What Sets 'The Age of Shadows' Apart from Other Kim Jee-Won Films?
Renowned South Korean director Kim Jee-Won talked about what sets his latest movie, "The Age of Shadows," stand out from his other masterpieces. He said that the film embodies hope and progress.
In an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday at a CJ CGV theater in Los Angeles, Kim stated, "While I had mainly portrayed the dark side of human nature so far, this film is different in that it tells of hope and progress. It focused on the inner workings of a human mind, although it might seem totally like a spy action flick."
Kim is in the United States as part of the promotional tour for the movie which was shown in 40 North American cities on Friday.
"The Age of Shadows" tells the story of a highly-skilled Japanese police officer who was born in Korea. The police officer works as a double agent for Japan and a group of Korean resistance fighters who are planning to take in explosives from China in order to devastate main Japanese facilities in Korea under Japan's colonial rule.
The cast of the movie includes Song Kang Ho, Gong Yoo, and Han Ji Min as the three lead characters. Lee Byung Hun and Park Hee Sun made cameo appearances.
The movie has received favorable attention from the movie industry in the United States as it is the first film produced and showcased in Korea by a leading Hollywood studio, Warner Bros. Picture.
"The Age of Shadows" was also chosen by the Korean Film Commission (KOFIC) to represent South Korea at the Academy Awards.
When asked regarding the movie's potential of being nominated for the Best Foreign Film Award, Kim replied, "Honestly, I have never thought about winning an Academy foreign-language film award. The barrier is high and no Korean film has ever won."
Following its release in North American cinemas, the movie received positive feedback from movie reporters. The movie has also been invited to different known international film festivals such as Venice and Toronto.
Director Kim Jee-Won shared his thoughts about this and said, "I did not know it would receive such favorable reviews from foreign critics, media, and audience as the film deals with Korean history. I was surprised a bit by those reviews."
He also considers the international success of other Korean films such as "Assassination" and "The Handmaiden" encouraging. He said, "While Korean films had taken the same approach to the era in the past, now their subjects became richer and diverse and all kinds of different films are coming out. I think it is encouraging."
