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| Chun Woo-hee, from left, Yoo Yeon-seok and Han Hyo-joo in "Love, Lies" / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment |
By Yun Suh-young
The 1940s were among the most turbulent decades in Korean history, especially during the years before liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. It was also a period when early forms of popular music, the origins, of today's K-pop began to appear.
A new film "Love, Lies," which will be released on April 13, explores the lives, loves and ambitions of the last remaining gisaeng in the early 1940s who wanted to become pop singers. Gisaeng were female artists who sang, danced and played musical instruments to entertain yangban, or the gentry class during the Joseong Dynasty (1392-1910), the last kingdom of Korea, and for the Japanese ruling class during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945).
The film's title "Haeohwa" in Korean means "a flower that can talk" referring to gisaeng.
Set in 1943, the story focuses on two gisaeng -- So-yul (Han Hyo-joo) and Yeon-hee (Chun Woo-hee) -- trained in a "gwonbeon," a gisaeng institution during the Japanese period of colonization. The two are best friends and among the most talented students at the gwonbeon. So-yul is lauded for her masterful skills in "jeongga," a vocal genre in traditional Korean music, while Yeon-hee has a beautiful voice that tugs at people's heartstrings.
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| Poster of "Love, Lies" |
So-yul's boyfriend Yoon-woo (Yoo Yeon-seok), who is the most popular composer of the period, asks So-yul to sing his songs but signs of conflict start to show when Yoon-woo hears the beautiful voice of Yeon-hee. A romance blossoms between Yoon-woo and his new musical muse Yeon-hee but tragedy ensues when the jealous So-yul resorts to taking extreme measures in order to outdo Yeon-hee in both music and love.
"I think the 1940s were a tragic period. I imagined the gloomy atmosphere of the time had negative impact on the people. But it's also a period when pop songs starting flourishing and enjoyed their heyday," said director Park Heung-sik, at a press conference on Monday, explaining why he chose the 1940s as a backdrop.
"It was a good period to show the conflict between two female gisaeng who wanted to become top singers."
The entire movie is constructed toward the vanishing point in the ending, which director Park said was intended.
"The entire story is summed up in the end by the phrase, 'Why didn't I know that before, if it was so good.' The message is about keeping your identity and values. It's a sad story of a woman losing and finding herself and regretting her past," Park said.
In the film, Yoo who plays composer Yoon-woo showcases his piano skills while the two actresses offer brilliant and ear-pleasing songs they personally sing.
Actress Chun, who plays Yeon-hee, wrote the lyrics for the song "Heart of Joseon" which she sings in the film.
"I wanted to reflect the sadness, loneliness and fatigue of Yeon-hee which also speaks for the time period," Chun said.
Actress Han who played So-yul said that she didn't think her character was villainous.
"I don't think So-yul is the bad girl. She was placed in a situation that drove her to do such things. While acting I discovered a new person that I had in me. The character was a challenge for me and although So-yul is a fictional character, I imagined she was real while I was acting," Han said. "I'm curious how the audience will view my acting."
