Art demands sacrifices... and self-sacrifice? Kim Jee-woon reflects on this in his new film titled “In the Web.”
On November 9, “In the Web” (Geomijip) by director Kim Jee-woon, who made a name for himself with the classically brutal Korean films “I Saw the Devil” and “The Good, the Bad, the Weird,” hits theaters. The director’s new work is no less harsh, but in a completely different vein. It speaks about how difficult it is to be a god director, simultaneously convinced of one’s talent and doubting one’s abilities, and what obsession with making the perfect film can lead to.
Production Hell as It Is
It’s the 1970s. Director Kim (Song Kang-ho from “Parasites” and) after his new film “The Web” has been shot, rewrites the ending and strives to reshoot it bypassing production rules. Thus he hopes to create a masterpiece that will help him surpass his teacher Shin, whose shadow has hung over him for many years.
The cult film “Memories of Murder” is being released in legal online distribution in Russia. A great reason to watch the Korean masterpiece from the director of “Parasites” and “Snowpiercer.”
Open material
And despite the process being set in motion, almost immediately everything goes awry – the actors are unhappy, a censor shows up on set threatening to stop everything, none of the crew understands the director’s vision. The degree of madness increases with each scene (yes, in the end they reshoot almost the entire film, not just the ending!), turning everything into the succinct phrase “production hell.”
At the same time, from the very first minutes, such a jumble of genres begins that your head spins. Here you have a production drama, a farce, a horror (the film being shot is quite Hitchcockian), social satire (episodes with attempts to butter up government officials are a particular delight), and much more – keep up. It looks extremely strange, but surprisingly engaging.
What Did the Author Want to Say?
Remember that silly question from school? Usually it’s easy to answer, especially with movies. But with “In the Web,” it doesn’t work that way. It resembles not a confession about how hard it really is to make films (that’s an axiom), which lies on the surface, but rather a session of self-analysis by Kim Jee-woon, pondering the ideal in art and the sacrifices one can (and must) make for it.
The director himself is more of a craftsman, albeit a very talented one, than a genius, so the protagonist’s struggles, obviously less talented but pretentious, acquire a rather interesting context. Or maybe, forget the ideal, and take another look at the devil’s face, eh, Kim Jee-woon?
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