Director Yeon Sang-ho has never confined himself to a single genre or scale. Known for depicting massive disasters and supernatural phenomena in works like 'Train to Busan' and 'Hellbound,' his latest film, 'Paradise Lost,' shifts focus to the deep inner lives of its characters. Following his previous work 'Face,' this film confronts familial fractures, exploring internal collapse rather than grand events. Positioned within the 'Yeoniverse,' 'Paradise Lost' presents a deeply personal psychological drama.
"'Paradise Lost' began with a piece written by my mother. The original concept features a mother and son living in a village, where the son engages in various misdeeds, including stealing chickens and assaulting people. The story revolves around the mother's suffering and her ultimate decision to embrace her son and seek annihilation. She showed me her writing, and I became curious about the psychology behind it," Yeon explained.
The foundation of 'Paradise Lost' stems from Yeon's mother's writing. The original concept, refined with writer Ryu Yong-jae, was published as the novel 'Black Inferno' by author Oh Sung-eun, and it took considerable time to develop into a film.
"As a son, I realized I didn't know my mother very well, and I hadn't been curious about her for a long time. I thought, 'I should be curious about this feeling,' which prompted me to start this project. I discovered that the piece was written in 2020. It was interesting to view my mother from that perspective during the process," he added.
The psychological underpinnings of the film are influenced by two classics: Albert Camus' 'The Stranger,' which questions whether one can fully interpret a person's choices, and John Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' which focuses on primal emotions that lead to the destruction of paradise.
"When I was in art school, we debated the psychology of the protagonist in 'The Stranger.' Ultimately, it was a discussion about existence. In today's era, where AI has become significant, such questions seem even more crucial. I believe that the audience's discussions about Ryu So-young's final choice represent a natural discourse on existence. Additionally, in 'Paradise Lost,' the angel becomes Satan, and everything begins with jealousy. I focused on 'jealousy' as a theme," Yeon stated.
Jealousy permeates the film from the outset, beginning with the perspective of a kidnapper observing a worried mother, and culminating in a moment when Sun-woo, returning after nine years, confronts his younger self within an AI as he stands beside his mother.
"In the opening, there's a scene where the kidnapper glances back at Ryu So-young, which I interpreted as a form of jealousy—jealousy towards a mother concerned for her child. I also viewed Ryu Sun-woo as a kind of serpent, and I aimed to show how he feels jealousy towards the AI son after returning home," he explained.
Sun-woo's violent actions are not merely explained as pleasure-seeking. Yeon sees Sun-woo's core as a character whose identity, long defined by being the kidnapper's son, begins to unravel when he meets his biological mother, So-young.
"I believe it's more about identity than pleasure. From the moment the kidnapper tells Sun-woo, 'You will be my son,' he has lived with the identity of being the kidnapper's son for a long time. However, when Ryu So-young finally says, 'You are my son,' I think it creates a fracture in the identity he has defined for himself. I discussed this extensively with actor Bae Hyun-sung," he noted.
Not every action of Sun-woo is neatly explained. The characters in the film are designed to be complex and not fully understandable, with Sun-woo embodying an uncomfortable ambiguity.
"I think all the characters in this film are difficult to understand completely. In Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 'Cure,' there is a very unsettling character named Mamiya, and one source of that discomfort is that we cannot discern what he is thinking. I believe Sun-woo initially had a similar quality," Yeon remarked.
The choice made by So-young at the film's conclusion aligns with this theme. Yeon aimed for the audience to reach an emotionally understandable state, even if it is not logically comprehensible.
"The psychology of the protagonist in 'The Stranger' is difficult to agree with rationally. Similarly, Ryu So-young's final choice may not be fully understood, but I hope it resonates emotionally. AI can explain things better, but I believe humans possess a sense of 'I can't explain it, but I understand it.' That is the point I wanted to reach with the film. I think the value lies in the gaps that cannot be clearly explained," he said.
For the role of Ryu So-young, Yeon once again chose Kim Hyun-joo. Their established trust from previous collaborations and Yeon's belief that she could accurately portray the world he has created were significant factors.
"She is fundamentally an excellent actress, and she has expressed the world I have created very well, so I naturally gravitated towards her. This time, since it was a low-budget film, it was challenging to propose to an unfamiliar actor. I first gave her the script and asked, 'What do you think about this?' She readily agreed, and that’s how the project began," he explained.
Bae Hyun-sung, who returns as Sun-woo after nine years, was inspired by a brief encounter in 'Hellbound 2.' Although it was only for one episode, his strong immersion left a lasting impression.
"In 'Hellbound 2,' I had a brief special appearance as the son of actress Kim Shin-rok, and I was impressed by his level of immersion. It was unfortunate that he appeared for such a short time. I realized that there are surprisingly few young male actors in my films. As I thought about it, Bae Hyun-sung came to mind," Yeon said.
'Paradise Lost' was produced on a relatively small scale, following Yeon's previous film 'Face.' For Yeon, making a smaller film is not merely about reducing the budget; it is an experiment to break away from familiar production methods to achieve new results.
"When I was making 'Face,' I wanted to create a film that was fundamentally different from what I had made before. Creators always want to try something different. However, when that doesn't work, I thought, 'To create a new spirit, I need a new body.' I felt it was necessary to change the production method itself," he said.
This approach was also influenced by conversations with director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. He noted that sometimes, lack of resources can lead to new aesthetics.
"When I asked Kurosawa how he designs long takes, he said, 'Due to time constraints, I discuss with the cinematographer how to shoot it in one take.' Hearing that made me think that the aesthetics of film could arise from deficiency. So, I considered creating a self-imposed deficiency," Yeon explained.
However, he emphasized that a director who has worked in commercial films should not encroach upon the realm of independent cinema simply because they are making a smaller film. This principle is why he did not utilize independent film production support or recognition for either 'Face' or 'Paradise Lost.'
"I believe a director who has made commercial films should not disrupt the existing order of the independent film industry. Therefore, I did not seek independent film production support or recognition for 'Face,' and I am following the same approach this time. I want to work without harming the existing ecosystem," he stated.
That said, he does not view small-scale films as the only ideal working method. He expressed that the joy of creating something that resembles oneself and the joy of making films that reach a broad audience are both valuable and difficult to sacrifice.
"When I made 'The King of Pigs' or 'The Fake,' I had a strong obsession that the identity of the film was me. However, while making 'Train to Busan,' I experienced a completely different world. It was another joy to see children imitating zombies outside and to realize that unexpected people knew my film. It’s hard to say which is better: the joy of creating something that resembles me or the joy of making a film that everyone knows," he concluded.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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