“Although the role wasn’t large, Ye-jin graciously offered to take it. In a way, she is the most difficult and important character to express. Ye-jin asked me to make sure that friends who watched the movie wouldn’t say, ‘Why did you do this?’ That phrase stuck with me and was the most frightening. So, I put in the most effort.”
‘Korea’s master’ director Park Chan-wook (62) meets the audience with his new film ‘I Can’t Help It’. It’s been three years since ‘Decision to Leave’.
On the 23rd, a day before the release, I met director Park Chan-wook at a café in Samcheong-dong. When asked about his feelings on the release, he said, “I’m deliberately avoiding looking for reactions to the film because I’m afraid of getting hurt. I only hear bits and pieces from those around me.”
Director Park shared, “When the original novel was republished in 2006, I wrote a congratulatory message and have been holding onto this story in my heart. As many years have passed, there have been many variations, and I deeply contemplated the title. After gathering various stories and going through anguish, I finally brought it to the world.”
“I tend to have a weak mental state, so I try to manage it. I always hope for success. It’s not because I want to make a lot of money, but because it’s a work that everyone worked hard on, so I wish more people would see it, even if it’s just one more audience member. To put it extremely, I’d be happy if many people watched it, even if they were free viewers.”
‘I Can’t Help It’ tells the story of a company employee, Mansoo (Lee Byung-hun), who feels satisfied with life until he is suddenly fired. To protect his wife and two children and to keep the house he worked hard to acquire, he prepares for his own war towards re-employment. It was invited to the competition section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and selected as the opening film of the 30th Busan International Film Festival.
Director Park expressed, “It’s always a burden not being a debut director. I often compare it to my previous works. I’m also scared of how the audience will react before the release.” He added, “If ‘Decision to Leave’ has a poetic feel, I think ‘I Can’t Help It’ is closer to prose. If ‘Decision to Leave’ had a lot of blank spaces, this work is a packed film. It’s an ironic masculine story.”
He also expressed the pressure of ‘the name of a master’. Director Park Chan-wook said, “I don’t feel much pressure about the expectation that my film will be ‘very excellent’. However, the stereotype that ‘Park Chan-wook’s films are like this’ is very burdensome. It’s a problem I always want to shake off.”
“I wanted to use titles like ‘Axe’ or ‘Neck’, but I couldn’t for that reason. I thought it would be nice if people came to watch the film without preconceptions, like a debut director’s film, but the stereotype about me is brutal, and there’s the notion of exposure and sexual depiction. It’s twisted, and especially the preconception of being ‘perverted’ is burdensome. I worry that as I get older, I might look like an old pervert.”
The title chosen after much anguish is now ‘I Can’t Help It’. “I wanted to give the impression of a phrase, a habit, something that is thrown around without special thought or anguish,” he explained.
Regarding the major theme of ‘unemployment’, he said, “We in the film industry are also in a state of potential unemployment. After finishing one project, what will happen next? Or even if I’m holding on now, what if something happens to me and I can’t get projects, and investments don’t come? I made it thinking it doesn’t feel like someone else’s story.”
He added, “Unemployment can also destroy a family. For men of the old generation, it can feel like a denial of masculinity. There are cases where one falls into a sense of self-loathing for not being able to fulfill their role as a man. It’s a frightening thing in many ways.”
Although he has already collaborated with male lead Lee Byung-hun, this is his first time working with female lead Son Ye-jin. Director Park said, “While talking with Byung-hun, I ended up suggesting the role of ‘Miri’ to Ye-jin.”
He explained, “Mansoo faces extreme situations physically and can express himself through actions, moving around, and wearing boots that reach his chest, making him a character with a lot of changes. However, Miri mostly stays at home, and her actions are limited to a bit of shoveling. (Son Ye-jin’s character) mostly observes, says a few words, makes some calls, hugs, has a bit of conversation, and it’s nothing special; it’s just talking and watching.”
Therefore, it can be said that she took on the most difficult character to act. Director Park praised, “She had to express a significant dilemma through subtle changes in expression and tone. She really pulled it off beautifully.”
He added, “What Ye-jin said still sticks in my mind. She told me, ‘Please make sure my friends who watch the movie don’t say, ‘Why did you do this?’ That one phrase has stayed with me and was frightening. So, I put in the most effort,” he emphasized, bringing a smile.
He also mentioned the ‘15+ rating’. Director Park said, “It wasn’t something I specifically aimed for. Just like in the past with films that had high intensity, during the writing and filming process, I reached a stage where I thought, ‘If I keep going like this, it might get an adult rating, what should I do?’ and I didn’t deliberately avoid it. For ‘Decision to Leave’ or ‘I Can’t Help It’, there wasn’t much risk in the script as I wrote it. I thought, ‘If I make it like this, fans will be disappointed,’ and there was no need to add more or make it more provocative.”
As the industry is struggling, the topic of budget also came up.
Director Park Chan-wook said, “There seems to be a need for projects that require low-budget production costs. Recently, director Yeon Sang-ho made ‘Face’ for 200 million won, but if it were ‘Train to Busan’, wouldn’t it be impossible to shoot it like that? If I have a story or project like ‘Face’, I would love to try making it.”
He added, “For such projects, I need to explain the situation to the staff and actors. That’s not an easy task, but director Yeon is really amazing.”
Furthermore, he expressed, “I feel a heavy burden as if I’ve unintentionally taken on the responsibility of reviving Korean theaters by releasing at this time. This is my first time feeling this way,” and hoped, “At the very least, I hope the audience leaves feeling, ‘Korean films are fun’ and ‘I should wait for what comes next and watch again.’”
‘I Can’t Help It’ was released today (24th).
