(Korean Movies) Intimate Strangers, 2018

[ GAME RULE ]

<Perfect stranger>
How to play phone unlock game

Step 1 Sit around a table with close friends.
Step 2 Start with dinner.
Step 3, everyone puts their cell phones on the table.
Step 4, reveal all text messages, phone calls, and Kakao Talks that come during dinner.
Step 5, Perfect Friends, Now Perfect Others!

[ HOT ISSUE ]

What if my cell phone is revealed to the person next to me?
We can be too, the perfect stranger!
The birth of a movie beyond imagination that started with imagination!

#One. The perfect actor chemistry explodes!
Hae-Jin Ha, Jin-Woong Cho, Seo-Jin Lee, Jeong-A Yeom, Ji-Soo Kim, Ha-Yun Song, Kyung-Ho Yoon
Meet a new combination you've never seen on the screen!
A film that makes the audience want to hold their cell phone was born. <The Perfect Other> is released on October 31st. The movie <Perfect Stranger> depicts the unpredictable story of a game that forces the public to reveal phone calls, text messages, and Kakaotalks from mobile phones for a limited time in a seemingly perfect couple's get-together. Based on the mobile phone, which is a necessity of modern people, it contains a 'cell phone unlocking game' in which perfect friends face a decisive crisis to become perfect strangers. .

The dinner, which is the stage of <Perfect Others>, is attended by seven people, consisting of friends from their hometowns of 40 years and their spouses. The best actors in Korea have come together to complete 7 friends who live different lives and have secrets that they can't tell. The seven actors, who boast the best acting reliability, have transformed into perfect friends with incredible acting skills and chemistry that it is unbelievable that this is the first combination they have met in this movie.

First of all, Yoo Hae-jin takes on the role of 'Tae-soo', a lawyer who is a model of a stiff and upright life. Yoo Hae-jin, who has been proven as an irreplaceable craftsman of comedy including <Lucky>, which mobilized about 7 million viewers, transformed into a blunt and conservative character, but also a lawyer with secrets that could not be revealed, and performed flawlessly in this movie. 'Seok-ho', the leader of a friend's group and the name of the plastic surgery, was played by Jin-woong Cho, who has a heavy presence, and started to warm up three consecutive hits following <Seokjeon> and <Duke> in 2018. Actor Lee Seo-jin, who is loved nationwide for his outstanding performance in entertainment programs, transformed into 'Jun-mo', a middle-aged restaurant owner full of love. .

The climax of the film was completed by acting as Yeom Jeong-ah, a housewife who fell in love with literature, and competed with Yoo Hae-jin's 'Tae-soo' in a passionate performance match. The psychiatrist 'Ye-jin', who first proposed the unlocking game, is played by Ji-soo Kim, and is expected to enter the theater in the second half of the year following the drama [Hwayugi]. Actress Song Ha-yoon, who played Se-kyung, a pure veterinarian who completed the chemistry with Lee Seo-jin's Jun-mo, shows off her youthful charm. And 'Young-bae', the last to appear at the friends meeting, was played by Yoon Kyung-ho, an actor with unquestionable acting skills. You can meet the explosive acting dinner of 7 actors, whose trust rises high and high just by their names, in <Perfect Others>.

#2. The perfect fun production explodes!
'Guaranteed to train the poor' Director Lee Jae-gyu's groundbreaking challenge!
Immerse yourself in the story where all predictions are wrong!
The movie <The Perfect Other> drew attention from the production stage for its perfect casting and groundbreaking material. It is the result of introspection and imagination of what would happen if all the contents of the cell phone were revealed during dinner among close friends who believe that each other has no secrets, and that 'I' could reveal my cell phone to anyone. .

The film was directed by Lee Jae-gyu, who was recognized for his directing power and box office success as a box-office drama that fostered a number of 'bad people' such as [Damo] and [Beethoven Virus]. Believe in him, who came back with a sensuous work after 4 years of <Rebel> (2014), and the cast of the best combination of actors from long-time relationships to new actors was completed. Director Lee Jae-gyu sharply placed each actor's character, from the case where he was qualified, to the surprising reversal of the casting. The perfect chemistry at the scene of <Perfect Stranger>, which fully demonstrated the chemistry with the actors as well as the director and staff, melts into the film, causing a natural laugh that the situation creates.

For the perfect story, veteran writer Bae Se-young, who has been active in a number of comedy films and comedy genre works such as [SNL Korea], joined. Writer Bae Se-young, who also left a meeting with director Lee Jae-gyu in Sokcho, the hometown of his friends in the movie, focuses on the characters and lines of <Perfect Others>, bringing empathy and laughter to the audience with realistic dialogues. The screenplay completed in this way announces the beginning of a game that was not in the world by meeting the delicate direction of director Lee Jae-gyu and the best actors in Korea.

