[Limelight] "Love that comforts each other, what does age or job matter?"

Movie 'Shining Moment' Jin-ok role Go Doo-shim
A romance between a young man who lost his girlfriend at sea and a middle-aged Jeju haenyeo who lost her daughter
"It's hard to think of it as love between a man and a woman... It's a story of healing each other"

Kyung-hoon (Ji Hyun-woo) arrives in Jeju Island to shoot a documentary. The subject of his coverage is the haenyeo Jin-ok (Go Doo-shim). She holds a Guinness World Record for holding her breath underwater the longest. His neighbor Yeong-deok (Yang Jung-won) says it would be hard to get her permission. "In this neighborhood, whether man or woman, she’s the one who wins. She’s number one here. Number one in diving, number one in temperament." As Yeong-deok hinted, Jin-ok is tough and unyielding. The moment she sees Yeong-deok, she hands over the mesh bag and scolds her. "You fool. Where have you been dawdling instead of coming quickly?" Her fierce glare also turns toward Kyung-hoon, who hesitates while holding a tonic. "Who’s this idiot?"

The film The Shining Moment is a drama about Kyung-hoon and Jin-ok comforting each other’s wounds. For both, the sea is a cruel place. It swallowed Kyung-hoon’s girlfriend and Jin-ok’s daughter. Kyung-hoon avoids seawater due to severe aftereffects. On the other hand, Jin-ok dives fearlessly even in high waves. She spends her life with the sea to embrace the food it provides.

When Jin-ok surfaces, she makes a “sumbi” sound. The sound of exhaling all the held breath at once is like the suppressed breath of a repressed life. It is a human outcry that cuts off desire and an expression of a hard daily life. If she gets greedy even a little, she inhales water. It is the breath of death exhaled after enduring and enduring. Jin-ok skillfully controls and distances herself from desire. But while embracing Kyung-hoon’s pain, she inhales it. It is not the breath of death but a beautiful desire that allows her to discover a new self and make the sumbi sound louder. Go Doo-shim said, "No matter how hard life is, a woman’s life is something she cannot give up." "What does a job or age matter? No matter how tough and strong, a haenyeo is also a woman. Please support that life."

- Was the simple impression of loving a man thirty years younger burdensome?

"If you think of it as a typical love between a man and a woman, it’s hard to understand. The age gap is definitely big. It’s something that might happen once in a lifetime. I never thought I’d encounter it in a movie... (laughs). I understood it as a story of healing each other. Jin-ok doesn’t just comfort Kyung-hoon’s pain. She also looks back on her own inner pain. Isn’t love about embracing each other like that?"

- The coexistence of the haenyeo’s tough face and the girl’s innocent cheekiness seems to add persuasiveness.

"Director So Jun-moon explained that the character has a basalt-like exterior but a wildflower-like heart. It wasn’t easy to portray the former. Carrying a mesh bag filled with abalone, conch, sea urchins, and more on my shoulder was tough. Even an empty mesh bag became heavy when wet. Actual haenyeos also get help from their husbands or sons. If it’s too heavy, they sometimes tie it underwater."

- They say it’s a film that could not have been made without Go Doo-shim…

"When you think of Jeju, you think of Go Doo-shim (laughs). Since the haenyeo role represents the spirit of Jeju, of course, I had to play it. Actually, I decided to appear because I was moved by the part where Jin-ok and Kyung-hoon’s relationship is described as a sangsahwa (a kind of flower). It’s said to be named so because it resembles a monk who loved a worldly woman but couldn’t say a word. I thought it contained feelings of longing for the victims of the April 3rd Incident beyond simple love. I heard many stories when I was young. Some relatives passed away. When we went to perform ancestral rites, even strangers came and shed tears. While preparing for filming, those memories came back a lot. Honestly, I just thought I must express it well."

- The cave filming location was a refuge that protected Jeju residents during the April 3rd Incident…

"That’s right. That’s why many ancestral rites were held in the cave. When I was young, it was scary. It was dark, and you never knew what might come out. I was restless, afraid a snake might appear. I think the film’s power lies in creating a warm atmosphere in such a space. I hope Jin-ok’s feelings were well conveyed."

- You were skilled at diving underwater.

"I’m from Jeju, but I couldn’t swim. When I was in Jeju Girls’ Middle School, I was swept away by waves while playing at the beach with friends. I was so scared I couldn’t even think of swimming. I even gave up the diving scene in the 2004 film The Mermaid. A typhoon hit Jeju, so we went to Southeast Asia to film, but I never went underwater. The moment water touched my body, my face turned pale blue. We had to find a double to barely shoot the scene. This time, I couldn’t do that. It’s not easy to find a double my age. I had to grit my teeth and practice to get into the water. I was still afraid of seawater, but I trusted the haenyeos filming with me. I felt reassured, thinking that if I accidentally sank underwater, someone would at least grab my hair (laughs)."

- Films where the younger and older generations embrace each other’s wounds are rare.

"Before filming, I thought only Jin-ok comforted Kyung-hoon’s pain. But acting showed me that Jin-ok also receives a lot of comfort. They say older people get energy from younger people. That’s definitely felt in this work. You don’t have to think you’re the only one giving. At that moment, something fills me too."

- Acting must have purified your body and mind like Jin-ok.

"Of course. Honestly, I was happier filming in my hometown. Memories of Jeju, which I left at nineteen and occasionally visited, fully came back. I was fluent in the dialect, so it was easy to interact with people. There’s no one in Jeju who doesn’t know me. I’m sure if I went into any house, they’d let me stay overnight. That kind of hometown warmth is truly a remedy for the soul, isn’t it?"