The response to the film <High Five>, which was released on the 30th, is extraordinary. It recorded the number one spot at the box office during its opening weekend and surpassed 400,000 cumulative viewers in just three days. The director of this film, which is competing with the final installment of the series, <Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning>, is Kang Hyung-cheol, who made a mark in the Korean film industry with <Speed Scandal> (2008) and <Sunny> (2011). <High Five> is his comeback work after a seven-year hiatus. Although it’s been a while since he stood in front of the public, he was cautious, saying, 'I need to be careful even with falling leaves,' but what he emphasized without reservation was his love for the cinema. We met with director Kang Hyung-cheol, who said he made <High Five> as a 'theatre-optimised' film, to discuss it.
Currently, <High Five> has achieved the number one spot in advance ticket sales, surpassing <Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning>. Please share your thoughts. (On the 28th, when the interview took place, <High Five> was ranked first in overall advance ticket sales.)
(Raising both arms in excitement) First of all, I’m very happy. However, I hope that more people come to the cinema overall. These days, when I go to the cinema, there are too many empty seats. Those empty seats are such a waste. I hope people can enjoy movies together in that magical space called 'theatre' as if they are celebrating a festival.
Since it’s a work based on superpowers, it’s often compared to the Disney+ series <Moving>, but you filmed <High Five> first, right?
Yes, it was released later. (<Moving> started filming in August 2021, while <High Five> began filming in June 2021.)
Do you have any regrets about the release timing?
It’s all fate. I think every film has its timing. It doesn’t seem to be something that can be controlled by manpower.
So how did the planning for <High Five> come about?
My long-time collaborator, PD Yoo Seong-gwon, gave me the idea. It was after filming <Tazza: The High Rollers> in 2014. The interesting logline came out: 'The story of people who received organ transplants from superhumans.' After that, it was mentioned again after <Swing Kids> was finished, and we thought, 'Let’s write it down.' At that time, PD Yoo said he imagined a scene of a girl running freely down a hill at high speed, which led to the character setting.
At that time, Korean SF films weren’t receiving great responses. Were you not afraid to challenge the SF genre?
If you start a project with fear, it seems like nothing will happen. You have to work without fear to make things happen. I tend to trust the people I work with.
After watching the film, it seems that filming was very difficult, but especially the post-production must have been very challenging. How was that for you?
As soon as I heard the question, I felt nauseous… (laughs) Filming was tough because it was during the COVID era. We had to wear masks all the time. Nevertheless, the atmosphere on set was very good. There were so many wonderful people… I wanted to finish filming in a good mood and have a beer, but there was a sense of regret that we had to part ways. (laughs) There was a gathering ban, after all.
As for post-production, it was something I had caused… (laughs) VFX had to be done continuously. Editing, VFX, and music work were an endless cycle. I really troubled our editor and music director a lot. I visited them at all hours.
A unique aspect of <High Five> is that the protagonists, the superhumans, are people around us. It seems that this was to capture the actions of realistic heroes; is there a reason for this?
I was curious about 'What would happen if my neighbour became a superhuman?' Naturally, their lives would have to be included in that process, and the hardships within them would have to be captured. The villain, Young-chun (Shin Gu/Park Jin-young), is the same. I pondered, 'What is the most intuitive villain in our socio-cultural context?' and that’s how the character came about. I think religious con artists are the scariest. Those cult leaders who deceive people by pretending to be gods, I believe they are the most fearless people, so I set the cult leader as the ultimate villain.
The character names are also very unique. How did you come up with names like Park Wan-seo (Lee Jae-in), Park Ji-sung (Ahn Jae-hong), and Seonnyeo (Ra Mi-ran)?
First of all, the name 'Park Wan-seo' is inspired by the fact that I enjoy reading the works of author Park Wan-seo. Her novel 「Who Ate All That Singa」 is autobiographical. The scene of the young Park Wan-seo playing in the fields overlaps with this character. When I was writing, I had a book on my desk, and that book caught my eye. I wanted to give that freshness to the protagonist, so I named her in respect.
The name 'Park Ji-sung' is suitable for the character who received a lung transplant. 'Three lungs,' right? (laughs) 'Seonnyeo' is also the name of a friend’s younger sister, and I wanted to highlight her beauty, which is literally like a fairy.
Lee Jae-in, who plays Wan-seo, reportedly showed off her kicking skills during auditions to match the character of a taekwondo boy. (laughs) What do you think makes Lee Jae-in suitable for this character?
