Park showcases his color in Stoker

DirectorPark Chan-wook(left) and Mia Wasikowska answer questions at the press conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on February 21 (photo courtesy of All That Cinema).

DirectorPark Chan-wook's films are characterized by often deep metaphors and grotesque but aesthetic images, as seen in his previous works such as"Old Boy","Thirst", and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance".

For his first Hollywood film,Stoker, Park said his poured all of his talent and style into it, showing what he can do best, at a press conference at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on February 21.

"They [Hollywood] must have liked my works and style and that's why they asked a director like me who can't really speak English do a film", Park said. "They wanted it and I did it".

Park showed up at the conference with Mia Wasikowska, the young lead actress of the film written by Wentworth Miller. The film also stars Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode.

When asked what was the best part of the whole experience, Park said it was that he had chances to work with so many talented actors and workers whom he admired.

"What is great about working in the United States is that I could meet people like Nicole and Mia", Park said. "I also worked with Phillip Glass, whom I admired. He produced entire scores for the film".

However, Park said it was not easy in the beginning because of the tight filming schedule. "In Hollywood, the number of filming takes was only half that of Korean films", Park said. "It was really hard to get used to it. I barely made it. I had to struggle until the end to keep the deadline".

A scene from Stoker featuring Matthew Goode (left), Nicole Kidman, and Mia Wasikowska (photo courtesy of All That Cinema)

Park said Jeong Jeong-hoon, a cinematographer who worked with Park for"Old Boy","Thirst", and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance", helped him a great deal as he also worked on Stoker.

Park said he did not have enough time to check each take but later he realized that he did not miss much. Wasikowska, who previously starred in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, said working with Park was quite amazing because Park paid a lot of attention to details and metaphors. She said Park was also open to collaboration and easy to work with.

"Before filming, he explained each scene on the storyboard", Wasikowska said. "The details and metaphors related back to different points in the film and it was a very different style of filmmaking".

Regarding the language barrier, she said it was not a problem at all. "In the beginning, I wasn't sure how translation would go but after a while it happened easily and I didn't give much thought to that".

A scene with Mia Wasikowska (left) and Matthew Goode playing piano (photo courtesy of All That Cinema)

Park also praised Wasikowska for her unseen talent. "At first sight, Mia doesn't seem glamorous and may look a bit ordinary but she understands well that she needs to build up in the depth of acting as the story goes", Park said. "She not only pays attention to her own role but also to the story of the entire movie and knows when to wait for her turn. She can express herself just by a movement of her eye".

The film starts with the death of the heroine's father, followed by the sudden appearance of her Uncle Charlie played by Goode, whom she never knew existed and comes to live with her and her unstable mother. The young girl's coming of age and her infatuation with her uncle and the mysterious disappearances of people around her lead to an unexpected outcome.

This year is a special year for the Korean film industry with a rush of Hollywood films directed by renowned local directors. February 21 saw the release of The Last Stand starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed byKim Ji-woon, the director of the Korean Western "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird" and "A Tale of Two Sisters". There is much curiosity over how these films will do at the box office and local critics say these two directors fully showed their colors and are expected to be called again to do more films in Hollywood.

A poster for Stoker (photo courtesy of All That Cinema)

Korean media outlets have had positive reviews for Stoker since its recent preview: "Well-made thriller that even produces catharsis", "99 minutes full ofPark Chan-wook's colors; keep your expectation high", and "Psychological thriller with more suspense than bloodstained horror movies".

The film will be released in Korea on February 28.

By Limb Jae-un
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