"The Human Abyss That AI Brought Out"…Yeon Sang-ho, the Dilemma of 'Wonderland' (Report)

[Dispatch=Reporter Lee Ah-jin] "I captured the dilemma of the AI era." (Director Yeon Sang-ho)

Director Yeon Sang-ho has returned with a deepened worldview. This time, he took AI as his subject matter. He drew the story against a backdrop where technology could become a paradise that replaces reality.

Will one remain in perfectly preserved memories, or will one move forward into an imperfect reality, despite its pain? He pursued the depths of human nature standing at that crossroads.

Though it raises weighty questions, it is clearly a film with its feet planted in everyday life. Director Yeon explained, "I dealt with issues that anyone living in this day and age would have thought about at least once."

'Paradise Lost' held a production press conference on the 18th at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Director Yeon, Kim Hyun-joo, and Bae Hyun-sung attended.

'Paradise Lost' is an SF thriller. It depicts what happens to a mother when her missing son returns after 9 years. The story began as an idea from Director Yeon's mother.

He said, "It started from a three-line plot my mother wrote in a notebook," and added, "I dug into the emotion contained within it. I expanded the story by taking a motif from John Milton's 'Paradise Lost.'"

The core lies in the contrast between completeness and incompleteness. Director Yeon conveyed, "I wanted to create a story about humans leaving a perfect paradise and heading toward an imperfect world."

He continued, "I contrasted perfect memories created by technology with imperfect reality," and added, "Ultimately, it captures the choice of humans who have no choice but to move toward an imperfect world."

Following his previous work 'The Face,' he chose a low-budget production method this time as well. Director Yeon emphasized, "Not receiving investment freed me somewhat from a sense of obligation," and "I think the biggest advantage is being able to make the work I truly want."

Kim Hyun-joo plays the mother 'Ryu So-young.' She is a character who experiences confusion between an AI son who looks exactly as he did in childhood and a son who returned to reality after 9 years.

Following the 'Hellbound' series, she reunited with Director Yeon. Kim Hyun-joo revealed her reason for choosing the work: "The director respects actors' performances rather than making many demands. I wanted to feel that trusting gaze once more."

She focused on the temperature difference in how she treats the two sons. She noted, "The AI son is a being that has already deeply entered So-young's everyday life," and "I made him feel familiar and realistic while also appearing somewhat hollow."

In contrast, she tried to capture feeling a distance from her returned son. To this end, she intentionally maintained distance from Bae Hyun-sung, who plays the son, on set during filming.

Kim Hyun-joo recalled, "If I frequently exchanged glances and communicated, the sense of unfamiliarity would seem to disappear," and "I refrained from talking as much as possible before filming."

Bae Hyun-sung plays the son 'Ryu Sunoo.' He is a character whose life during the 9 years he was missing is impossible to pin down. He displays a rough and destructive personality.

He said, "The dark story was more interesting than I thought," and "It was good to be able to show a new side that I hadn't shown before."

He made an effort to unfold the complex emotions Sunoo harbors. He said, "I thought he would have felt that while he was going through difficult times, his mother was getting along well with the AI son."

He added, "I tried to reveal both Sunoo's dissatisfaction and resentment toward his mother, as well as the mysterious and dark emotions he is hiding."

'Paradise Lost' was first unveiled in the Special Presentations section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, which opened on the 10th. The director and actors participated in person. They felt the passionate response with their whole bodies.

Director Yeon reflected, "I thought it would be the most divisive among all my works," and "But it seems many people related to it, perhaps because the concerns of people living in this age are woven into it."

He pointed to the actors' performances as a viewing highlight. He said, "Kim Hyun-joo shows the true value of her 30 years of accumulated 'Kim Hyun-joo-style acting,'" and "Bae Hyun-sung delivers explosive acting like a Super Saiyan."

Finally, Kim Hyun-joo urged, "To watch our film as intended, you must follow Ryu So-young's concerns," and "I hope you feel the depths of the choice So-young makes."

by. Azin Lee