Can wrong means be justified for right purposes?

A politician who has lost elections all the time and a political strategist from North Korea who has lived soundlessly under anti-communist slogans that dominated the times. There seems no more failure for the two who have recognized each other. However, different beliefs create cracks among those who have been on a roll. Director Byun Sunghyun of Whatcha Wearin' and The Merciless brought the film Kingmaker set in the 1960s and 1970s elections. As the director of The Merciless, he maintains the emotional line even in the stylish film. Let's meet Director Byun Sunghyun through the video, who is busy filming the movie Kill Boksoon, starring Jeon Doyeon and Sul Kyunggu.

The film Kingmaker was inspired by former President Kim Daejung and his hidden political strategist Eom Changrok. Which parts of the characters or stories attracted you to make it into a movie?

The question the film asks is this: "Can we justify wrong means for right purposes?" It's a question we still have, and that has no answer yet. I thought Mr. Eom Changrok could be the most suitable person to ask the question. It was also good that there was not much information about the character because that means there should be more room for me to create something in the film.

It is said that you planned the film while reading former President Kim Daejung's critical biography.

I didn't find and read the biography intentionally. I read it because it was on my bookshelf at home. Former President Kim Daejung is one of the most important figures in modern and contemporary Korean history. I think he is a great man who overcame so many hardships to the point of being called 'Indongcho,' a small flower that endures the severe winds and frost of winter to bloom in spring. However, I didn't want to honor his achievements or capture a heroic image in the film. In a sense, he is an objectified character looked up to by Seo Changdae. In fact, former President Kim Daejung was a politician who began to shine back then. So, I wanted to depict a young politician full of conviction, and I think he was the one similar to what I imagined.

Due to the Pandemic, you must've had a longer time for the post-production.

Since we didn't expect the Pandemic situation, we finished editing early and waited. Actually, there is no significant change other than adding a little more CG. I watched the film at the preview after a long time.

How did you feel after watching the film?

I think it is the most satisfying movie that I've ever filmed. Above all, I'm so satisfied with the actors' acting most. Their acting was better than I directed and expected and turned my scenario into a much richer one. The second best thing that I love is the art of the film. We had our principle that we should go with historical evidence from the 1960s to 1970s but not a documentary style. We could stick to it quite successfully.

We heard that Actor Sul Kyunggu suggested that the name of the character inspired by former President Kim Daejung be changed to Kim Woonbeom.

There were half and half opinions to use the real names of the real figures vs. change them. In the end, we decided to change the names of the characters to give more room to our creation. I also wanted to allow the actors more freedom while acting their characters. From the perspective of the director or writer, I thought it would be better to change the names to add various imaginations.

As it is the story of ‘shadow,’ the ‘shadow’ image was actively used in lighting and shooting.

Literally, I used 'light' and 'shadow' a lot. I put Seo Changdae on the dark side a lot and Kim Woonbeom on the bright side. And when the light enters and shines brightly, Changdae can't see that side, or the light passes by in the scene where Changdae reveals his greed. 'Light' in the film means a 'position' of the character as well as his desires. I made the storyline considering that. Meanwhile, the concept of filming is 'classic.' I've watched a lot of classic movies. While watching them, I did a lot of research on why they looked classic. Regardless of genres, I watched a lot of Steven Spielberg's films because I think they are the most Hollywood style and most classic. I think I watched Schindler's List most.

Due to the screen tone and set, we can feel a warm and retro atmosphere but there is also a vibe of political noir. What is the tone of the film you planned?

I gave a warm tone to the New Democratic Party and some black comedy vibe to the Democratic Republican Party. The contrast between light and shadow was strong, and since I used vintage lenses instead of standard ones, I think the audience could regard it as a noir film. Vintage lenses are literally old lenses, not new ones. Instead of making the screen look neat, the particles are taken roughly as they are. Our art director suggested that idea. We didn't intend to contain noir-like nuances but had a lot of meetings, saying, "Let's make something different although it's a period piece. Let's try something uncliched."

Since the film is based on a modern and contemporary background, you must have had a lot of restrictions on props and places.

We put a lot of effort into CG, but I'm not sure how effective it is. There were so many restrictions on props and places. It was hard to hunt them because few places were left with the atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s. There is a place we use a lot when filming period dramas, but I didn't want to film my work there. Naturally, we had to build lots of sets. We also filmed the scenes inside that we could do outside. It took a long time and a lot of difficulties finding the places we wanted. Even we went around looking for places while shooting the film.

Could you tell us why you used 'comic chat' as a means of introducing the cases in the film?

I didn't want to introduce the cases using newspaper articles or news footage. While contemplating how to, I remembered an old foreign movie. The jokes of the standing comedians reflected the time in the film. So, I borrowed the idea thinking, 'We used to enjoy comic chats at that time, too.' Personally, I think it was more effective than just showing news footage over and over.

The scenes of public speech are crucial in explaining the two characters. Tell us about how you directed the speech scenes.

