[Slate] Sometimes Madness Becomes Comedy

Director Kim Ji-woon depicting creative desire through 'Geomi Jip'
Emphasizing obsession and collaboration simultaneously with Plan Second
"Let's not lose humor even in the worst moments"

Film is a reflection of reality. Director Kim Ki-young emphasized perversion in films such as 'The Housemaid (1960)', 'Woman of Fire (1971)', and 'Insect Woman (1972)'. The women all become twisted and strange. The horror filled with masochistic imagination is an attack on a sadistic society. Pathological symptoms of Korean society and the people living within it appear intertwined. The distortion resisting the era's gloom permeates both on and off the screen.

Director Kim Ji-woon said, "Human desire does not change. It is energy and the foundation of life," adding, "I believe it is okay to convey it in a classical form." This is why he placed a play within a play in his new work 'Spider's Web'. The protagonist is film director Kim Yeol (Song Kang-ho). Obsessed with the belief that he can create a masterpiece, he reshoots the completed film 'Spider's Web'. The play within the play is in black and white. The background year, 1970, is a period beyond that frame. However, Director Kim Ji-woon wanted to symbolize it as a classic film.

"The play within the play is a somewhat violent genre film. To express the appropriate texture, I borrowed black and white. I also referred to black and white films like 'The Housemaid', 'The Stairway to Heaven (1964)', 'Diabolique (1955)', and 'Psycho (1960)'. Conversely, the main story was decorated with vivid colors to fit the era that embraced commercial elements. The point where the two spaces connect was matched through contrast (the difference between bright and dark areas in one frame). The rest was to clearly distinguish reality from fiction."

Intense desire appears in creation. Kim Yeol insists on plan-sequence shots multiple times for revenge. These are scenes or sequences composed of a single shot. Although difficult to shoot, from a classical aesthetic perspective, it makes the film more elegant. It also maximizes realism to the extent that the audience forgets the presence of the camera. However, the plan-sequence used by Kim Yeol has the opposite character. Like Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rope (1948)', the camera's presence is significant. Kim Yeol's obsession with embedding artistic vision leaks out everywhere. Director Kim Ji-woon explained, "It is a device to emphasize the desire to be recognized as an artist and the fact that filmmaking is a collaborative effort."

"If it were Kim Yeol, he would think of plan-sequence as the key to escape being a second-rate director. Since it is completed through obsession, the play within the play naturally appears as a product of desire. On the other hand, I wanted to show the production team and actors, including Kim Yeol, fully immersed in filming. If even one thing is off, they have to start over from the beginning. Through the effort of moving in perfect unison to complete a long take in one go, I wanted to emphasize that film is a collaborative art."

Until now, the space outside the frame was not very harmonious. Kim Yeol struggles with reshooting due to the production company's neglect and censorship by the Ministry of Culture and Information. Even in the limited opportunities, he is busy appeasing the actors' complaints. When the camera rolls, he secretly regrets the actors' fake acting. He tries to solve problems by listing his philosophy. But he is also imperfect, wavering between trust and distrust.

Director Kim Ji-woon shows pathological symptoms through conversations between Kim Yeol and his role model. It is fiction created through experience. "There are times on set when you feel like a genius and then feel like trash. Director Park Chan-wook said the same. I tried to breathe that image into Kim Yeol. The contrasting feelings appear in both the main story and the play within the play. Inside the set is glamorous and decorative. But just passing through one wall reveals a bare and insignificant world. Dissonance frequently occurs. Even in the worst moments, I wanted to say, 'Let's not lose our humor.'"

Pathological symptoms are sometimes replaced by comedy. Director Kim Ji-woon realized this while filming 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)'. The madness he did not know about could be expressed comically. "While filming the scene where the bridge explodes, the fire from the explosives spread to the adjacent set. As soon as I shouted 'Cut', everyone ran to extinguish the fire. I was the only one heading toward the camera operator. I calmly asked him, who was crouching, 'Did you get it well?'"

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