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Our Love Story is a film about quiet love. The film unfolds two women’s love story delicately as they happen to be drawn to each other. In the film, they grow up while caring and understanding each other. Although there is no dramatic event or twist, the story catches audiences’ eyes and inspires gentle waves in mind. Our Love Story won the Grand Prize in the Korean Competition section of the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) this year, and surprisingly is LEE Hyun-ju’s debut feature. 

Our Love Story was a feature project from the graduate program of the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA). During shooting about two years ago, I had been afraid the film was so boring that audiences would walk out in the middle of the show, because I thought it was nothing new and slow. I met audiences at JIFF but I don’t realize yet to receive the prize. Our Love Story is a kind of movie that viewers make up its missing pieces with their own experiences and senses. So there are many audiences seeing the film several times.

I thought physical parts are needed in a film about women’s love, from the beginning. Also, two actresses’ appearance must be well balanced. I worked with LEE in Ordinary family (2014), and I felt her magical power that her presence itself makes the film realistic. Such a realistic impression was important to Our Love Story. Meanwhile, I met RYU at the audition and found her enormous attraction. So the scenario reflected her way of speaking and ideas.

SON Yong-jin, director of photography of this film, used to say “Our Love Story is made up of 10% scenario and 90% actresses.” I agreed the film’s direction was not so good. Actors trusted me, and I shot them looking at them like a spectator. Thanks to two actresses, I could get the prize, invitations from film festivals and hearts of audiences. 

My favorite melodrama is Happy Together (1997). I’ve seen it several times. The scene that Leslie CHEUNG cries holding his bedclothes after Tony LEUNG left is still moving to me. HUR Jin-ho’s One Fine Spring Day (2001) is also one of my favorite movies. However, I didn’t take other films to make Our Love Story. I hadn’t watched Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) at that time, and Carol (2015) was released after Our Love Story had been done. I’d like to make not a queer movie, but just a love story in which two ordinary women meet, flutter and love each other. 

And you seem to reduce background music as much as possible. 

If there were a lot of music, the story flow or the way of filming would be totally different. I talked to the director of photography to take some adventures since it’s my first feature. Yoon-ju is not an emotional or unstable character, and she shows to suppress her anger, because it is her first love. So I thought it’s natural to hold her emotions. I reckon music is one of the greatest arts. It has a great ability to lead our feelings in as short as three to four minutes. Music may help to trigger our emotions, but it could make artificial moods. So I used music only two times when the two main characters are at the best and the hardest time.

The original last scene was that Yoon-ju wakes up and watches Ji-soo sleeping like a child. But the two seemed too lonely with nowhere to lean on. I wanted they grew stronger through this experience. So I inserted the scene that Yoon-ju smokes outside in bright day time while she has something in her eyes. Her face slightly changes when she smokes thoughtfully. I hope their future would be better than the present whether they are together or separated. 

In fact, I’m considering a lot. My mother living in a rural area watched the film several times after JIFF. She told me that don’t be afraid and go on. I have a lot in my mind and I’m even scared because Our Love Story gained too much attention. I guess it’s the time that I think about what I’m good at, since Our Love Story was completed by actresses and audiences. I’m interested in stories about people and their minds, but now, honestly I don’t know. (laughs)