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| Actors Kim Kang-woo, right, and Seo Yea-ji pose during a press conference for "Recalled" in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of iFilm Corporation, CJ CGV |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
"Recalled," featuring Seo Yea-ji and Kim Kang-woo, is a mysterious, suspense-filled thriller that centers on the heroine's journey to find herself when her life is suddenly thrown into one filled with doubt and uncertainty.
The film revolves around Su-jin (Seo), a woman suffering from post-traumatic memory loss, who conversely gains the ability to see into the future. With no extended family around to support her, Su-jin relies heavily on her apparently caring husband, Ji-hoon (Kim), until she detects his lies and deceitful, odd behavior.
Her suspicions grow when a police detective starts to investigate a murder case and finds surveillance footage of Ji-hoon at the crime scene.
Director Seo Yoo-min, whose screenwriting credits include "April Snow" (2005), "Happiness" (2007) and "The Last Princess" (2016), is making her feature directing debut with "Recalled." She is also set to helm the Korean remake of the Taiwanese film, "Secret," starring Doh Kyung-soo, or D.O. of K-pop band EXO.
Explaining the theme of the film as a cynical account of marriage, Seo said she wanted to address fundamental human fears about how much relationships are out of our control.
"I think we all have moments when everything feels unfamiliar all of a sudden. I think our greatest fear lies in the realization that a person close to you may be different from what you thought. You feel so distant from him/her and ask yourself, 'Is this the same person I knew?' Such curiosity fueled me to write this story," she said during an online press conference for the film, Thursday.
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| Actress Seo Yea-ji in a scene from "Recalled" / Courtesy of iFilm Corporation, CJ CGV |
The writer-director said she wanted actress Seo for the role of Su-jin from the very beginning. "I've been eyeing her and thought that there is no other actress who could play the role of Su-jin better than Seo. I loved the fact that she looks weak on the outside, but has a powerful gaze and strong gestures," she said.
Actress Seo, who shot to stardom in tvN's hit drama series, "It's Okay to Not Be Okay," said she chose to star in the psychological thriller because she wanted to see a different side of things.
"I tried to act differently, but I'm not sure if I completely transformed myself into my film character," she said humbly. In the film, Su-jin tries to bring back lost memories, untangle the mystery around her and sort things out in her mind.
Apart from starring in rom-coms, Seo has starred in horror and thriller films, such as "Warning: Do Not Play" and "By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture" back in 2019.
Actor Kim, who has proven himself capable of playing villain in "The Vanished" (2018), is returning as a husband with a dual personality.
"Because it is a thriller, there were many difficult scenes ― physically and psychologically. I had to imply the character's duality so that the audience would keep guessing until the end of the film," Kim said.
"Recalled" will hit local theaters, April 21.
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