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| A scene from film "Time to Hunt" / Courtesy of Netflix |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
In crime thriller film "Time to Hunt," director Yoon Sung-hyun has meticulously crafted fictional dystopian Korea following an economic collapse. The country's currency is regarded worthless, so people become reliant on U.S. dollars as a means of exchange.
The director explained that such a setting was inspired by his travel memories. "I remember being shocked by the hyperinflation in South America when buying a soft drink at a store. I also got a glimpse of slums in the U.S., which allowed me to portray streets full of graffiti in the film," Yoon said in a video interview with The Korea Times, Friday.
Along with taking reference from real-life experiences, the director built his version of a dystopian world in order to indirectly highlight "Hell Joseon" ― a term used by young people in Korea to describe the country as a hell-like place due to the hopelessness of their futures.
"I've always been interested in the younger generation. There are people around me who want to escape reality and run to paradise, just like characters in the film," he said.
The flick's plot is relatively simple and straightforward, according to Yoon. It follows ex-convict Jun-seok (Lee Je-hoon), who was jailed for three years for robbery, plotting a plan for robbing an illegal gambling den with his friends Gi-hoon (Choi Woo-shik), Jang-ho (Ahn Jae-hong) and Sang-soo (Park Jung-min).
With the help of an arms dealer (Jo Sung-ha), the four successfully rob the casino. However, their heaven soon turns into hell as they are chased by Han (Park Hae-soo), a mysterious, cold-blooded killer. Very little is explained about Han, who barely displays emotion.
Director Yoon said he had to hide Han's background details in order to heighten the tension of heart-pounding suspense sequences.
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| Director Yoon Sung-hyun of "Time to Hunt" poses for a photo after an interview with The Korea Times at his office, Friday. / Courtesy of Netflix |
"Most people feel more anxious or scared of things that are unfamiliar to them. Take the example of 'Jaws' or 'Gravity.' People were horrified because they have limited information about the life beneath the surface of the ocean or of outer space."
The 38-year-old director made good use of color psychology as well as lighting techniques that brought some cinematic flair to the film.
"I used various colors to set the mood and deepen the narrative of the film. The most frequently used the color red which was intended to portray a hellish reality. Green was used in the parking lot scene, in which Han releases Jun-seok in the middle of a cat-and-mouse game. Blue was used in the hospital scene and orange was used in bar scenes," he noted.
Yoon recalled the moment when "Time to Hunt" premiered in the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival's special gala section.
"We received a round of applause from the audience filling the 1,600-seat theater. It was an overwhelming and truly unforgettable experience," he said. "The film has been praised for pulse-pounding suspense, which was exactly what I wanted the audience to feel all along."
On skipping theaters and heading straight to Netflix due to the coronavirus pandemic, Yoon expressed relief and gratitude.
"I'm both excited and thankful that our film would be available in 190 countries across the globe. I'm curious as to how international audiences would react to it," he said.
"Time to Hunt" is now available on Netflix.
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