Filmmaker CHO Chang-ho, who made his directorial debut with The Peter Pan Formula (2006) followed by his 2010 film Lovers Vanished, returned with his third feature Another Way in 7 years. CHO, who worked as assistant to directors such as YIM Soon-rye, KIM Ki-duk and BYUN Daniel H., takes a step forward from his earlier works in style and theme with this film. Through two young people attempting to commit suicide, he quietly explores the meaning of life and death. 

When I was making Lovers Vanished, the cast, crew and financier had much expectation in the project from the script stage. Unfortunately, the final result didn’t meet such expectations and I felt quite bad for them. Because regardless of the fact we had to work in a rather challenging environment, I felt it was my fault. When I finished the film, I felt I needed time to take care of myself, realizing it wasn’t easy for me to feel happy while I’m making a film. I temporarily stepped away from the film world to dedicate my time to farming, while also working at the Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation. During that time, I came across a small number of people who liked my films. They encouraged me, and I had this desire to create a dialogue between ‘people who are in pain’. 

There are certain opinions that my films always deal with people in desperate and extreme situations. But I don’t believe this is unrealistic or drastic, but actually a very realistic aspect of life. There are numerous people around us who commit suicide or attempt at it. That is a reality. Yet, people seem to easily accept car chasing or gun fighting scenes as part of a film when they are actually more extreme than suicide. 

Regarding the acting in my film, not much has changed in general. I always believed that it’s so contrived for an actor to strain their eyes in a fierce stare. And that to express the same emotion in a controlled and concise manner is closer to the truth. The only thing I requested to the two actors in Another Way was for them to dare not to believe they understood the pains their characters were going through. I wanted them to be more careful when they were expressing someone tormented enough to consider taking their own life. 

One condition that I can never overcome in my films was this sense of futility or nihilism. That is why I dared not mention the word, hope. But this time, I contemplated how one could continue with their life’s journey through the characters’ active choice. What has changed with Su-wan and Jung-won’s life is that they now have at least one another whom they can share their feelings with. And even if they cannot heal their wounds, this will enable them to continue with their lives. 

In most cases my concerns are social. But when I’m writing a script, I always seem to end up exploring the issues of the family or the individual. They are things I’m curious about regarding myself. The same goes for Another Way. Family and parents in this film are a reality that can never take a different course unless they change themselves. The social conditions the protagonists are placed in or their ways of thinking can change, but not their parents who control their lives. 

The characters in my film are usually good-hearted people in nature, and I wanted to show the pains they face in reality. When good will is distorted, it is quite difficult to bear the pains that follow. ‘Conscience’ is something that good people are more susceptible to and suffer from. 

The important thing is the environment where Jung-won is placed is an ongoing one that will continue. She has a mother she has to take care of, but she also has to endlessly endure the sexual violence caused by her father. It’s a dilemma for her and it’s her mother that holds her back from running away. She resents her mother, and she eventually may have chosen to take her life despite a lingering sense of guilt. They say suicide is a social issue, but a thousand different deaths have thousand different reasons and personal stories. Is it worth killing oneself? Such question is violence committed by the living.