INTERVIEW 'Along With the Gods' director unravels millennium-long link among grim reapers
Director Kim Yong-hwa during his interview with The Korea Times in a cafe in central Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Director Kim Yong-hwa of the “Along With the Gods” series is known for playing well with the formula of success in Korean films -- humorous and lighthearted at first, intriguing and tear-jerking at the climax. Talented in making audiences laugh and cry, the filmmaker is back with “Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days,” the second installment of the webtoon-turned-film.
The plot of “The Last 49 Days” follows right where the first film “The Two Worlds” left off. The three agents of the afterlife -- Gangrim (played by Ha Jung-woo), Haewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon) and Lee Deok-choon (Kim Hyang-gi) -- try to ward off the guardians of the underworld that try to prevent their client Kim Soo-hong (Kim Dong-wook) from passing through underworld trials.
“There are three layers to this movie in which the plot moves between the underworld and the real world: Gangrim and Soo-hong's adventure to the underworld trials, Haewonmak and Deok-choon's quarrels with Seongju, the House Guardian God, and the three grim reapers' life and death stories when they were humans 1,000 years ago,” said Kim during an interview with The Korea Times, Thursday.
“Weaving such extensive stories into a film without holes in the plot and inconsistencies was the hardest part and thus it required a long editing process,” he added.
“The Last 49 Days,” released Wednesday, set a new record for opening day attendance, drawing 1.25 million people, surpassing the previous record set by “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” with 1.18 million, according to the Korean Film Council data. The mega sequel attracted over 5 million people as of Sunday, according to its distributor Lotte Entertainment, and broke the record for the shortest amount of time to bring 5 million people to the Korean box office.
The director cautiously said the secret behind the movie's success across Asia might be its suggestive melodrama, realistic visual effects and the unusual subject of grim reapers moving between the underworld and the real world.
“I was taken by surprise when I saw the term 'tear-jerking' in foreign reviews. That's when I realized that a powerful story could evoke emotional responses from global audiences,” said Kim. Following the success of the first film, the cast and creative launched promotional events in Asia in Taiwan, Sunday.
As for differences from the first installment, Kim said “If the first film moved you to tears, the second part will make you cry from the heart.”
Compared with “The Two Worlds” that had a fairly straightforward plot and humor, “The Last 49 Days” has more story layers and the underlying message of forgiveness as well as some fun elements and visual effects.
“Working on visual effects for the sequel was much more difficult,” said Kim. “But we were pretty confident with making creatures with computer graphics. The appearance of dinosaurs in the movie was intended to pay homage to the Jurassic Park film. Of course, some were opposed to the idea of inserting dinosaurs in the movie, as they might distract viewers. But as a director of commercial movies, I wanted to add some fun to the film and prove that the quality of Korean movies can rival those at Hollywood.”
Kim commented that he is proud to witness Korean movies gaining more attention worldwide and their quality improving over time.
“It is funny how people keep saying that Korean movies are in crisis. I've been hearing the phrase since 1991, but how the quality has improved over time. Although there are problems regarding lack of diversity in genres and the screen quota system, I think the quality isn't far behind Hollywood movies these days.”
Despite audiences' high expectations for further installments of the series, Kim said he has no specific plans for a third installment due to a busy schedule both as a movie director and CEO of Dexter Studios, the visual effects production unit behind the “Along with the Gods” series.
“We'll have to see how the sequel goes and if it marks a success, I'll consider making the next one. But the director may change, who knows? I'm open to all sorts of possibilities,” Kim said.
“Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds,” which was released in December 2017, became the second most-viewed film of all time in Korea, attracting an audience of over 14 million.
The 40 billion won budget fantasy film also topped box offices in Asian countries including Taiwan and Hong Kong. The film became the highest-grossing Korean film in Taiwan, and the second-highest in Hong Kong following “The Battleship Island.”
Director Kim's previous works include “200 Pound Beauty” (2006), “Take Off” (2009) and “Mr. Go” (2013).