poster. Provided by Plus M Entertainment
Project Y, which drew attention for the meeting of the two actors Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo, opened on the 21st. It is a film that puts two women as co-leads within the familiar shell of a Korean-style crime piece. One could say it belongs to the genre that director Han Jun-hee’s (2015) pried open. Where actors Kim Hye-soo (as the Mother) and Kim Go-eun (as Il-yeong) then stood opposed in a pseudo mother-daughter, hierarchical relationship, the two characters played by the actresses in move as a tight unit. As a rare female noir and buddy movie (a film about the friendship of two people), the film takes direct aim at the early-year box office.
The main setting is an entertainment alley located in the fictional market ‘Hwajung Market’ in Gangnam, Seoul. Mi-seon (Han So-hee), a venue employee, and Do-kyung (Jeon Jong-seo), who makes a living on the fringes by shuttling ‘hostesses’ by car, are friends who are like family. Their goal is to scrape together money as quickly as possible and leave the district. But the two unexpectedly lose their entire savings. When they happen to learn the location of the ‘black money’ hidden by a patron, Mr. To (Kim Sung-cheol), the plot kicks into high gear.
Director Lee Hwan offers opening remarks at a press conference following a screening of the film held at Lotte Cinema World Tower in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 8th. Yonhap News Agency
It is director Lee Hwan’s first commercial film, after directing (2018) and (2021), both centered on runaway teens. Is there a reason this director is particularly fixated on characters who wander the streets? At a press conference after a media screening on the 8th, he said, “I tend to like observing everyday life, whether on the subway or walking down the street,” adding, “I wonder if, when we peel back a layer of the streets we think of as familiar and walk every day, there might be another side beneath.”
While keeping his interests intact, he focused on heightening genre elements as a commercial film. The sharp edge that laid bare, to an uncomfortable degree, the realities facing those outside the social safety net has been toned down. Unlike the prior two features, which centered on youths yet received an ‘adults only’ rating due to frequent profanity and explicit dialogue, , which shines a light more squarely on the underbelly and features adults as protagonists, received the safer ’15 and over’ rating from a commercial standpoint. The ‘streets’ in this film appear less like the realistic spaces the director explored in his independent work, and more like a replication of the pleasure districts often recycled as a cinematic backdrop in Korean genre films.
Do-kyung (Jeon Jong-seo) and Mi-seon (Han So-hee) in walk the streets at night. Provided by Plus M Entertainment
It is noteworthy that the relationship between Mi-seon and Do-kyung evokes ‘loyalty’ and ‘camaraderie,’ qualities long treated as the preserve of men. The chemistry of Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo, who said they became even closer while making the film, propels the movie with energy. Both Han and Jeon said they were drawn to the fact that it is “a buddy film in which they could lead a story with a peer actor.”
There is also enjoyment in watching the variations of female characters such as Ga-young (Kim Shin-rok), the ‘mother’ who throws the pair into emotional crisis, and Hwang So (Jung Young-joo), who pursues them as the right hand of Mr. To. Jung Young-joo said it is “a work that allows the screen to fully capture the reckless energy performed by actresses.” With hip-hop musician Gray serving as music director, the film adds an urbane polish through its soundtrack featuring women vocalists across eras, including Hwasa, Kim Wan-sun, and An Shin-ae.
한글기사 원본(Original Korean Story)
