Ha Jung-woo was all confidence as he talked up his fourth feature, "The People Upstairs," during an Open Talk at the Busan International Film Festival on Sept. 19.
"I was approached to direct about three years ago. I watched the Spanish original and thought it was hilarious and fascinating," he said. "Even though most of it plays out in a single space, it felt surprisingly dynamic. The characters are so compelling you never get bored, and their conversations really pull you in."
Once he committed to directing, Ha set about putting his own stamp on the script. "To make it even more colorful than the original, I added new beats ― including a yoga sequence and a cooking set piece," he noted.
Kong Hyo-jin, appearing alongside Ha, teased that much-buzzed-about yoga scene. "I heard 'yoga' and thought it would be a breeze, but it turned out to be acroyoga ― a whole different beast," she said with a laugh. "Lee Hanee, Ha Jung-woo and I trained at a studio before the shoot. It was practically circus-level stuff; at one point I was ready to say, 'I can’t do this.' You’ll have to watch the movie to see exactly what kind of yoga it is. We were dripping, and on set I even pitched a moment where a bead of sweat drops onto someone’s face for extra drama."
"The People Upstairs" follows an upstairs couple and a downstairs couple who sit down to dinner after a noise dispute ― and the evening takes some unexpected turns. The film stars Kong Hyo-jin, Ha Jung-woo, Lee Hanee and Kim Dong-wook, and marks Ha’s fourth outing as a director.
Invited to Busan International Film Festival’s Korean Cinema Today ― Special Premiere section, "The People Upstairs" will screen three times during the festival and is slated for a domestic release later this year.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)