Is It Not Okay to Show My Face? Actors Taking on New Challenges

It may seem somewhat indifferent to attach the words ‘challenge’ or ‘transformation’ to every performance by actors who are professionals in acting. However, among the films being released from late August to early September, there are numerous films where the actors' challenges stand out. In particular, these works not only showcase the actors' acting challenges but are also receiving positive reviews from audiences, so whether you go to see the film or the actors, it seems there will be no significant downside. Based on the release dates, we will look at the challenges of the actors in these films.

August 20 Release 〈I’m Still Here〉

The Perfect Mother-Daughter Chemistry That Even the Audience Mistook

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〈I’m Still Here〉 is based on a true story that took place in Brazil in the 1970s. At that time, Brazil was under a dictatorship, and it was common for political opponents to be secretly eliminated. The protagonist of the incident depicted in 〈I’m Still Here〉, Rubens Paiva, also disappeared in this manner. After responding to a police investigation and her husband Rubens did not return, Eunice Paiva had to somehow manage her life with her five children. Among the Paiva family, Marcelo Rubens Paiva recorded the incident, and the role of the wife Eunice Paiva, who became the head of the family, was passionately played by Fernanda Torres.

​Walter Salles, who directed a feature film after a long time, came up with a clever idea in this film by casting Fernanda Torres and her mother, the national actress of Brazil, Fernanda Montenegro, in the role of Eunice. The film's timeline extends to Eunice's old age, and this part was acted by Fernanda Montenegro. The resemblance between the two and how well they captured Eunice Paiva was so striking that Fernanda Torres heard an audience member say, "The makeup team did such a great job with the makeup." Since it was a film festival screening, the information about the film was not widely known, and it seems that the audience did not realize that the mother-daughter actors acted together. Fernanda Montenegro had previously worked with director Walter Salles in 1999 on 〈Central Station〉 and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for this film.

September 3 Release 〈Together〉

A Couple Whose Bodies Stick Together Are Real-Life Spouses

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The film 〈Together〉, which will be released on September 3, piques curiosity right from the poster, featuring two people with their eyebrows stuck together and their lower lips connected, leaving a deep impression on Korean audiences. This poster encapsulates the core setting of 〈Together〉, which deals with the events that unfold as the two characters are drawn together like magnets. In this film, Dave Franco and Alison Brie, who play Tim and Millie, are actually a married couple in real life. Therefore, the attention on the actors was inevitable after the release of 〈Together〉, and Franco and Brie showcased their affectionate side even amidst the public's interest, providing sweetness.

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However, the acting of the two was likely not easy, as when couples take on roles as couples or spouses, they usually either play completely different characters or reflect their current emotions. However, since 〈Together〉 does not fall into either category, their acting must have been even more challenging. However, since they had previously worked together on a film (with Dave Franco directing and Alison Brie starring), they accurately captured the essence of the film with performances that suited the work. It was a chemistry that matched the film's title, 'Together.'

September 11 Release 〈Face〉

Shin Hyun-bin, Who Could Not Show Her Face

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Ironically, there is an actor who could not show her face, despite the film's title. It is Shin Hyun-bin from 〈Face〉. This is because the character she plays in this film should not show her face. Not showing her face does not mean she is a villain or a bad person. The character Jung Young-hee, whom she plays, is rather so ordinary that she becomes unnoticed and goes through tumultuous times. The director Yeon Sang-ho, who wrote the original story and made the film, intentionally did not reveal Jung Young-hee's face in the original graphic novel. This is to leave a lingering impression of 'face' when the book is closed after reading it. Each reader imagines what Jung Young-hee's face looks like. Therefore, when it was announced that it would be adapted into a live-action film, existing readers were curious about how this aspect would be translated, and the method was to not show the actor's face at all. Instead, Shin Hyun-bin added details in other areas, such as her voice and hand movements, to express Jung Young-hee. As the film has not yet been publicly released, curiosity is growing about whether Shin Hyun-bin's performance will hit the mark.