[Photo&] Yeon Sang-ho’s New Work ‘Swarm’ Earns High Praise at Cannes…The Joy of Cannes, the Return of a Master, and Park Chan-wook’s Embrace, Birth of an ‘Evolved Zombie’

[A Master’s Return That Captivated Global Film Circles]

‘Train to Busan’ after 10 years, South Korea’s genre-master ‘Yeon Sang-ho’ has once again placed himself at the center of the worldwide film scene with his new work ‘Swarm’.

Cannes’ Joy, a Master’s Return, and Park Chan-wook’s Embrace

Invited to the midnight screening section of the 79th ‘Cannes Film Festival’, ‘Swarm’ made an overwhelming first impression at the Lumière Grand Theatre on the morning of the 16th (local time). In particular, this year’s competition-section jury chair ‘Park Chan-wook’ made a surprise appearance on the red carpet, sharing a passionate hug with director ‘Yeon Sang-ho’, proving the steadfast unity of the Korean film industry. Director Yeon said, “I felt deeply moved by Director Park’s appearance, and I can once again truly feel the weight of a stage like Cannes.”

The Birth of an ‘Evolved Zombie,’ a Fight for Survival

‘Swarm’ is a massive ‘blockbuster’ depicting a deadly struggle of survivors, including an unexplained ‘mass infection’ that erupts in the middle of a downtown mega shopping mall and bioengineer Kwon Se-jung (‘Jun Ji-hyun’). The biggest point to watch is without question the arrival of ‘evolved zombies’. Like ants or fungi that share intelligence and move as if they were a single organism, this new creature shatters the rules of the existing genre and delivers unprecedented terror.

Behind the birth of this ‘collective-intelligence zombie’ lies director Yeon’s sharp insight into ‘artificial intelligence (AI)’. He said, “Unlike AI algorithms that are the sum of universal thoughts and lack minority opinions, humans are beings with individuality and minority viewpoints,” and he built an in-depth ‘worldview’ that emphasizes the unique essence of human beings. Going forward, this worldview is expected to expand into ‘graphic novels’ and ‘games’, rather than film sequels.

The Pinnacle of the ‘Yeon Sang-ho Universe,’ an Overwhelming Ensemble of Actors

The actors’ confidence in the work is also far from ordinary. Actor ‘Kim Shin-rok’, who plays Hyun-hee, said, “I perfectly wove the hottest contemporary topics—AI, ‘big data’, and collective intelligence—into a genre film,” adding that he dares to call this work ‘the pinnacle of the Yeon Sang-ho Universe’. On top of a solid narrative, the actors’ densely packed performances further raise the film’s reliability.

A Realistic Depiction of Human Characters, and Arrival in Korea on the 21st

Actor ‘Ji Chang-wook’, who plays Hyun-seok, Hyun-hee’s brother, said, “Even in the midst of an extreme disaster, he portrayed an extremely realistic ‘human character portrait’ brilliantly, maximizing dramatic immersion.” ‘Shin Hyun-bin’, who plays bioengineer Seol-hee, added, “It’s a work that leaves viewers with heavy philosophical questions in their minds after watching.”

Captivating Cannes’ picky critics, ‘Swarm’ will open in South Korean theaters on the 21st. Director ‘Yeon Sang-ho’ and the starring cast returned on the 17th and have begun full-scale domestic promotional activities, promising a box-office surge.