South Korean filmmaker Hur Jin-ho, known for his early romances, presented a fresh, entertaining adaptation of a celebrated Dutch crime novel at the Busan International Film Festival this week, ahead of its theatrical release.
Featuring some of the most beloved veteran actors in South Korea — including Kim Hee-ae and Jang Dong-gun — “A Normal Family” was one of the most anticipated homegrown films to be featured at BIFF this year.
The film, focusing on two affluent brothers who uncover dark secrets about their teenage children, made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and has since received invitations to around 18 other cinema festivals, prior to its domestic theatrical release slated for October 16.
Unveiled to the South Korean public for the first time in Busan this week, the thriller is a departure from Hur’s earlier slow-paced romances.
It highlights his artistic approaches and skillful adaptation of the best-selling Dutch novel “The Dinner” by Herman Koch with convincing Korean social contexts.
The book had already been adapted by several filmmakers prior to Hur’s film, including Oren Moverman and Ivano De Matteo.
“It’s true that I felt pressure because all the existing films were outstanding,” Hur said at an event Friday following a screening of the film in Busan.
“But I thought we could bring this story to Korea and tailor it to suit our circumstances,” he said.
“I decided to be brave and go for it.”
The film reflects South Korea’s social ills, including its hyper-competitive education system and worsening class divide, while also evoking real-life nepotism and power abuse scandals involving the country’s elites and their children.
The Friday screening received warm applause from the sold-out audience, who eagerly asked questions of the actors and director after seeing the film.
Actor Kim Hee-ae, in particular, delivered a nearly Shakespearean portrayal of a deeply flawed mother who feels entitled to her upper-class privileges while being fiercely protective of her enigmatic son, who is often bullied at school.
“I aimed to capture the transformation that occurs when we touch upon the most vulnerable aspects of human desire and deficiency,” Kim said at a BIFF event on Thursday.
The film, at its core, “illustrates how individuals can crumble in the face of their weaknesses”.
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