[Here is Cannes] Song Kang-ho "Director Koreeda, We Absorbed Each Other from the First Meeting" [Interview]

75th Cannes Film Festival Scene
Meeting Song Kang-ho in Cannes
"Do not view Koreeda's works by genre," a sharp remark

[Cannes (France) = Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Actor Song Kang-ho roamed Cannes last year as a jury member of the Cannes Film Festival. Having endured a grueling schedule that made him bleed from his nose while judging, he was invited this year as an actor to the 75th Cannes Film Festival and is continuing a 3-night, 4-day schedule. He said, "The tightly packed schedule is running without any gaps."

Meeting Song Kang-ho at a hotel located on the beach in Cannes on the afternoon of the 27th, he said, "Last year, I was in the position of giving awards, so I felt at ease, but this year I am in the position of receiving an award," adding, "I didn't come thinking about winning, but since my colleagues and directors who came with me have expectations, I feel a bit more nervous."

Song Kang-ho plays Sang-hyun, a self-proclaimed broker of goodwill who tries to find a suitable person to raise the abandoned baby Woo-sung in the competition film 'Broker' (Director Hirokazu Kore-eda) at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. Starting with 'The Host' (2006), he has been invited to Cannes seven times with films including 'Secret Sunshine' (2007), 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird' (2008), 'Thirst' (2009), 'Parasite' (2019), 'Emergency Declaration' (2021), and now 'Broker.'

Director Hirokazu Kore-eda has been invited a total of eight times, six times in competition, with films such as 'Nobody Knows' (2004, Competition), 'Air Doll' (2009, Un Certain Regard), 'Like Father, Like Son' (2013, Competition, Jury Prize winner), 'Our Little Sister' (2015, Competition), 'After the Storm' (2016, Un Certain Regard), and the Palme d'Or-winning 'Shoplifters' (2018, Competition). This is why the meeting between Song Kang-ho and Director Kore-eda is attracting attention.

The connection with Director Hirokazu Kore-eda began at the Busan International Film Festival. Before discussing full collaboration, Song recalled the memory of meeting at a hotel in Busan in 2007.

"The hotel, which no longer exists, was the main hotel of the Busan Film Festival at the time, and we happened to meet when the elevator doors opened. I knew the director through his previous works. That was the first time we greeted each other. About 10 years later, around 2015 or 2016, we met again at the Busan Film Festival and talked. At that time, the title was not 'Broker' but 'Cradle.'"

Song Kang-ho confidently said he has seen almost all of Director Hirokazu Kore-eda's works. He said, "There were many road movie-type films, and knowing what the director focuses on most in his direction, I started filming with that understanding." He added, "Director Kore-eda also watches almost all Korean films and dramas, so he knew the feeling the actor has. It wasn't a case of a completely unknown director and actor meeting and talking, but rather a feeling of absorbing each other well. Only the language was different."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

How was working with Director Hirokazu Kore-eda? Song Kang-ho said, "The director is always thoughtful during filming. I usually answered when asked something. His working style is to talk and think together with the actors and solve things. He always communicates, listens a lot to others, and values that."

Song Kang-ho confessed that he had preconceived notions about Japanese directors before seeing the script. Therefore, he expected it to be very meticulously structured, but it was completely off.

"When I first received the script, it was a stage slightly developed from the synopsis. I wondered about the director's working style. 'He has everything in his head but leaves blank spaces,' I thought. He is a director who creates while filming. If I were to compare, Director Hong Sang-soo in Korea also works like that, though not exactly the same, but there was that feeling."

At the official press conference for 'Broker,' Song Kang-ho seemed to have a lot to say about a foreign reporter's question to Director Hirokazu Kore-eda asking, "Why did you portray the villain as good?"

"'Broker' is not a film that approaches the genre or defines characters as villains who change through some trigger and become good people. That is not the important point. Even looking at previous works, the directing style does not precisely explain the change of people and how it is expressed differently. When I first watched Japanese films, I didn't understand the beginning and felt it jumped. So I remember thinking, 'Oh? This is a unique film.' In the middle and later parts, I naturally understood how the story unfolds."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

He emphasized, "'Broker' might be a bit confusing or puzzling if approached as a typical genre film, but once you get used to the film, you will realize that this is the director's grammar."

When asked what 'Broker' means, Song Kang-ho replied, "Isn't the perception and way of thinking of ordinary people who look at them brokers themselves? It would be good to reflect on ourselves through the film and think about whether we are truly doing it for their sake, and whether controlling life can really bring happiness."

Cannes (France) = Reporter Lee Isul