[Dispatch=Reporter Kim Ji-ho] Director Yeon Sang-ho has returned with a distinctive zombie film. These are zombies differentiated from those seen in various media outlets before. They share collective consciousness, evolve, and wage fierce battles against humans.
A press screening and press conference for the film "Swarm" (Director Yeon Sang-ho) was held on the 20th at CGV in Yongsan, Seoul. Director Yeon Sang-ho, Jeon Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Shin Hyun-bin, Ji Chang-wook, and Kim Shin-rok attended.
"Swarm" is a zombie suspense thriller film. Inside a sealed building, isolated survivors face off against evolving infected individuals. The infected move in groups and share information, delivering fresh horror.
Director Yeon said, "This film depicts a confrontation between zombies with collective intelligence and humans," and "The first zombies to appear are primitive. They evolve rapidly," adding "The opposite side, the human group, begins in civilization and degenerates in an instant."
It wasn't a zombie film from the start. Director Yeon said, "I thought about what the potential fear of current society is," and pointed out "What I felt was the collective thinking that arises through ultra-fast information exchange and the helplessness of individuality."
He said the starting point was the fear of AI—humans being overwhelmed by artificial intelligence. He explained, "I found the principle by which AI operates interesting. As I dug into that, I felt that artificial intelligence is the sum of universal thought."
He continued, "The sum of universal thinking—that power becomes so strong that human individuality might collapse," and stated, "In a world where collective intelligence dominates everything, I thought that what maintains the most humanity would be individuality."
He developed this idea into a zombie film. "I conceived of zombies that interact in groups and update, whether in the wrong direction or the right direction," he recalled.
It differs from the previous Yeon Sang-ho zombie series such as "Train to Busan," "Seoul Station," and "Peninsula." Director Yeon said, "Peninsula is closer to an action film mixing fast action and car chasing," and "Swarm has a closer color to suspense thriller."
He said, "Seoul Station, Train to Busan, and Peninsula were largely about combining classic zombies with unusual locations," and emphasized, "Swarm focused on the zombies themselves. In a way, it's almost the first film I've made where the zombie is the protagonist."
The zombies' movements are also distinctive. Like the evolution process of humans, they crawl on the ground, then walk and run on two legs. They also mimic humans. The abstract concept of "moving with collective intelligence" was incorporated into the zombies' movements as well.
Director Yeon said, "Besides break dancers and stuntmen, I also hired about three contemporary dance teams performing more avant-garde dance," and "Thanks to that, I felt my own zombies coming to completion in a way I didn't feel during the screenplay stage."
Jeon Ji-hyun, who plays Kwon Se-jung, also shared her thoughts, saying, "Existing zombies show individually uncontrollable behavior," and "The infected in Swarm are different. They evolve in real time and move like one large mass. That connectivity was interesting."
"Swarm" is a zombie film offering diverse entertainment. First, the unprecedented zombie swarms are appealing. The fact that they are controlled by a leader or that errors occur is also intriguing. The unprecedented action they display is also a sight to see.
The diverse survival responses of humans isolated in disaster is also striking. Kim Shin-rok, who plays Seo Hyun-hee, introduced, "All survivors have their own uniqueness, conditions, and vulnerable points in survival."
Kim Shin-rok said, "Some are temperamentally fearful, some make choices that put everyone in danger professionally," and "Someone prioritizes relationships over survival. Someone is selfish, someone is altruistic."
The villain Seo Young-chul, played by Koo Kyo-hwan, is also intense. While Kim Shin-rok and Ji Chang-wook, who plays Seo Hyun-seok, are emotionally connected, Seo Young-chul and the infected are connected behaviorally. Koo Kyo-hwan emphasized, "I act the character Seo Young-chul over 100 times."
The psychological warfare and suspense between humans and zombies also unfold breathtakingly. The process of Jeon Ji-hyun reasoning out zombie extermination and the horror of when what was believed to be fact turns out not to be unfolds at rapid pace.
Finally, Director Yeon said, "When it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, I thought, 'Could it be any better?' But when it's screened in Korea, it's even better," encouraging visits to theaters.
Jeon Ji-hyun also said, "It remains for the audience to judge and evaluate our film. Thank you," extending her greeting. Koo Kyo-hwan urged, "While we're making it, it's ours, but the moment it hits theaters, this film becomes the audience's," calling for expectations.
"Swarm" opens on the 21st.
<Photos=Photographer Song Hyo-jin>
