'Stone Skipping' shows how blind faith can distort truth

From left, actors Kim Eui-sung, Song Yoon-a and Kim Dae-myeung pose during a press event for the film “Stone Skipping” in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Little Big Pictures

By Kwak Yeon-soo

The film “Stone Skipping” shows how one true fact can be interpreted differently by different people due to their prejudice, misunderstanding, self-interest and blind faith.

As a result, the truth becomes distorted and rumors spread like the ripples left by skipping stones across a lake.

In the film, Kim Dae-myeung plays intellectually challenged Seok-gu, who lacks the basic life experience of most men his age and runs a rice mill in a small town. One day, his world is turned upside-down after he gets involved in a crime.

The conflict intensifies between Catholic priest (Kim Eui-sung) defending Seok-gu and shelter adviser (Song Yoon-a) convinced of his guilt.

Director Kim Jeong-sik, who is making his feature debut with “Stone Skipping,” explained that he intended to portray how our beliefs shape how we interpret a situation and may impair our ability to get to the truth.

In the film, the townspeople accuse Seok-gu of rape because the shelter adviser claims she witnessed the crime. Rather than making attempts to find the truth, they go on a witch hunt against Seok-gu because he is intellectually disabled.

“I wanted to talk about people's gaze. Instead of seeking the truth behind the crime Seok-gu didn't commit, people simply believe what they hear. Such blind beliefs can be harmful and misleading. I also wanted to address the cruelty that can be inflicted upon people with disabilities,” Kim said during a press event for the film, Tuesday.

On playing intellectually challenged Seok-gu, who has the mental capacity of an eight-year-old, Kim said he tried to look back in time to when he was actually that age.

“It was a great challenge because I didn't have many lines of dialogue. Rather than depicting Seok-gu as a special person who needs care, I approached my character as a typical eight-year-old. I reflected on my past and took ideas from my personal experiences,” he said.

“He fails to defend himself and convince people to trust him. He just accepts the given situation of being sent to prison, unable to meet the girl he thinks of as a friend and shunned from the community. He has no grievances.”

Song, who is returning to the silver screen 10 years after “Wedding Dress” (2010), recalled the first time she read the script three years go.

“When I received the script, I was in middle of filming a drama series. I thought I wouldn't be able to star in the film due to scheduling issues, but I read the script nonetheless,” she said.

“It was an interesting read because it addresses the problems that people often face in everyday life, like the limits placed on people with disabilities by society. There are also people out there who uphold blind faith for no particular reason.”

Kim Eui-sung, who plays the priest in the film, said he chose the film because he was intrigued by its complex underlying theme.

“It's hard to completely understand the theme, but I liked the fact that the story pursues the truth in a simple manner,” he said.

“I've known Kim Dae-myeung for a long time, and I've always wanted to work with him on a project. To me, Song was the rom-com queen, so it was really nice to be able to work with her.”

“Stone Skipping,” which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018, will hit local theaters Oct. 15.