Director Yeon Sang-ho / Courtesy of Netflix

Director Yeon Sang-ho, renowned for exploring complex social issues in films and series like "Train to Busan" and "Hellbound," returns with the Netflix movie "Revelations," which delves into the dangerous consequences of selective belief in contemporary society.

"Nowadays, people only want to see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. That's why things like this are happening in Korea right now," the director told The Korea Times during an interview in Seoul on Monday. "Coincidentally, the timing of 'Revelations' coming out makes me feel that this work was born from this era."

"Revelations" tells the story of pastor Sung Min-chan (Ryu Jun-yeol), who believes he is acting on divine revelation to punish a culprit in a missing person case and detective Lee Yeon-hui (Shin Hyun-bin), haunted by her deceased sibling's visions as she investigates the same case.

The film is based on the 2022 online comic of the same name, written by the director with illustrations by cartoonist Choi Gyu-seok.

Yeon elaborated on the film's exploration of human desire and selective perception.

"Like everyone else, I'm curious about my life. I often wonder why my life is going this way. In that process, desires naturally get projected, and sometimes, we even lie to ourselves. When you desire something, you only see what you want to see, and you interpret everything in your desired direction."

He further emphasized how this phenomenon is amplified in today's society.

"It seems that this era emphasizes individual tastes. In the past, when you went to a clothing store, you might have made unexpected choices while browsing. But now, people buy only what they want online. Similarly, streaming platforms analyze individual preferences and reinforce individuality," he said.

"One of the characteristics of humans is that they tend to reinforce their desires, seeing and doing only what they want. With industrialization and the advancement of society, we are increasingly living in an era where we only see what we want to see."