'Call' is female-led ticking-clock thriller

From left, actresses Kim Sung-ryoung, Park Shin-hye, Jun Jong-seo and Lee El pose for a photo at a press conference for “Call” at CGV Apgujeong in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Supernatural mystery thriller “Call” is a female-led film that defies one of cinema's fallacies that women and thrillers do not go together well.

Adapted from “The Caller” released in 2011, the movie revolves around two women who are living two decades apart and are connected through an old phone.

Seo-yeon, played by Park Shin-hye, lives in the present day and accidentally stumbles across an old telephone at her house. Then, she begins to receive mysterious calls from a stranger.

Over time, Seo-yeon discovers that the caller is a woman named Young-sook, played by Jun Jong-seo, and the two develop an unlikely friendship.

However, when Young-sook claims to be calling from the past, Seo-yeon begins to question her motives. Young-sook suggests that she will save Seo-yeon's dad in 1999, and in return, asks her to learn about her whereabouts in 2019.

As she foresees her death, Young-sook threatens to take revenge and change her past. Feeling haunted by the disturbing calls, Seo-yeon tries to save herself and family.

“The film boasts heart-pounding intensity and suspense. It was yet the biggest transformation for me as an actress. I've never played such a strong character before,” Park said at a press conference for the film at CGV Apgujeong in Seoul, Monday.

Jun, who rose to stardom with “Burning” released in 2018, said it was difficult to play Young-sook because her character is violent and aggressive.

“Prior to shooting the film, I discussed everything with the director, and that whole process has helped me to smoothly portray Young-sook's character on set,” Jun said.

On her Hollywood debut in “Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon,” she said, “Shooting Call was more exciting than going to Hollywood.”

In the film, Kim Sung-ryoung plays Seo-yeon's mother who tries to save her daughter from Young-sook. Lee El plays Young-sook's mother, who tries to stop her daughter from committing crimes.

Lee Chung-hyun, who is making his directorial debut with “Call,” said he was excited to present a hardcore thriller featuring four strong female characters. He earned popularity for his short film “Bargain” which was shot in a single take.

“The film is filled with multiple twists and turns, which keep unfolding until the last minute. The audience may also find other attributes of the film interesting ― the costumes, spaces, lighting and props,” he said.

The director shared that he used color to create different time settings.

“We've worked with colorist Vanessa Taylor to give a strong contrast to different characters and time periods. The color red is used to maximize Young-sook's anger and violence whereas the color blue elicits Seo-yeon's fear and despair,” he said.

“Call” is set to hit local theaters in March.