By Kwak Yeon-soo
Comedian Kim Young-hee is making her directorial debut with an erotic film called "Gisaengchun," which is a parody of director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" (whose Korean title is "Gisaengchung").
"Gisaengchun" revolves around a brazenly clueless woman named Chun who sneaks into an opulent mansion and lives off the homeowner. The film title can be broken down to mean "parasitic" (gisaeng) and "Chun," the name of the protagonist.
At a recent press conference for the film, Kim explained her inspiration for the scandalous project. "It was not simply out of curiosity, but with conscious intent that I decided to make this film. What inspired me was basically a great deal of respect and affection I have for the genre," she said.
Expressing concerns about the reality in which sex comedy films are deemed taboo, Kim expressed her wish to help revive the steamy genre and make it more entertaining for audiences.
"I fell in love with adult-themed films when I was single for 11 years. There used to be a lot of R-rated parodies of popular films in the past, but they suddenly disappeared from the public's eye. So I decided to make an adult-themed revamp of the iconic film," she said. Kim married former baseball player Yoon Seung-yeol in January.
On why she chose to parody the Oscar-winning "Parasite," Kim said, "As a film buff who majored in video production, I have great respect for director Bong. My favorite thing about Bong is that he tells metaphorical stories about human complexities. I wanted to show this in my film."
She added: "Inspired by Parasite, I talk about three things that young Koreans have given up these days: dating, marriage and having children. Although it's an adult-themed film, I wanted it to have a narrative and be visually striking. I really respect Bong, and I hope he continues to make movies so I can follow his lead."
The comedian also mentioned her next project. "I'm thinking about making a parody film of the SBS hit drama series 'Penthouse: War in Life.' Because of budget constraints, we won't be able to rent a penthouse to shoot the film. But we can afford a rooftop house," she laughed.
Kim is not the first comedian-turned-director. In fact, Lee Kyung-gyu debuted as a filmmaker with the 1992 movie, "A Bloody Battle for Revenge," followed by Shim Hyung-rae who made the blockbuster sci-fi flick "D-War" in 2007.
"Gisaengchun" will premiere in April.
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| Comedian-turned-filmmaker Kim Young-hee / Courtesy of Kim Young-hee |
"Gisaengchun" revolves around a brazenly clueless woman named Chun who sneaks into an opulent mansion and lives off the homeowner. The film title can be broken down to mean "parasitic" (gisaeng) and "Chun," the name of the protagonist.
At a recent press conference for the film, Kim explained her inspiration for the scandalous project. "It was not simply out of curiosity, but with conscious intent that I decided to make this film. What inspired me was basically a great deal of respect and affection I have for the genre," she said.
Expressing concerns about the reality in which sex comedy films are deemed taboo, Kim expressed her wish to help revive the steamy genre and make it more entertaining for audiences.
"I fell in love with adult-themed films when I was single for 11 years. There used to be a lot of R-rated parodies of popular films in the past, but they suddenly disappeared from the public's eye. So I decided to make an adult-themed revamp of the iconic film," she said. Kim married former baseball player Yoon Seung-yeol in January.
 |
| A poster for "Gisaengchun" / Courtesy of Now Contents |
On why she chose to parody the Oscar-winning "Parasite," Kim said, "As a film buff who majored in video production, I have great respect for director Bong. My favorite thing about Bong is that he tells metaphorical stories about human complexities. I wanted to show this in my film."
She added: "Inspired by Parasite, I talk about three things that young Koreans have given up these days: dating, marriage and having children. Although it's an adult-themed film, I wanted it to have a narrative and be visually striking. I really respect Bong, and I hope he continues to make movies so I can follow his lead."
The comedian also mentioned her next project. "I'm thinking about making a parody film of the SBS hit drama series 'Penthouse: War in Life.' Because of budget constraints, we won't be able to rent a penthouse to shoot the film. But we can afford a rooftop house," she laughed.
Kim is not the first comedian-turned-director. In fact, Lee Kyung-gyu debuted as a filmmaker with the 1992 movie, "A Bloody Battle for Revenge," followed by Shim Hyung-rae who made the blockbuster sci-fi flick "D-War" in 2007.
"Gisaengchun" will premiere in April.
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