the two friends leading the story. If these two appeared, I would want to watch it immediately. And I am not as adventurous as people think.

- The underwater action scenes of the haenyeo, which have never been seen before, were directed almost like fantasy. What difficulties did you face?

▲ I had a vague expectation that something new and interesting would happen just by being underwater. In my previous works, I have done knife fights, gunfights, and fistfights, but fights on land have clear limitations due to gravity. The underwater action is interesting because it is less affected by gravity. However, water resistance slows down movement, so sometimes we deliberately used slow-motion effects to make it look cool, which I thought was fine. Considering this, I thought it would be possible for men and women to have physical confrontations underwater. The limitation of not being able to breathe could also serve as suspense instead of fast-paced action. People who are familiar with water have a significant advantage over those who are not. With the help of martial arts director and synchronized swimming team coach Kim Hee-jin, we were able to realize extraordinary movements like Jo Chun-ja (Kim Hye-soo) doing a backward somersault.

In the 1970s, Kwon Sang-sa (Jo In-sung), who tightly controls the domestic smuggling industry, becomes interested in Guncheon as he looks for alternative routes due to increased crackdowns at Busan Port.
[Photo by NEW]

- In the film, Sergeant Kwon (Jo In-sung) protects Jo Chun-ja (Kim Hye-soo) despite having no relationship with her. Why is that?

▲ I wanted to express the attitude and value of "chivalry," which is disappearing nowadays. These days, if a man protects a woman, people find it strange, but back then, there was such romance. To express that feeling, I might have even excluded romance between the two. Sergeant Kwon is a comrade and ally; this person is on my side, so since I am stronger, I let her hide behind me while I step forward to fight?typical old-fashioned behavior. I think a value much greater than romance was created within that. At the end of the film, when Chun-ja comes back to find Sergeant Kwon, she shows loyalty rather than love. Moreover, the actors brought out that charm fully beyond my intention, so that emotion was conveyed to the audience.

- The soundtrack selected by music director Jang Kiha is attractive but has been criticized as excessive compared to your previous works.

▲ That was intentional. I like films that are excessive like this in the past. If you look at Martin Scorsese's "Casino" or "Mean Streets," the music keeps playing and amplifies the emotions. I wanted "Smuggling" to be a film with strong individuality that overflows rather than a smooth film. I prefer films that are rough and tilted but full of character over smooth and safe films, and I hope the audience remembers this film that way.

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