Director LEE Yong-seung who drew the hardships of the young generation in 10 Minutes (2014) has partnered again with Myung Films for his second feature film. SHIN Ha-kyun (Save the Green Planet, Thirst) and DOH Kyung-soo (Cart, MY ANNOYING BROTHER) star in the black comedy, Room No.7. The protagonist Doo-sik (SHIN Ha-kyun) is a man in his 40s running a DVD room in the hip Apgujeong area of Gangnam. While he’s trying hard to sell his collapsing business, his part-time worker Tae-jung (DOH Kyung-soo) is suffering from his enormous tuition debt. Due to an unfortunate accident, Han-wook (KIM Dong-young), a Korean-Chinese part-time worker, ends up dead. Doo-sik hides the body of Han-wook in room number 7, the same room where Tae-jung is hiding drugs in order to make fast cash. We met with director LEE Yong-seung to talk about his film, and the realistic yet fantastical world of Room No.7 which goes back and forth between thriller and black comedy.

10 Minutes is a documentary-like film. I was thinking about what kind of film I should make after shooting 10 Minutes, and I wanted to tell a realistic story in a genre format. Of course, the two films are like one another. 10 Minutes’ protagonist is an intern at an office, while this time, I have an independent businessman and a youth suffering from tuition debt. The third protagonist is Han-wook, the foreign worker who moved to Seoul for the Korean dream. This film talks about how we can make a living just like my debut film, but their styles are completely different. 

The protagonist in 10 Minutes has trouble running away from a toxic and unjust environment and is left with 10 minutes to make a decision. Whether it’s good or bad, I thought one should have the courage to make a decision about what they’re facing. That’s where Room No.7 started from. I wanted to talk about a story that dealt with being morally brave.

Myung Films’ CEO Jamie SHIM was a professor at Dankook University’s Graduate School of Cinematic Content where 10 Minutes was produced. She gave me a lot of help while making 10 Minutes. After graduating, I went to see her. She asked me what kind of story I wanted to talk about, and I brought up Room No.7. I worked with Myung Films from the development stage, and it was a precious opportunity to work directly with the industry. Its commercial success is important, but I also needed an environment where the creator’s style could be respected. They gave me an opportunity that’s hard to find in commercial films.

For example, Detective WOO’s (JEON Seok-ho) character was respected. Room No.7 is a film that is realistic at first, then it becomes a genre film, then it returns back to realism. Detective WOO first appears when the film becomes a genre film. Instead of the usual bomber jacket most Korean detectives wear, I wanted a Hollywood style of detective to appear at “Hollywood DVD Room” (Detective Woo appears in a trench coat and a hat). I think his appearance would have caused a refreshing impact. 

It’s a film where you can really enjoy the performances of the actors. You can especially notice how good SHIN Ha-kyun can act. Although the film’s genre kept on changing, he keeps it grounded and leads with his performance. SHIN is the best actor you can find in black comedies, while DOH Kyung-soo performed very realistically, and KIM Dong-young performed cinematically. It’s an interesting film where you can see three different acting tones come together. 

I enjoyed SHIN’s black comedy performances in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Save the Green Planet. I wanted to be grouped with these films. If you look at SHIN’s filmography, you can see the bold choices he made. On set, he shows performances you can never expect. For example, there is a scene where Doo-sik picks a fight with strangers at a bar. I asked him to start by throwing a chair. When asked to do such a thing, most people would start by pushing the chair away. However, SHIN threw the chair right at the camera. I felt a sense of relief while watching him. At the same time, I asked myself if I’d be able to throw something right at the camera too. This idea helped me a lot with making my ending. Even just before the scheduled shoot, I wasn’t sure how to end Doo-sik’s story with an open ending. SHIN ad-libbed a little on the script where it said “Doo-sik will park his car and cry”, and had his car merge into unending traffic. It became a metaphor for Doo-sik’s pathetic future, and I really liked it. DOH was also very helpful with the condensing of his character. Tae-jung’s dream was to become a musician, and I was able to build the details of the characters around him from it. In the script, Tae-jung was a young man in his 20s who lives in a crammed bachelor room that costs 250 dollars a month. But thanks to DOH, he became a musician who shares his place with several other people in the middle of Gangnam.

I’m just observing the different interpretations that audiences are making. The split between reality and fantasy is strong, but I thought the audience would be able to absorb it. However, there are a few people who have trouble, so I’m a little baffled. But I have a hope that some audiences will be able to understand and accept the world of Room No.7. In terms of its performance at the box office, I hope those who worked on the film with me will be able to feel rewarded.

It was a personal topic of mine to talk about hardships of making a living, and that influenced my films. I think the stories I want to tell haven’t changed much. Most of all, I want to make meaningful and good films. The definition of a good film would be different for each individual, but at the least, I want to be able to support my own films. My films are always in the process of being edited. When I’m writing, shooting, or editing, I’m not creating something, but making adjustments. While I’m at it, I want to be someone who is wise at making these adjustments. I think my next film will be determined by how well and persistent I can continue to edit.