<Perfect Others> increased immersion with a story that repeats reversals in perfect reversals. Every time the phone rings, the secrets hidden by the 7 people are revealed one by one, and the overwhelming facial expressions of the actors in crisis are close-up and filled with the camera. Whenever an unpredictable twist occurs, the actors reacting to their instincts naturally draws the audience to their dinner. In order to increase the concentration on the actors' performances in a limited time and space, director Lee Jae-gyu and the staff meticulously directed the camera movements and food on the table, and the actors completed their optimal performances with ad-libs in the right place in a free atmosphere.

People seem to live private lives, public lives, and secret lives that no one knows about, neither family nor friends, says director Lee Jae-gyu. An interesting approach to the 'secret' of director Lee Jae-gyu in the comedy of 'Perfect Others', drawn with excellent directing and meticulous composition, can be seen.

#3. Perfect audience sympathy explodes!
There is no secret in the world
The birth of a movie that makes anyone want to hold a cell phone tightly!
The movie <Perfect Others> shows confidence by achieving a record of 4.4 (out of 5) satisfaction with current affairs on the pre-closed monitor. This high score was made possible by the amazing acting and chemistry of the actors and the perfect empathy for the story.

Actors who appeared on the 'cell phone unlocking game' of the movie 'Perfect Stranger' say, "In reality, I will never do it." The highly immersive actor's acting, groundbreaking material, and the feast of 'funny' situations induce the same determination for the audience watching the movie.

The seven friends in the movie keep at least one, at most, several secrets. Secrets that started from small things, such as a schedule that I kept a secret from a friend, gossip I had with others, and a problem I haven't told my spouse because I'm trying to sort things out, are not left out. Audiences, regardless of generation, will naturally associate messages and social media in their cell phones and conversations with someone. The message that 'there is no secret in the world' in the story that starts with a very ordinary dinner and unfolds in an unprecedented way makes everyone nod their heads.

Actor Lee Seo-jin said, "I wish there should not be a couple who said they broke up because of <Perfect Stranger> for nothing," and Jo Jin-woong said, "You must never do it." The mobile phone unlocking game in <Perfect Others> is just as dangerous as it is universal. Writer Bae Se-young, who was in charge of the film's screenplay, said, "I have a habit of erasing messages from my cell phone," implying the aftermath of <Perfect Other>, and prospective audiences began to respond to their situation, such as, 'What if we played it as a drinking game?' It is raising expectations for the film.

In the movie, Seok-ho (Cho Jin-woong)'s saying, “There are no perfect people in the world, but this cell phone has too many things” speaks of the universality of the subject matter. In a situation where perfect friends become perfect strangers, most audiences with cellphones will leave the theater thinking about secrets they can't even tell and how much they can share with each other.

#4. The perfect voice on the phone!
Soon-jae Lee, Mi-ran Ra, Jo Jung-seok, Jo Dal-hwan, Jin Seon-gyu
Surprising voices, a special appearance beyond the handset!
When the phone rings on the cell phone, another protagonist of <Perfect Stranger>, a welcome voice appears. In addition to Korea's best actors, many famous actors such as Lee Soon-jae, Ra Mi-ran, Jo Jung-seok, Jo Dal-hwan, and Jin Seon-gyu made special appearances with voices on the phone.

In a story that continues in one space, the voice in the ever-changing phone was very important. Director Lee Jae-gyu and the production team, who thought about what kind of voice could stimulate the characters, made every effort to fill the film with a voice that can surprise the audience and can be easily understood. Even in a busy schedule, the actors who joined for <Perfect Other> will make the audience roar.

First of all, Lee Soon-jae, the representative voice of Korea that everyone knows, played the father of Young-bae (Yoon Kyung-ho). Lee Soon-jae, who plays the role of Young-bae's father, who is also a high school teacher for four of his classmates, is proud of Tae-soo (Yoo Hae-jin) and Seok-ho (Cho Jin-woong), who went to 'Seoul National University', but perfectly digests the voice of dissatisfied with Jun-mo (Lee Seo-jin). . The actors, who recognized Lee Soon-jae's voice at once, communicated with him on the phone, as if talking to a real friend's father in a way that was difficult but happy.

Actress Ra Mi-ran plays Kim So-wol, a literary class friend who confuses Soo-hyeon (Yeom Jeong-ah) by pouring out words like a rapid-fire cannon regardless. From the name 'Kim So-wol', revealing an overflowing presence, he showed the chemistry with Yeom Jeong-ah and his best friend with just his voice, making the comical scene of cell phone baptism complete.

Jo Jung-suk takes on the role of Se-kyung's ex-boyfriend, Yeon-woo, who caused a quarrel between Se-kyung (Song Ha-yoon) and Jun-mo (Lee Seo-jin). Only Jo Jung-seok could digest Yeon-woo's sullen voice and witty way of speaking. Director Lee Jae-gyu cited Jo Jung-suk's strong voice as the reason for casting. It is said that the 7 actors during the filming did not know that it was Jo Jung-suk's voice, and were surprised and delighted when the identity was revealed later.

