[Interview] "Seo Bok" director Lee Yong-ju explains his work's meaning, purpose

The director says the film is now his defining work

“Seo Bok” director Lee Yong-ju (provided by CJ ENM)

Upon the release of the 2012 film “Architecture 101,” a successful romantic comedy that deftly dealt with the thrill and passion of young love, no one could have guessed that director Lee Yong-ju’s next work would be about human cloning.

Lee has returned to the big screen with “Seo Bok,” which began screening Thursday. But the film represents more than a mere shift from rom-com to sci-fi, reflecting the surprising depths of this director.

In the film, the sci-fi theme of cloning is just a setup for an intriguing dramatic treatment of the universal human issues of life and death.

While “Architecture 101” has been regarded as Lee’s defining work and “first love,” he’s now trying to put “Seo Bok” in that spot. To be sure, love is apt to betray our wishes.

“It’s too bad that ‘Seo Bok’ is being confused for a sci-fi film. I want to keep talking about [human] fear in the future,” Lee said in an interview conducted remotely on Friday.

“This is obviously one of those movies that people will either love or hate. Audiences seem to have been expecting a Hollywood sci-fi film along the lines of the Marvel series.”

“I’ve never used the word ‘sci-fi’ when promoting the film, but it looks like that’s how people interpreted the theme of human cloning. That just shows the power of words.”

“This has driven home the point that, for the director, genre is just the ‘skin’ of the story, but for the audience, it’s an important element in reading the film. That’s something to bear in mind when making my next film.”

Lee was eager to explain the film’s meaning and purpose, despite being flustered by the negative reactions of some audience members.

“I selected the topic of human cloning because I thought that would be the ideal tool for telling a story about life and death,” the director said.

South Korean filmmaker Lee Yong-ju directs actors on the set of “Seo Bok.” (provided by CJ ENM)

That makes this a polarizing film, but that’s hardly a new experience for this director.

“When my first film ‘Living Death’ came out in 2009, viewers either gave it 10 points or 1 point. Haters generally complained that it was a horror film with no ghosts,” Lee said with a chuckle.

But despite being a drama about human cloning, “Seo Bok” isn’t a hybrid or a cult film – it’s a well-made genre film that neatly incorporates the tropes of the buddy film and the road trip movie.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a genre film. The key is whether you can sell it to the audience,” Lee said.

“‘Seo Bok’ is mainly about how the supernatural figure of Seo-bok [Park Bo-gum] learns to trust Gi-heon [Gong Yoo] and how the two find salvation in each other. I think that will impact viewers differently [from my previous films].”

“As the auteur, or in other words the director, you should always be the target of your own story,” Lee said.

“If you want to go the distance as the auteur, you’ve got to know why you have to be the one to tell this story. No matter how much box office potential a given idea may have, it won’t work if the director isn’t into it. It’s the same as how you can’t get someone to like you just by trying.”

Lee apologized to Gong Yoo, one of the male leads, in a press conference on April 12. “Gong got a crick in his neck while shooting the vomiting scene, but most of it ended up on the cutting room floor. We ended up axing the scene after screeners said it reminded them less of a terminally ill patient and more of someone who’d gotten drunk the night before.”

“If my defining work has been ‘Architecture 101,’ now it’s ‘Seo Bok,’” Lee emphasized.

“Seo Bok” director Lee Yong-ju (provided by CJ ENM)

The director had a ready answer when asked which scene had been particularly memorable. “I’d say it’s the scene where Seo-bok uses a gravestone to console Gi-heon. We put a lot of effort into the computer graphics there.”

Lee said that “Seo Bok” expands on his debut film “Living Death” through its treatment of fear. “What we fear is connected to what we desire. There’s no fear without desire, you see.”

“Fear is an emotion felt by the old. Young people are fearless,” Lee joked.

“Happiness is like the nonexistent bluebird. What’s more important than happiness is being less unhappy,” Lee said.

“The only thing I know for sure about my next film is who my partner will be. Even if it’s a comedy, I’m going to keep telling my own story.”

By Oh Seung-hun, staff reporter

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