Hunt, the search for an infiltrator in South Korea. Interview with Lee Jung-Jae

Picture of the film HUNT by Jung-Jae LEE © MEGABOX PLUS M

In Squid Game, the series that made him famous, he plays the role of Seong Gi-hun, a kind-hearted loser looking for a way to change his life around. Twelve years after his first visit to Cannes for The Housemaid (In Competition, 2010), South Korean Lee Jung-Jae makes his debut behind the camera with Hunt, a thriller set in the 1980s against the backdrop of the fraternal conflict between the two Koreas and presented in Midnight Screening. Interview. 

What inspired you to begin work on this film?
After reading the original script, I decided to make this film thinking it would be possible for Pyong-ho and Jung-do, two people who devote themselves to a greater cause, to be perceived as characters who represent their people. I searched for a screenwriter and a director with a similar creative vision, but in the end I couldn’t find one so I took on the task of writing the screenplay myself.
Over the course of 4 years, I’ve rewrote a considerable amount of material, and the element I focused on most was to establish convincing motivations for each character. These motivations had to be pressing so that these characters would collide with one another with intensity. I wanted that white-hot intensity to spread all over the screen.

What did you want to show about the conflict in Korea?
This movie is not only about what happens in Korea, but also about stopping all conflicts in the world. We often come to believe distorted truths through skewed perspectives in the media and in education, which brings us into conflict with the opposition. There are people in the world who profit from our conflict, and it’s obvious what they get out of it, but what about the rest of us? It is important to continuously ask ourselves if our beliefs are rooted in honor and love. I like to think that this film is more about people who are working to right their ill-conceived ideologies, rather than to tell a story about North and South Korea.

Please describe your working methods and the atmosphere on the set.
This was my first film, but I wanted to establish my own distinctive method centered around harmony. I wanted to cooperate and communicate with the actors and crew members of each department to constantly keep us on the same page. I thought that through such a process it would be possible to increase participation from everyone on set and come up with good ideas.

Please share a few words about your actors. How does it feel to be on the other side of the camera?
All the actors did a great job with their explosive energy. The experience of acting in other films taught me that if the situations depicted in the script are convincing, and if the set feels realistic, my performance will be very natural. But if that is not the case, I try to follow the director’s intent as much as possible. During pre-production rehearsals and table reads, there were instances where I immediately edited the dialogue and blocking based on feedback from the cast, while at other times, I had to convince the actors with reason and logic even if the scene felt uncomfortable to them. In acting, reason and logic have to be concise so that the actor can freely emote, and I know that very well.
 
What did you learn during the course of making the film?
A way of communicating with people. Small gestures of encouragement and compliments to each other can help to boost courage, motivation, and self-confidence, leading to a happy film and family.