Bong Joon-ho sees Hope and asks, 'What on earth did I watch?'

"What on earth did I just watch?" Bong Joon-ho shares his cinematic shock

The Guest Visit (GV) for the film 'Hope,' held on the 15th at Megabox Coex in Seoul, was conducted amidst intense heat, with all seats sold out. On this day, Director Bong Joon-ho made a surprise appearance alongside Director Na Hong-jin, drawing significant attention.

Director Bong Joon-ho expressed his candid thoughts immediately after watching the film. "I felt a pleasant cinematic shock and excitement, wondering, 'What on earth did I just watch?'" Bong said, paying tribute to Na Hong-jin's cinematic world by stating, "It showed a true spectacle of cinema where spirit and madness explode."

62 minutes of rampage and cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo's camera work

The film 'Hope' is an SF action movie depicting the desperate struggle of villagers in Hopo Port, a fictional village near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), against an alien life form that appears. It recorded the highest opening score in the film industry this year, drawing 330,000 viewers on its opening day alone.

Bong focused particularly on the progression unfolding during the first 62 minutes of the film. He highly praised the film's rhythm, saying, "It's like a rollercoaster of truly amazing pleasure and a rampage." Specifically, he analyzed that the breathless, tense pacing, the thrilling music, and the camera work by cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo—which felt as if it were "flying low over the ground"—created overwhelming suspense.

Director Na Hong-jin explained that the core driving force of this work lies in the combination of 'action' and 'creature.' "I wanted to capture both the creature and the action in a single frame," he stated, noting his efforts to naturally blend handcrafted physical action with the alien life form implemented through computer graphics (CG).

The energy of action completed by Hwang Jung-min, Zo In Sung, and Jung Ho-yeon

Supporting the film's energy was the acting of the cast. Bong offered a joking compliment to Na, saying "I'm envious," and emphasized that even amidst the swirling action, it is the 'eyes' of the actors that complete the drama.

In the film, Hwang Jung-min led the action as Beom-seok, the head of the Hopo Port branch office, while Zo In Sung played the village youth Seong-gi, and Jung Ho-yeon played the police officer Seong-ae, adding immersion to the extreme situations. They vividly portrayed everything from dynamic action using vehicles and horses to the terror felt in the presence of the alien life form.

Meanwhile, Director Jang Jae-hyun of the film 'Exhuma' is scheduled to attend the GV alongside Director Na Hong-jin on the 16th.