'Only God Knows Everything' explores true meaning of faith

Actor Shin Seung-ho in a scene from “Only God Knows Everything” / Courtesy of Triple Pictures

How cruel can a distorted belief make a person? And how should a priest, who serves as God's representative, deal with the dilemma they face when their own faith is shaken?

Director Paek Seung-hwan poses these questions in his new film "Only God Knows Everything,” which explores the dark side of people who fall into cults and what true faith really means.

This thriller follows Do-un (Shin Seung-ho), a newly ordained priest. When he hears a confession about the death of his mother, who disappeared 13 years ago, he becomes entangled in a dilemma between revenge and his faith, and begins to unravel the secrets behind her disappearance.

"I have been involved in various religious activities myself and often wondered if my beliefs were right, or what was the right thing to do when I saw the dark side of religion," Paek said after the premiere on Wednesday. "So when I first read this screenplay, I thought I should make a film that explores these kinds of questions."

He added that the original title of the film was "The Borderliner" with the subtitle "Only God Knows Everything," but he decided to use the more provocative subtitle as the main title.

Shin plays a newly ordained priest who is faced with questions over whether the path he has chosen is the right one. The actor said he focused on portraying the internal conflict of his character delicately.

"I wanted to play a priest who looks strong on the outside but isn't on the inside," Shin said. "As Do-un struggles with his conflict, I hoped the audience would find it difficult to predict his choices. I wanted to make them think, 'Oh, so this is the choice he made,' only after seeing the film through to the end."

Actor Jeon So-min in a scene from “Only God Knows Everything” / Courtesy of Triple Pictures

After learning through a confession that his mother was not just missing but murdered, Do-un faces a deep conflict between his duty as a priest to keep the confession secret and his desire as a son to uncover the truth about his mother's death.

In the process, he becomes entangled with detective Ju-yeoung (Han Ji-eun), shaman Gwang-un (Park Myung-hoon) and Su-yeon (Jeon So-min), a woman who has fallen into a cult.

"I found the story, which unfolds on the ambiguous boundary between good and evil, very intriguing and wanted to portray it well," said Han, who plays the detective.

From left, actors Park Myung-hoon, Jeon So-min, director Paek Seung-hwan, actors Han Ji-seun and Shin Seun-ho pose during a press conference for their movie “Only God Knows Everything” at a theater in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Park shows his powerful presence by playing a shaman with multiple personalities.

"When I first received the screenplay, I was curious about how Do-un's faith and his human desire for revenge would be realized," he said. Speaking about his character, he said, "I played a multiple-personality character who is both human and maniacal."

Jeon takes on a new kind of role, portraying a fanatical woman who has fallen into a cult.

"I felt a strong desire to show a different side of myself and take on another challenge. There was no reason not to do this project. I chose it without hesitation because of the anticipation of this transformation," she said.

“Only God Knows Everything” will be released on Aug. 22.