Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
INTERVIEW Bong Joon-ho explores human resilience with new film 'Mickey 17'
Director Bong Joon-ho / Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea
By Baek Byung-yeul
Acclaimed Korean director Bong Joon-ho said his upcoming film "Mickey 17," starring British actor Robert Pattinson, aims to convey that human nature persists even in the face of extreme adversity.
"In 'Mickey 17,' we see people who assign all dangerous, potentially fatal tasks to a single Mickey without feeling any guilt. In Korea, we've had people die due to accidents in industrial sites. I'm not sure how much working conditions have improved, but someone else is now doing those jobs. In the movie, they repeat that to one Mickey. There's a sadness that comes from that. If I had to summarize this situation in one word, it would be ‘expendable,’” Bong told The Korea Times in an interview in Seoul on Wednesday.
"Mickey faces harsh conditions and contempt, but at the end of the film, he remains unbroken. That's the message I wanted to convey. I hope it offers a small consolation to those who watch the film."
Adapted from Edward Ashton's novel "Mickey7," the sci-fi film revolves around Mickey (Pattinson), a disposable clone sent on perilous missions who is regenerated after each death. The narrative intensifies when Mickey's 18th version is mistakenly created while Mickey 17 is still alive, leading to a series of unexpected events. The movie also stars Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun and Naomi Ackie in prominent roles.
Bong recently premiered the film at the Berlin International Film Festival, attracting attention from movie fans and journalists from around the world. In Berlin and later in Paris, the most common question he received from reporters was about the dictator character played by Ruffalo, which reminded many of current political figures.
"I want to emphasize once again that I completed writing the screenplay for this film in September 2021," he said with a laugh, adding that he didn’t try to match the character to any currently active politicians.
"European journalists asked many questions about Mark Ruffalo's character. It seems the world is quite similar. People seem to have projected their own negative political experiences onto this film. This is part of what makes movies interesting. The audience response was also positive."
Actor Robert Pattinson in a scene from director Bong Joon-ho’s movie “Mickey 17” / Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea
He expressed that meeting Pattinson was fortunate, as the actor excellently portrayed the dual roles of Mickey 17 and Mickey 18.
"While filming, Rob (Pattinson) improvised many unexpected lines as Mickey 18. I was very grateful for that," the director said. "Mickey 18 has an aggressive personality, but gradually, he grows to want to protect Mickey 17. Rob did an excellent job of portraying this internal change in the character."
Despite "Mickey 17" being Bong’s first film in six years since "Parasite" (2019), which won numerous awards including the Palme d'Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival and Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards, the director said he felt no pressure.
"Actually, this year's Berlin International Film Festival also requested 'Mickey 17' for the competition section, but I didn't want anything more in terms of awards. We wanted to give other works a chance in the competition section, so we said we'd like to screen this film in the noncompetitive gala," he said.
"When Quentin Tarantino won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for 'Pulp Fiction' (1994), he was around 31. I was already in my 50s when I received various awards for 'Parasite.' At that time, I felt like I had two selves. One self was saying, 'This is crazy' from a distance, while the other self was going through the schedule of attending ceremonies, receiving awards. I've been asked many times if I felt pressure about the new work, but I haven't felt any. I've been continuously working on other projects as well, so it feels like I've been working continuously."
Actors Robert Pattinson, right, and Naomi Ackie in a scene from “Mickey 17” / Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea
Bong is already working on two new projects — an animated film about deep-sea fish and a horror-action film set in Seoul.
In addition, the director expressed interest in making a biographical film about a historical figure, citing the recently released "Harbin," which deals with Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun, who fought against imperial Japan in the 1900s.
"Watching 'Harbin,' I could feel its cinematic quality. Meeting a person with noble spirit in our chaotic modern society gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. There are some figures I'm interested in, and I'm reading biographies of several people. I might be able to tell you more about it around the time the new animation is released," he said.
Amid changing audience habits with streaming and short-form content, Bong emphasized the irreplaceable experience of watching movies in theaters.
"I watch a lot of YouTube videos and streaming content, too. It's not about which format is good or bad, but I think theaters have their own value. The thrill felt on a big screen, the subtle expressions of actors, the excitement of waiting for a film's release and watching with others on a big screen — these shouldn't be considered old-fashioned traditions, but rather the most powerful experience that movies can still offer," Bong said.
“Mickey 17” will be released in Korea on Feb. 28.