CULTURE / MOVIE
Number one hit in South Korea, director Yong San-ho (연상호) talks about digital sensitivity

"New Infection Final Express"부산행(2016) reached No.1 hit in South Korea last year and was also praised at the Cannes Film Festival. This masterpiece, where train panic and zombie movies have miraculously fused, implies the form of the forthcoming movie of the future. Here, although elements of two genre movies are combined, smart collaboration is achieved, not "Assorted set meal" with two so-called main dishes. Director Yong Sang-Ho tells the aim of the work as follows.

"We aimed at something both zombie mania as well as those who are not can enjoy. First of all, the direction of classic zombie movies. Now zombie movies are diversifying, but I cherished the allegorical part from when the movie history of zombies was born, while I wanted spectators who were not familiar with zombie movies to enjoy. I needed a universal character for that. "

While devoting respect to the origin of genre movies, it fosters a lively crowd play where everyone can tears. In Japan there is a proverb "If you run after two hares, you will catch neither", but Yong Sang-ho broke through dangerous difficulties with the following interpretation.

"I thought that KTX (a high-speed rail that corresponds to the Korean Shinkansen) itself that carries zombies and passengers is one character."

This point of view is building sophistication of the new era. Allegoricality, universality, popularity and innovation – everything runs together. In addition, a light visual sense. For example, there is a sequence in which a tremendous number of zombies are dragged while being held by the train. The presentation of a tremendous thrill in another dimension, which is neither an animation nor a live-action, shows the power of this director altogether.

"We watch the preliminary edited version with actors and the staff, and various opinions come out. The film director wants to shoot passengers to flee from the zombies. The action director says it is more exiting to take passengers jumping on the train while running away. Then the fiercer the better, I thought of a scene where the zombies slip off. "

The digital sensibility without fighting is steadily updating the entertainment world now.

Written by：Toji Aida