Perhaps Love by Director Cho Eunji

Actor Cho Eunji, who has been wearing various colors on the screen for 22 years, visited the theater with her first feature film as a director. The film Perhaps Love depicts the happenings of a novelist, having suffered from a terrible slump, is entangled with complex romance with people around him. Director Cho Eunji, who has been writing as a kind of 'breakthrough' since her mid-20s, was recognized for her directing ability by receiving a special award at the 16th Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival in 2017 for her short film 2Nights 3Days. I interviewed Director Cho Eunji about her first feature film as a director.

As a director, how does it feel to meet the audience with your first feature film?

= I'm scared, nervous, and excited. I wanted to hear that 'It's a good movie.' Perhaps Love is a story about relationships and growth. After making the movie, I felt that I had grown up a lot through it. Since it was my first time directing a feature film, I did not fully understand the filming process. I doubted myself a lot, and I couldn't take it easy. I fought a lot with myself in the field. But I think it would have been better if I communicated with people more relaxedly. Like the characters in the movie, I also feel that I have grown a lot in terms of 'relationships'.

I heard you directed Perhaps Love because the production company asked you to do that.

= So, at first, I thought about the proposal very hard, and I pondered it with my head rather than my heart. So I gave them a counter proposal that I would adapt the work as I wanted and try it if my adaptation would be in the same vein that they wanted. Later, when I heard that the script I adapted was on the same page they pursued, I had to consider it for two to three days again. Then I vaguely wanted to do it and thought that I could do it well.

Scriptwriter Kim Nadeul wrote the script and you adapted it. What was in your mind in the adaptation process?

= I wanted to expand the characters and their relationships more. I thought the story would be more empathetic if more characters were added and their emotional lines were connected. However, as the relationships and the characters were unusual, I thought that if the emotional lines were slightly out of sync, the setting for the relationships or characters could be very awkward. So I tried to approach it friendly with comic elements. Using realistic comedies, I tried to show the worries and concerns each age group had. However, what I want to talk about through this film is that we grow in relationships, so I focused a lot on the emotional lines. Thankfully, since Kim Nadeul's writing style is very close to mine, I adapted the scenario while taking advantage of that point.

Tell me about Actor Ryu Seungryong. Instead of a fellow actor, you worked with him as a director. How was he from the perspective of the director?

= Actor Ryu Seungryong has so many things that I want to learn as an actor and a senior in life. He gets a sense quickly and uses it well in the field. He also pondered a lot about the emotional lines that change after meeting a person. While monitoring or editing the film, I could see a lot of signs he had to suffer to play his character properly. And as a senior in life, Seungryong was considerate and filled a lot of my clumsiness and difficulties that I couldn't handle well while filming the movie. I'm really grateful for his efforts in breaking the awkward atmosphere at the scene and creating a good atmosphere with the other actors.

All the cast members, including Sung Yoobin, Kim Heewon, and Lee Yooyoung, show slightly different faces from their existing filmography. I'm curious about the casting background.

Unlike his strong and intense images in films, I heard Kim Heewon is a very delicate and sensitive actor. Then I had a chance to have a cup of coffee with him, and I was very surprised then. He speaks very slowly, but at the same time, his thoughts and expressions are very delicate whether it is an object or a situation. That kind of image was impressive. That's why Heewon came to my mind as I adapted the character Soonmo.

About Actor Lee Yooyoung, I could feel some unique feelings while watching her movies. In the parts that she should express emotions clearly, she expressed them in very vague ways giving mysterious vibes. I thought that kind of image would be lovely when she played Jeongwon, a four-dimensional character.

When I first saw Yoobin in the TV series Mr. Sunshine, I thought he was expressing his feelings with all his heart. His passion for acting was fully revealed on the screen, and I could feel him seasoned acting skills although he was still young. Since he played a lot of dark and emotional roles, I thought he could have a thirst for acting the roles with opposite charms. I wanted him to act that goes well with his age. I think such aspects would be helpful to both Yoobin and me.

I picked up Actor Moo Jinsung through an audition, and at first, he looked much younger than his age. So, I wasn't a bit unsatisfied about that, but when he started acting, he acted without hesitation while making good use of things around him. He was a bit like Will Hunting in Good Will Hunting. On the day of the audition, I grabbed Jinsung returning home.

Is there a reason why you started directing a movie? 

= I have been writing since my mid-20s. It was a breakthrough for me to relieve. I wrote scenarios and diaries. One day, I wanted to talk about parting. I wrote a scenario and showed it to my acquaintances, and they said it would be fun to make it into a movie. Honestly, I didn't pay attention to it much at that time. Later, I thought it would be nice to make that scenario into a movie, so I did it. That's how my short film 2Nights 3Days was born.

Do you have any plan to appear in the film you direct?

= Before 2Nights 3Days, I directed a short film titled The Effect of 20,000 Won (translated title). And I played a character there. What I felt back then was that I couldn't be a multi-player. I realized that I had to focus on one thing. (Smile) However, in Perhaps Love, my voice appears in one or two scenes.

I wonder if you have ever experienced a tough slump like Hyeon, the main character of Perhaps Love.

= There is always a slump. I'm the type of person who worries for nothing. I had a concern about my position as an actor. I think I fell into the deepest slump when I was seen as a consuming character. I had a lot of things I wanted to show more diversely. So I decided to give myself one more year. I was able to perform various characters successfully because the directors recognized my desperation and passion. That year or so was the biggest slump for me.

Prior to Perhaps Love, you also participated in the adaptation of the movie Night of the Undead.

= It was Director Jang Hangjoon's scenario, and he wanted to cast me as an actor for the work. After many years, he asked me to join the adaptation process. He must have thought that I was familiar with the film. I wanted to try it, so I decided to do it. The experience certainly affected me greatly. Unlike the stories I've written since my mid-20s, the job required me to turn someone else's script into the three-dimensional one, filling my thoughts in it. At that point, the job experience was very helpful when I was making Perhaps Love.

Is there a genre that you want to direct?

= I hope whatever I make, I want to have some comic elements in it. If a film has some funny, sad, and realistic aspects, those elements can make people more empathize with the film. I want to tell stories I want to tell within the comedy genre.

If there's anything you want to say as a director?

= Now, I want to talk about a married couple. A story of a couple who think they know each other well, but because they are so convinced that, what they don't know grows bigger. As long as I have stories that I want to talk about, I won't stop directing, I guess.