‘Concrete Utopia’ Meets ‘Concrete Market’

〈Concrete Utopia〉 meets 〈Concrete Market〉. The film 〈Concrete Market〉, which was released on the 3rd, features the Hwanggung Market, where items are bought and sold in the only remaining apartment after the great earthquake, and tells the story of survival as each person begins to trade in their own way. Director Hong Gi-won, Director Eom Tae-hwa, and Actor Lee Jae-in gathered in one place to share interesting stories about the meeting of two completely different imaginations amidst the great earthquake and to communicate directly with the audience based on the behind-the-scenes of the work during a special GV session.

On this day, Director Hong Gi-won and Actor Lee Jae-in expressed their thoughts on the release, saying, “It’s just great to be together with the audience in the theater,” and “I’m so happy to have the opportunity to meet and talk with the audience through GV after the release.” Guest Director Eom Tae-hwa also shared, “I felt very nostalgic watching the movie because there were memories scattered throughout the spaces,” announcing the start of the GV.

Director Eom Tae-hwa mentioned while watching the film, “I thought the parts with a lot of subtitles were a fresh attempt, and I’m curious about the intention behind it,” and regarding the actors, he said, “I felt that everyone was acting while looking at the whole, but they were acting well without standing out in their roles.” In response, Director Hong Gi-won explained about the unique subtitles of 〈Concrete Market〉, saying, “I intended to give physical stress to the eyes. I started simply with shock effects and aimed to show only the results. I thought it might be possible to refresh the audience by using music a little differently, like a staccato for each chapter.”

Director Eom Tae-hwa commented on ‘Hee-ro’, saying, “She is a really ideal cold character, but on the other hand, the warrior she possesses has to deal with very emotional aspects, and I think those two blended very well. So I’m curious about how you balanced those.” In response, Actor Lee Jae-in described ‘Hee-ro’ as “personally, I thought of ‘Hee-ro’ as a friend who is always boiling inside rather than being cold and rational. So I thought it was most important to portray her as a child pretending to be strong. I think the way she talks without really knowing shows many different aspects of ‘Hee-ro’, which made her more attractive.” She also shared her favorite scene to praise ‘Hee-ro’, saying, “The torture scene remains in my memory. I think it came out very intensely and is a scene that is not easy to perform, but it was shot beautifully, and my signature face was captured in relation to ‘Hee-ro’s character in the following scenes, so I was really satisfied,” bringing cute laughter to the scene. Regarding the fresh setting of canned goods becoming currency in 〈Concrete Market〉, Director Hong Gi-won explained, “It’s actually mentioned in disaster manuals that canned goods are the most certain items due to their expiration date, capacity, and quantity, and since they are food, I thought there’s nothing better than that,” bringing laughter.

Finally, Director Eom Tae-hwa expressed, “I was so happy to be able to celebrate next to you on the release day. It was a very fun time to talk with the audience. Congratulations, and please let many people know about the movie.” Actor Lee Jae-in added, “This was the most fun GV I’ve ever done, and I had a great time being able to talk with Director Hong Gi-won and Director Eom Tae-hwa. It was released today. It’s a really fun movie, so please enjoy it in theaters, and I look forward to your support in the future.” Director Hong Gi-won concluded, “Thank you for coming all the way here on a weekday evening. I think the experience is very different when watching at home versus in the theater. I’m very grateful for your presence here, and you will receive a lot of blessings next year,” wrapping up the warm GV session.