[Interview] Director Heo Jin-ho: "Queer Films? Focusing on Universal Human Life and Relationships"

TVING's 'The Love Method of a Big City' Parts 3 & 4 Directed
October is Heo Jin-ho's Month... 'Ordinary Family' Also Released
27-Year Veteran Film Director "Afraid of Changes but Hopeful"

Director Heo Jin-ho Photo by TVING

“Do you want to eat ramen and stay?” This line from the movie Springtime (2001) remains popular even after 20 years. The ‘flirting’?expressing affection by inviting someone to eat ramen as a way to avoid saying goodbye?resonated with many. Director Heo Jin-ho, who created this iconic line, is renowned as a ‘melodrama master’ known for his delicate direction in films like Christmas in August (1998).

October has become Heo’s month. His film Ordinary Family is meeting audiences in theaters, and the online streaming service (OTT) TVING released episodes 3 and 4 of Love in a Big City for home viewers. Interestingly, these two works are not the melodramas he is known for, but rather a thriller and a (queer) romance drama. Asia Economy met with him as he opened a new chapter in his film career at the age of sixty.

“Nam Yoon-su’s gaze was plausible... amazed by his expression of falling in love”

Love in a Big City is a romance about a young man, Go Young (played by Nam Yoon-su), living in the metropolis of Seoul, learning about love through various encounters. The series consists of eight episodes, directed by four different directors in two-episode segments. Heo directed episodes 3 and 4, titled “A Piece of Rockfish, the Taste of the Universe,” which depicts the irony of love he feels from his mother battling cancer and his lover Young-su, who is a decade younger and whom he met at a philosophy lecture. The grounded melodrama and family relationships recall the director’s early works.

The method of dividing direction by chapters with the same protagonist to complete a series is a practice common in Hollywood. This project was possible as it was planned by the Korean Academy of Film Arts alumni association to commemorate the academy’s 40th anniversary. Episodes 1-2, “Miae,” were directed by Son Tae-gyeom (29th class), episodes 3-4 by Heo Jin-ho (9th class), episodes 5-6, “Love in a Big City,” by Hong Ji-young (14th class), and episodes 7-8, “Late Rainy Season Vacation,” by Kim Se-in (34th class). Heo said with a smile, “I originally wanted to direct ‘Miae.’” He added, “I read the book and liked it, so I took on the direction.” This was his first time directing a work depicting romance between men. He said, “I didn’t want to distinguish between love between opposite sexes or the same sex. I wanted to portray a universal story of our lives, human-to-human romance.”

The series was adapted from the 2019 novel of the same name by writer Park Sang-young, who also wrote the screenplay. Filming took place over about 20 sessions to cover the two-episode segments. Heo said, “The shooting period was about a month, not very long,” and “Having experience working on the drama Human Disqualification made it easier to follow the production process.” Communication with Park, the original author and screenwriter, was also smooth. He said, “I had many in-depth conversations with Park. For scenes where hidden intentions were visible, I asked about the details of what they wanted to express and worked closely.”

Still from 'The Love Method of a Big City' [Photo by TVING]

Still from 'The Love Method of a Big City' [Photo by TVING]

Love in a Big City is rated for adults only, and its level of explicitness is relatively high. Since the protagonist Go Young’s romantic journey includes kissing and bed scenes, expressions of affection between men are depicted without hesitation. Heo said, “I filmed it in my usual way, discussing and listening to opinions on set. I made it thinking of it as shooting a movie.”

Regarding actor Nam Yoon-su, who played the lead, he said, “I respect him.” He added, “I was surprised and pleased when Nam Yoon-su agreed to take the role during casting. He was passionate on set and handled the intimate scenes without embarrassment as a professional actor.” He also said, “His gaze was plausible. In a simple meal scene, the way he looked at his partner was full of love and affection. It felt like he truly liked the other person. Watching the monitor, I thought, ‘Ah, that’s it, it’s done.’”

From Film to Digital to OTT... A Master Facing Waves of Change

After the COVID-19 pandemic, OTT became dominant, changing the atmosphere of theaters. Heo debuted in 1997 and has been making films for 26 years, but during the pandemic, he also worked on the JTBC drama Human Disqualification (2021). Since then, he has turned his attention to various genres beyond his specialty, melodrama, including thrillers. Working on the thriller film Ordinary Family, which tells the story of parents who see CCTV footage of their son’s crime, became a new source of nourishment for him. Heo said, “Like melodrama, it deals with emotions, so it was interesting,” and “I realized I could do this kind of work too.”

Although the critical and audience response to Ordinary Family, released on the 16th, was positive, it attracted only 360,000 viewers within a week. Considering the cast includes actors Seol Kyung-gu and Jang Dong-gun, and the director’s reputation, the result was disappointing. Heo lamented, “It’s unfortunate that there aren’t many people in theaters.” He added, “I heard that the theater atmosphere has changed recently and that people enjoy films with longer attention spans. I will work hard to promote the film through various activities such as talkbacks with audiences (GV).”

Director Heo Jin-ho Photo by TVING

Recently, actors Jung Woo-sung and Song Joong-ki supported Ordinary Family by participating as moderators for the GV (talkback) sessions. Heo has a connection with Jung Woo-sung from their collaboration on the film Howsigeol (2009). Heo said, “I am especially grateful to Jung Woo-sung.” He explained, “To moderate a GV, you have to watch the film at least twice because you need to select questions based on your understanding of the work. Jung Woo-sung did that. Despite his busy schedule, he came specifically for the film and lent his support. We had many conversations, and I will never forget my gratitude.”

Heo has been tirelessly attending the Busan International Film Festival, which opened this month. With the release timings of his two works coinciding, he was invited to many events. He said that meeting Japanese master Kiyoshi Kurosawa during the festival inspired him. Despite making films for over 40 years, Kurosawa’s passion and spirit of challenge provided strong motivation. Heo said, “I want to challenge various stories going forward.”

He added, “I belong to the generation that experienced the major transition from film to digital shooting. While China had a transitional period where both were used simultaneously, in Korea it changed rapidly. Watching the recent trend of OTT dominance and theater decline, I feel both concern and anticipation about how fast the world is changing. I am curious about how the world will change in the future.”