CANNES, Franceย โย The movies of Na Hong-jin arenโt hard to love โ theyโre as obsession-worthy as the stylish rigor with which they are made. His 2008 debut, โThe Chaser,โ found new febrility in the post-Fincher serial killer thriller. โThe Wailingโ somehow added ghosts, demon-possessed children and inky black crows to the mix with a near-crazed sense of showmanship.
That was 10 years ago. Na, 51, now sits on the other side of a project that has consumed him for years, a sci-fi action film called โHopeโ that arrives with expensive CGI, a pair of A-list stars (Michael Fassbender and Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander) and James Cameron-sized franchise ambitions. It will undoubtedly make Naโs gallows-humor-inflected brand more global, even if it lifts him out of the cult niche thatโs nourished him to date.
Cannes is an unlikely place to launch โHope.โ That could be seen as a sign that the festivalโs increasing accommodation of blockbuster bigness doesnโt need Hollywood. Na sits in the corner of a Cรดte dโAzur waterfront lounge on a glorious midday, the sky an almost abstract blue. He tugs at his goatee distractedly. His world premiere is tonight.
Neon, the distributor currently enjoying a six-year Palme dโOr winning streak, will release โHopeโ in America sometime after its summer bow in Naโs native South Korea. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. It also contains significant spoilers.
A scene from the movie โHope,โ directed by Na Hong-jin.
(Neon)
When did you realize that you had a big sci-fi alien monster movie in you?
The idea came to me in 2017 in Seoul. The premise started off with somebody watching news in a diner or a small restaurant. It was that image that I had in my head. So I started developing that initial image in more detail. By 2018, I was able to write my first draft.
โHopeโ brings to mind several genre classics, from โJawsโ and John Carpenter movies like โThe Thing,โ to something more homegrown such as Bong Joon Hoโs โThe Host.โ Were those inspiring to you?
I must have looked all the genre films that I could find, including the ones you mention, before I went into filming. And, as I hope you noticed, I was looking more at films from before 2000 and I tried to reflect that look.
It seems like youโre using Cannes as a moment to pivot or reinvent yourself. Is that intentional?
I didnโt intend for this to be a turning point in terms of style or direction going forward. I never thought of it that way. What I really dwelled on was thinking about how to tell this story in a way that was approachable and entertaining for people.
Why did you set the story in the demilitarized zone?
If you look at it from a universal perspective, what happens in this very shabby, humble, small, insignificant space potentially creates an impact that can go on infinitely. I think none of the characters in the film do anything with any malice. I guess the underlying story I want to tell is that there is no reason for evil intention behind anything, but innocent acts can build up to something tragic.
Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are wonderful surprises in the movie as some rather dignified aliens. What led you to them?
When I was casting the alien roles, I had a bigger story in mind. I donโt know whether thereโll be a sequel after this one, but if so, that sequel is going to be centered around them. So picking the right actors was very important for me. We asked them to learn this invented alien language, which they prepared and came onto set knowing.
How important to you is comedy and releasing tension with laughs?
Very. I try to really think it through and if it comes out the way I intended, that gives me such a thrill. I tried to incorporate it in many places.
A lot of the movie feels like a virtuoso chase sequence, people barreling down the road, guns blazing. But it took me a minute to realize that the more interesting question is: Whoโs doing the chasing? Is โHopeโ meant to make us examine our own violence?
Yes, very much so. And two of the major chase scenes were designed so that what starts off as righteous somehow tilts toward being unjust. I wanted the action to bring up that transition in perspective.
Youโve premiered at Cannes before but, in a way, it feels like the wrong festival for a movie like this. Youโre laughing because I think you agree with me.
It goes without saying. Iโm incredibly nervous. And I feel so grateful that youโre treating me so nicely and gently.
A scene from the movie โHope,โ directed by Na Hong-jin.
(Neon)
Why did it take you 10 years to make this film?
There was a pandemic in the middle of that. But except for the pandemic where everything stopped, I was working my ass off before and after. It still took this long. Iโm a little concerned myself, like: How did this happen?
With โHope,โ are you saying goodbye to the filmmaker you once were?
Not at all. Throughout the entire process of making this film, I was bloodthirsty. I was thirsting for blood. I have another script written already.
And maybe now itโll go faster because there wonโt be a pandemic. Are you hoping that this movie is going to have an impact on the Korean film industry?
Itโs not my place to say that. Iโm not sure. I want things to be freer.
Would it be a mistake to read this film as an allegory for whatโs happening now in the world? Is it a plea for understanding?
I donโt regard it as a plea for understanding. Rather, letโs hope people will be able to relate to it and be empathetic about the story and realize for themselves, understand for themselves. Maybe thereโs something more to it, but you take away what you will from that.
Your dark humor flares on occasion. Did you make it a point to try to preserve that?
Well, you canโt just do something like this without having that. Itโs not fun.
This doesnโt feel like an โAvatarโ-style film. Thereโs an openness to it, a sense of exploration. Do you believe in heroes?
I do believe in heroes, but, as I tell in the story, anyone can be a hero.
