remake film-director
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| ▲ In this photo provided by Warner Bros Korea, Nam Joo-hyuk (L) and Han Ji-min, who star in the upcoming romance film "Josee," pose at a press conference streamed online on Nov. 17, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This image provided by Warner Bros Korea shows a scene from "Josee." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ A poster of "Josee" provided by Warner Bros Korea (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This image provided by Warner Bros Korea shows a scene from "Josee." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
remake film-director
Upcoming romance 'Josee' designed to create new variation of Japanese original: director
By Kim Boram
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- The director of the upcoming romance film "Josee" said Tuesday that he intended to create a new love story based on the famous Japanese original movie with Korean emotion and sentiment.
Starring Han Ji-min and Nam Joo-hyuk, "Josee" is a Korean adaptation of the 1985 Japanese short story, "Josee, the Tiger and the Fish," by Seiko Tanabe and the 2003 Japanese romance drama of the same title, directed by Isshin Inudo.
The cinematic version of the coming-of-age story of a girl in a wheelchair, nicknamed Josee, and her boyfriend has been one of the highest rated coming-of-age movies in recent decades among film buffs in South Korea.
"There is the good original novel and film, and that places a heavy burden on me," director Kim Jong-kwan said in a press conference livestreamed online.
"But I wanted to remake the film because I love the original movie and novel's views on humans, or humanity," he said. "I thought I could create another window of representing humanity from our own point of view."
To create his own variation of "Josee," the director, who has made short romance films, including the critically acclaimed "How To Operate A Polaroid Camera" (2004), focused on the heroine who learns about life through books at home and looks at the outer world in her own way.
"I want to tell the story about Josee and the world that she has created and lived in," he said. "So her house is the most important setting in the movie and shows every emotion and feeling of Josee."
Seasoned actress Han Ji-min, who takes the lead role of Josee, said she was attracted by this subtle and complex characteristic of Josee, who gradually falls in love with Young-seok and steps outside with him.
"Josee is very interesting. She has her own universe created by her huge reading. So she has her own way of expressing her feeling and thought," Han said. "She requires a very sensitive and delicate sense of acting in her face and eyes. It was very unfamiliar to me, but it was fresh as well."
On the other hand, Josee's boyfriend Young-seok, played by star actor Nam Joo-hyuk, is an average man in his 20s, whose mediocrity and ordinariness help Josee risk leaving her confined home and stand on her feet.
"I tried to look as normal and mundane as I could. I even didn't wash my face after waking up," he said, laughing. "I mean, I didn't do anything that decorates me or makes me special."
It is the second time that Han and Nam have teamed up in the same project, following the romance TV series "The Light in Your Eyes" (2019).
"Josee" will hit local screens on Dec. 10.
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