In addition, Jo Dal-hwan, who played an impressive voice as impressive as his appearance, and Jin Seon-gyu, a popular actor, performed extraordinary performances beyond the handset of <Perfect Other>. As such, <Perfect Stranger> was born as a movie with the fun of guessing with the appearance of a new voice every time the phone rings.

[ PRODUCTION NOTE ]

01
Their home becomes a character
Behind the space design where the game started
The movie <Perfect Stranger> tells the story in one space with a housewarming as the background. This space, which is also the home of a socially successful doctor couple Seok-ho (Jin-Woong Cho) and Ye-Jin (Ji-Soo Kim), was designed with the concept that firstly, it contained the image of a couple, and secondly, the seven characters could harmonize. For the perfect housewarming, the production team predicted the filming stage based on the scenario and designed the house in the movie with a compact design. This design went through 3D simulation to draw the arrangement of the characters according to the space and scene, and thoroughly prepared in advance such as conducting a set rehearsal in which actors, directors, and staff participated in a way to digest one episode in advance before the set was completed. In the end, the space where 7 friends in the movie gather was produced as a whole set.

About the house filled with high-end furniture that Soo-hyeon (Yum Jeong-ah) envys in the movie, art director Hwa Seong-seong, who was in charge of the film's production design, says that the concept was "a space where life is rich but communication is absent." Although we live together, we do not share many stories and do not empathize with each other. This space is also decorated with props to give the impression that it is a house in which we all live. The square table, where almost all events take place, contains the message that communication can be achieved somehow even in this desolate space.

The house of Tae-su (Hae-jin Yoo) and Su-hyeon (Jung-ah Yeom), and the house of Jun-mo (Seo-jin Lee) and Se-kyung (Ha-yoon Song), who appear in the movie, also contain the characteristics of each couple. The goal of Tae-soo and Su-hyeon's house was "a form that has no choice but to experience conflict, not conflict". It contains the feeling that a house where three generations and six children live together is a space where a couple's sacrifice is made, and by illuminating each room of Tae-su and Soo-hyeon, it implied that they were a middle-class couple who did not have time to talk with their conflicts.

Junmo and Sekyung's house was brightly lit to reveal that it was the house of a relatively young couple. It was designed as a studio-like space that lacks stability and is faithful to the present in order to give the newlyweds the feeling of being married with momentary emotions rather than extreme love.

Art director Hwa Seong said that it was painful to create a story in one space. Even though they were in the same space for two hours, the effort the production team put in to create an environment where the audience could concentrate was born as a result of the housewarming place becoming a single character, creating a daily and breathtaking atmosphere unique to <Perfect Other>.

02
Getting ready for a month-long dinner
Dinner table in perfect detail
The four male friends in the movie are from Sokcho. For a two-hour one-night dinner and a meal that will last for a month, the production team of <Perfect Stranger> made a table with 'Sokcho's specialties'.

The main production team, including director Lee Jae-gyu and writer Bae Se-young of The Perfect Other, left for a planning meeting in Sokcho together, and set the background that the characters grew up in Sokcho. As it was a housewarming event, various foods were needed, and the production team planned the details of the food that the 7 characters would eat together. Various foods such as Sokcho's famous Pollack Pollack, Dakgangjeong, Mulgomtang, and Abai Sundae began to fill the table with admiration from the characters in the movie. For a month-long shoot, the film's food team worked hard to maintain the temperature and location of the food.

The seasoned acting of the actors also shines with scenes of eating food. Director Lee Jae-gyu said, "It's a difficult performance to have to eat food for the whole month, but I still want to eat real food." While I was skipping, I continued to eat while filming and started filming. Here, after the filming was over, the actors who went to a restaurant in Gwangju, Jeolla-do, the filming location, ate in front of and behind the camera, and completed a close chemistry that is hard to believe that most of the actors they met for the first time in this movie were.

On the dinner table were placed 7 different mobile phones with food. Another major character in <Perfect Other>, the cell phone, had to be given characteristics according to the character's personality, and director Lee Jae-gyu is confident that "the cell phone was more concerned with than the clothes or makeup". The cell phone each character has was decided through countless meetings to represent the life and present of those people. Selecting a mobile phone model, choosing an old version and a new version, the 7 cellphones equipped with numerous details such as the cell phone's case condition, wallpaper, and ringtone, imprint their presence with alarms and ringtones at the necessary timing.

For a compact filming for a month, from the set and the movement to the food on the table and the cell phone, <Perfect Stranger> built perfect details with thorough preparation. It might be worth paying attention to the various elements in the delicate film that you can believe it only happened overnight.