'Glitch' presents friendship with dash of sci-fi

Nana (left) and Jeon Yeo-been star as longtime friends Heo Bora and Hong Ji-hyo, respectively, in "Glitch." (Netflix)

Global streaming service Netflix is set to unveil its new alien comedy thriller “Glitch,” notable for an absence of bloody fights, thundering gunfire or life-threatening actions, which have been essential elements behind previous Netflix Korean originals like “Squid Game,” “All of Us Are Dead” and “Hellbound.”

Though the most eye-catching role in “Glitch” may be its green hat-wearing alien, series creator Roh Deok shared that the chemistry among the actors, especially the “womance”-themed stories presented by two lead characters Hong Ji-hyo (Jeon Yeo-been) and Heo Bora (Nana) are what she wanted to emphasize.

A combination of “woman” and “romance,” womance refers to the nonsexual, tight bond between female characters that goes above and beyond ordinary friendship.

“The alien is something that suddenly appears in Ji-hyo’s life, making her set off on a journey in search of the alien and, in the process, meet longtime friend Bora,” the director said at a press conference at Yongsan CGV in central Seoul on Tuesday, mentioning that a more important story begins after Ji-hyo encounters Bora.

From left: Jeon Yeo-been, director Roh Deok and Nana pose for photos before a press conference at Yongsan CGV in Yongsan, central Seoul, Tuesday. (Netflix)

The 10-part series centers around the young woman Hong Ji-hyo, who decides to investigate the existence of aliens, after her boyfriend’s sudden disappearance. The sci-fi series develops as Ji-hyo joins forces with a group of UFO enthusiasts, including Heo Bora.

Emphasizing that she had had her eyes on Nana since watching her performances in 2016's “The Good Wife,” Jeon added she became close friends with Nana on and outside of the set.

“We were like soulmates. If Ji-hyo were a person afraid of dancing, Bora was someone who led Ji-hyo to a bright stage and enabled her to perform in front of others,” Jeon said.

Nana answered that Ji-hyo is a character who made Bora feel alive.

“The relationship between the two characters was initially that of longtime friends. But I decided not to define their relationship with such expressions. I hoped the characters to trust each other and grow from their experience in ‘Glitch,’" Roh said, mentioning that she envied Ji-hyo and Bora for watching each other’s backs.

The 42-year-old director, who made a name for herself with the romance film “Very Ordinary Couple” in 2013, felt excited to present her genre-bending series to local and global viewers.

“‘Glitch’ is not limited to a single genre. It is a buddy comedy, has a little bit of sci-fi, thriller and mystery as well. I am waiting with excitement and ready to hear viewers' opinions,” Roh said.

While “Glitch” is scheduled to be released on Netflix on Oct. 7, it will premiere at the On Screen section of this year’s Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 5.

By Lee Si-jin(sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)