© AFP
Press Conference: “Thirst”
Park Chan-wook, flanked by two lead actors, answered questions about their film.
One of the press conferences today featured the Competition film Thirst by Park Chan-wook. He was joined by the two main actors Song Kang-ho et Kim Ok-vin on the podium to field questions from the journalists. Highlights:
Park Chan-wook on religion:
If the Vatican gets as interested in my film as it is in the one by Tom Hanks (Angels & Demons), I’d be delighted. When I made the hero a priest, my idea was not to criticize the calling or the religion, both of which I respect. I was just looking for the purest and most humanistic job a person in our society could have, and the priesthood seemed obvious to me. To have a character who practices charity and does good deeds in daily life, and who needs to drink blood to stay alive… I was curious about the dilemmas that could create, and what the moral of the story could be… When I was mulling over this project ten years ago, I wanted to avoid all the usual vampire flick clichés, like the manor house, the cloak, the garlic, or the Christian cross. Vampires are always shown in a romantic way, with their fangs, and all… I wanted my own vampire to be quite realistic and even scientific."
Kim Ok-vin on the violence in Thirst:
"I didn’t find the shooting especially difficult, even though there were some trying scenes. I was soaked in so much blood for this film that afterwards, as soon as I saw blood in a movie, I’d burst out laughing."
Park Chan-wook on his directing technique:
My top priority was to make a film that would appeal to our five senses. I was careful to think about how the film would feel physically. I wanted Thirst to be seen, heard, and felt, either by smell or touch. In each shot, I strove to keep the audience’s five senses constantly tingling.
