Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Disaster blockbuster 'Sinkhole' places human story at the center of terrible predicament
From left, actors Cha Seung-won, Kim Hye-jun, Kim Sung-kyun and Lee Kwang-soo pose during an online press conference for the film “Sinkhole,” Monday. Courtesy of Showbox
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Disaster blockbuster “Sinkhole,” which blends horror and comedy, tries to locate a human story at the center of a terrible predicament of falling into a massive sinkhole.
Directed by Kim Ji-hoon, who helmed the disaster film “Tower” (2012), “Sinkhole” revolves around Dong-won (Kim Sung-kyun), a hard-working man who fulfills his long-cherished dream of buying a house after 11 years.
On the day he invites his coworkers, including Seung-hyun (Lee Kwang-Soo) and Eun-joo (Kim Hye-jun), to his new house, the entire building falls into a sinkhole. Along with irritating next-door neighbor Man-soo (Cha Seung-won), the group tries to find ways to survive from about 500 meters underground.
“If Tower was a thrilling survival story that takes place in a high-rise building that catches fire, Sinkhole is a more optimistic disaster movie that takes place in an underground setting” director Kim said during an online press conference for the film, Monday.
The veteran director explained that he tried to depict a situation in which ordinary people suddenly become caught in a disaster. “Instead of focusing on the natural disaster itself, I wanted to show how people deal with the situation and go through it together,” he said.
In the film, Man-soo juggles three jobs ― he works as a chauffeur, fitness trainer and photographer ― to provide for his son. Cha said he shares similar characteristics with Man-soo in the way that they are both nosy and talkative.
According to Cha, it was the “team effort” that drew him to the project. “There was that sharing of responsibility, which I have never experienced in my previous works. Each character has his or her unique personality that fits well and complements each another,” Cha said
A scene from "Sinkhole" / Courtesy of Showbox
Actor Kim said the harrowing set-up that leaves the characters in a terrible predicament enabled the actors to portray their characters more authentically.
“The entire set was built from scratch. The director could have used CGI, but he insisted on constructing over 20 buildings to form a massive neighborhood. I feel immense pride in the fact that I acted in such environment,” he said.
Kim revealed it was difficult to portray an ordinary middle-aged man because he has mostly played dark, intense characters in the past.
Lee, who recently left SBS's variety show “Running Man” to pursue acting, will appear as the “icon of misfortune” in the film.
“The story's premise was really interesting and I liked how the tone of the disaster movie remains predominantly bright and comedic. It was refreshing to see how the characters think of possible solutions to escape disaster,” he said.
On working alongside Lee, director Kim said he was surprised by how serious Lee was on set. “I initially expected Lee to be a mood setter, who could cheer us up, but he turned out to be a very serious person. I often had to study his face to see if everything was okay,” he laughed.
This film has been invited to this year's Locarno Film Festival, set to be held in Switzerland from Aug. 4 to 14.
“Sinkhole” is set to hit theaters Aug. 11.