First of all, the actors playing the characters mattered most. In the case of Kim Woonbeom's speech, we took a lot of takes. The next important thing was the art. We thought a lot about how to capture the actors. I wanted the actors to act with a long breath for a long take without dividing cuts often, thinking about how to capture the actors in the cameras while directing it. For Seo Changdae's speech, rhythms were vital. I used moving lines as if we were watching a musical. We rehearsed the scenes the day before. Usually, we don't rehearse scenes the day before we shoot them, but I should check the moving lines of the characters if it didn't look natural for a character to go up the stairs and then go up to the desk. Putting Changdae on the podium at the moment, I hoped he would feel 'This is what Kim Woonbeom feels.' If you watch the film like a musical, you can enjoy it fully.

You can have some positive effects while dealing with real figures, but there must be things you need to be wary of.

I borrowed a lot of actual images for the posters and signboards featuring Kim Woonbeom to remind the audience of the real figure. As you mentioned, there were many parts I had to be wary of. I tried to add some imagination, but I should be careful not to twist facts. The scene where a hand-made bomb explodes at Kim Woonbeom's house is the moment when the drama changes in the film, so we needed a large-scaled scene for the development of the story. However, when I looked at the photos and data related to the incident, the house wasn't been destroyed greatly by the explosion, but it made a very loud explosion sound. Therefore, I didn't put in a bomb scene for a cinematic effect. Instead, trying to convey that this was a huge incident, I used a loud explosion sound, cracking windows inside Kim Woonbeom's house, the news anchor's urgent voice, and the scene Changdae is walking fast. The ideas we pursued were to create something new without overturning the big frame.

It is said that you suggested that Actor Sul appear in the film while filming The Merciless.

I was a big fan of films Jeon Doyeon, Han Sukkyu, and Sul Kyunggu starred in the 2000s. I grew up learning a lot from the way they acted while watching the directors' films. It was an honor for me to work with Actor Sul Kyunggu. Actor Sul's 'acting' is most reliable to me. I think he is one of the best actors in Korea.

We heard Actor Sul wanted Seo Changdae's character more.

The character Kim Woonbeom is the one Seo Changdae looks up to. So, Kim Woonbeom may not be a very attractive character from an actor's point of view in the scenario. The character seems to be bland because he can't easily reveal his desire or show his hidden side. I thought few actors can do this in three dimensions, and I thought Actor Sul was the one who could do it. Anyway, I'm also curious about Seo Changdae played by Actor Sul. If it happened, Kim Woonbeom should be a lot older, but I wanted to depict Kim Woonbeom as a young politician.

It's your first time to work with Actor Lee Sunkyun, right?

It was great that we have a lot of things in common. We love the same singers, similar movies, and even drinking. Actor Jeon Hyejin, Lee's wife, is one of them, too. He told me that he got the idea of Seo Changdae from me, so I melted my usual tones into Changdae's lines. Watching Actor Sul and I were bickering with each other, he seems to have thought that we were like Kim Woonbeom and Seo Changdae.

Kim Woonbeom and Seo Changdae make each other shines, but their relationship is shaken by small doubts, which reminds us of the emotional lines in a romance movie. Like in the previous work, did you have the idea that it could be a romance genre in describing the relationship between the two characters?

I think all of my films have some kind of romantic relationship. In the case of The Merciless, I openly intended to make it as a romance film, and the audience seemed to recognize it. While writing the scenario of Kingmaker, I think some romance-like vibes were added to it naturally. I think it's not my intention but a way to unravel stories when I write scenarios. And I think all relationships can be solved in a romance movie, including the feelings such as jealousy, envy, and hatred.

The film has a subtitle, 'The Fox of the Election.' Did you have some concepts of the characters through animals? 

'The Fox of the Election' is like a nickname of Eom Changrok, the real figure. I put it in as a subtitle but took it out later. I thought of an animal when I set Jo Woojin's character. We talked about going like a snake before shooting. At first, I think he thought of a sly man from Gyeongsang-do. I watched the film Default at the preview, and I thought Actor Jo's character could overlap. So I texted him and asked to go with a neutral image. Later, Woojin told me that he could capture the image of his character by my suggestion. He immediately set the tone, and I gave him a green light on the spot.

We can't predict the genres or subject matters of your next film. What stories fascinate you?

I'm curious about that, too. I'm curious not because I'm putting myself high but because I'm uneasy and curious at the same time. Since I don't get a scenario from someone to direct or plan it but tend to write scenarios and map out subject matters myself, I feel uneasy when I can't come up with any ideas, thinking 'At this point, I should think of it, but why nothing comes to my mind?' The stories that fascinate me depend on my condition, but I recently heard that my films talk a lot about breaking up. Come to think of it, it's true.

Are you planning a new film nowadays?

I am not planning a film but filming Kill Boksoon these days. I'm working with Jeon Doyeon, whom I've dreamed of, and Sul Kyunggu, who has worked with me all the time.

You directed like a musical and a play in the scenes of comic chats and public speeches. Do you want to challenge the musical genre yourself?

Usually, Korean movies do not give a director a long free period. If someone gives me about a year and songs for a musical are ready in advance, I would like to try it.