(I think) the first time I saw Jae-in was at the Baeksang Arts Awards. At that time, she won the Best New Actress award for <Sabaha>. I was sitting in the audience and thought, 'Who is that sparkling child?' She has a charm that is hard to express in words. I followed her on Instagram and kept an eye on her. (laughs)
We met again for this film’s audition, and although there were many excellent actors I met then, Jae-in was perfect for Wan-seo. I really like actors who bring their personal everyday life into their performances. Jae-in’s charm almost synchronized with Wan-seo’s charm. Of course, her technique as an actress is also very good. I hit the lottery.
Park Jin-young is actively working as an actor in dramas like <Yumi's Cells> and <Unknown Seoul>. Since he is a famous idol, that image is quite strong. Did that influence the casting?
Casting Park Jin-young was 100% based on his acting. I received similar questions when I cast him for <Tazza: The High Rollers>, but I don’t think using an idol as an actor affects box office success. Because of Park Jin-young’s charm as an actor and the sync rate with the role, we needed him. I believe my casting was successful.
The casting of actor Shin Gu is also quite surprising.
I remember everyone, including the staff, cheered when he graciously accepted to appear. When you listen to him speak in private, every word he says is a classic line. So, I feel like if we just filmed what he said and edited it, it would become a movie. I hope he stays healthy and continues to do great works.
I heard that to match the sync rate between Park Jin-young and Shin Gu for the character 'Young-chun', there was work done where Shin Gu read Park Jin-young’s lines first, and then Park Jin-young followed. Did you have any specific requests for Park Jin-young?
At first, we suggested studying Shin Gu. Park Jin-young needed to embody Shin Gu’s tone. However, we also needed a great artist in Park Jin-young. It couldn’t just be mimicry, so on set, he completely let go and acted. Park Jin-young trained very hard and put in a lot of effort to achieve this. He succeeded in perfectly embodying it, creating a feeling that was neither ridiculous nor creepy.
Ahn Jae-hong, who plays Ji-sung, did not disappoint with his comedic performance this time either. Since he is particularly good at comedy, I imagine there are improvised lines or scenes created on set.
Both Oh Jung-se, who plays Wan-seo’s father Jong-min, and Ahn Jae-hong deliver my lines without missing a single word, and it all feels like ad-libs. I get confused too. Later, I see that they really delivered the lines exactly as written. They act as if they wrote the script themselves without undermining the director’s intent.
Of course, there have been times like this. There’s the 'air flute scene' where Lee Jae-in and I are playing the flute separately, right? I never thought Ahn Jae-hong would dance there. With such a stiff body, I didn’t expect him to dance rhythmically… (laughs) Whether it was in the script or not doesn’t seem important. It’s not like we’re going to have a dispute over ownership (laughs). If you are me and I am you, isn’t that the best match?
Ahn Jae-hong and I have a similar comedic vibe. It’s not comedy that’s intended to make others laugh; it’s about being given a situation and immersing ourselves in it, which naturally leads to laughter. For example, someone is earnestly eating soup with their head buried in it while wearing a tuxedo, or struggling to pick up small beans with chopsticks. It’s humor that comes from seriousness, I suppose?
What was very impressive in the work was that so many actors maintain a proper balance without overshadowing each other. Leading with Lee Jae-in, it seems that maintaining the balance of these actors is the director’s skill. Was there anything in particular you paid attention to for this?
First of all, very kind people gathered. When many people come together to shoot, if everyone tries to stand out, it becomes a mess. However, we had a sense of compromise. I think that showed in the scenes. The world is made up of actions and reactions. Good acting is the same. Of course, we set up the characters’ interactions in the storyboard, but the important premise was that actors who could accept and understand this had to come. Fortunately, I was very grateful that polite and kind actors came and did it much better than I had written.
You mentioned that <High Five> is a theatre-optimised work, but the atmosphere in cinemas these days isn’t great. Do you feel that?
Of course. My last theatrical film was <Swing Kids>, and it’s already been seven years. Before that, I used to release films every 3 or 4 years… I’m feeling again how incredibly precious it is to release a film in theatres. The cinema is one of the most precious spaces for me. It’s a playground for life, and hearing the terrifying talk that 'the cinema might disappear' is truly horrifying for me. So, I thought I had to make <High Five> as a theatre setting. I hope this film serves as a small invitation for many people to visit the cinema, and I hope not only our film but also other Korean films do well.
