[Limelight] Bring It On, Hardship!

Movie 'Fighter' Actress Lim Seong-mi... Captures Loss, Disintegration, Anxiety, and Fear in Close-Up Shots
'Defector Girl Boxer' Jin-ah's Adaptation to Korea... From Alienation, Isolation, and Frustration to Solidarity and Integration
"The Will to Overcome Difficulties Fills Me Too... A Remedy to Reach for in Hard Times"

Jina (Im Seong-mi) tries jabs in front of the sandbag. Trainer Taesu (Baek Seo-bin) is surprised by her sharp movements. "Do you know how to box? You don’t seem like a beginner." "I’m a former soldier. We all learn this much in the military." "Oh, really? Then you must be really good at fighting."

At that moment, Jina’s expression hardens. She lowers her fists and asks sharply, "Why do South Koreans always see North Koreans as special forces only?" "What?" "Isn’t it the same even in South Korean movies? North Korean people are portrayed as beasts who only learn how to kill others, aren’t they? (…) Don’t just blurt out such things."

The film Fighter deals with the adaptation and healing of a North Korean defector girl in Korean society. Jina dreams of a new life but repeatedly fails. It’s not simply because of the unfamiliar environment. She has trauma from suffering unimaginable pain. Loss and breakup of family, anxiety, fear... Even without much healing, alienation and isolation continue in the world she jumps into. It’s not because people around her exclude or discriminate against her. The greater the desire for sameness, the more she tastes frustration.

Humans tend to become like others within a group. Through this, they gain a sense of stability. They find themselves in the other and gain a sense of existence. Jina’s image reflected to Koreans is not the same as theirs. Although they speak the same language, the terms differ and there are differences in intonation. The contextual understanding of history and culture is also different.

Jina herself cracks and splits her self-integrity. Director Yoon Jae-ho captures this desperate struggle in close-up shots. He shows the discord between Jina who desires the experience of the other and Jina as a mirror image reflected by the other. As a means of resolution, she takes up boxing. In the practice of reaching a new life, she redirects the energy that was heading toward sameness in another direction. Healing that renews the self while desiring the future. At the center is the cold yet passionate face of actress Im Seong-mi. It points beyond the adaptation of defectors to solidarity and integration.

- There are quite a lot of close-up shots and long takes. It must have been a heavy burden.

"There were no monitors or storyboards on set (laughs). I improvised the framing and length with director Yoon Jae-ho and acted accordingly. Since I had heard about this in pre-shoot meetings, I wasn’t flustered. I had to prepare a lot. I tried to become one with the role rather than acting calculatedly."

- Shots from the first-person protagonist and observer perspectives also alternated here and there…

"Director Yoon told me before shooting that the camera could become something of Jina’s. So when showing Jina’s back, I thought of my whole body as Jina’s eyes and acted accordingly. That way, Jina’s gaze and the gaze of those around her would contrast."

- The North Korean accent was very natural.

"It’s similar to South Korean speech but different, right? I focused on expressing that sense of alienation. It was important to portray her like a North Korean, but I also thought that each word should reflect the reality of division. The key was to show Jina isolated in Korea."

- The film has been praised for realistically portraying the life of defectors. Did you receive any special help before shooting?

"I wanted to meet defectors but couldn’t. I only had about 45 days to prepare. It was tight even to practice boxing moves. Fortunately, I found answers in director Yoon Jae-ho’s stories. He had tracked various lives of defectors in films like Madam B (2016) and Beautiful Days (2017). I immersed myself in those stories and could indirectly experience them. He even advised me not to think too deeply (laughs)."

- You seemed to feel familiar emotions from Jina.

"Though our lives aren’t similar, moments when I was independent in life, economy, and body came to mind. Meeting her at the threshold of a new chapter in life created some connection. I could open my heart easily. The will to overcome all difficulties and stand up is also full in me. I want to go deeper into society and become a solid actor."

- At the end, Jina says, "My fight is not over yet. I will keep fighting. Until the end. Even if I fall, I will get up again." As an actress, do you hope she keeps fighting?

"I want to gently pat her shoulder. Her vow to keep fighting probably doesn’t only mean confronting the world. I saw it as a roundabout expression of determination to live earnestly. To her, I want to convey warm energy rather than a hundred words."

- You seem more mature after filming Fighter.

"It expanded the scale of Im Seong-mi beyond just an actress. Many hardships and prejudices will await. I hope this film becomes a remedy to take out when tired and struggling. I think it will give strength for a long time."