(Korean Movies) Witness, 2018

“I saw the murder, the murderer saw me”
From shocking settings to overwhelming tension and unpredictable developments!
This summer, there is only one thriller following <Hide and Seek>!
Following <Hide and Seek>, which set a new Korean thriller movie box office record by capturing 5.6 million viewers in August 2013, <Witness> is ready to blow away the heat of the audience this summer.

<Witness> is a shocking setting in which a murderer who killed a person and an eyewitness of the incident meet each other in the middle of an apartment building, and the tension and unpredictability that overwhelms the audience will give you a strong thrill. In particular, after screening for buyers from all over the world at the 71st Cannes International Film Festival in May, praise for the novel space setting and the actors' absorbing acting has been pouring in. .

Sang-hoon (Lee Seong-min), a witness who has seen the murder but has to pretend not to see it, Jae-yeop (Kim Sang-ho), a detective who has to find at least one witness, Su-jin (Jin-kyung), the wife of a witness who is in danger The unpredictable unfolding of the criminal 'Tae-ho' (Kwak Si-yang), who pursues the eyewitness to the end, provides a sweaty suspense and amplifies the curiosity about the ending.

The shocking setting that a murderer and a witness witnessed each other, the overwhelming tension, and the unpredictable development of the anticipated movie <The Witness> is expected to captivate the audience with the best chase thriller that will blow away the heat this summer.

“Shocking and realistic!”
From the boldness of revealing the criminal's face from the beginning to the 'bystander effect' that evokes empathy for reality,
Expect the birth of a different thriller that is different from other thrillers!
<Witness> is set to heat up theaters this summer by arousing empathy for reality with its shocking setting and message differentiated from existing thriller films.

The film delivers a fresh shock with a setting that deviates from the expectations of the audience from the start. The scene where a criminal who committed a murder in the middle of an apartment makes eye contact with an eyewitness who saw the scene, giving the audience a sense of breathless immersion. Also, unlike other thrillers, the identity of the criminal is revealed right from the beginning of the movie. Unlike most thriller films that mainly focus on 'chasing an unknown criminal', <Witness> heralds a different development in 'a criminal who commits a murder chases an eyewitness who made eye contact with him'.

Here, Sang-hoon, an ordinary man who lives in an apartment, the most common residence in Korea, accidentally becomes a witness to a murder case, and the chase takes place by asking the audience the question 'What if I am?' and immerses you in the film. At the same time, the setting that no witnesses appear even in the middle of an apartment where there are many eyes at the same time is the group selfishness of modern people who are indifferent if it is not my business, and the bystander effect (Genovice Syndrome) in which the reporting rate decreases as the number of witnesses increases. transmit As such, the film <Eyewitness> delivers a realistic horror by looking coolly at the cross-section of social phenomena that have recently emerged as important topics in our society. The struggle of the witness 'Sang-hoon', who has to pretend he didn't see the murder in order to protect me and my family, evokes a more realistic sympathy. In addition, the urgent pursuit and suspense between the witness and the criminal makes it impossible to take your eyes off of it for even a second.

The film, Eyewitness, which uniquely melts a shocking setting and a powerful message that causes empathy with reality, is expected to open a new chapter in a thriller that has never been seen before.

“Watch the birth of a new 'Thriller King'”
Actor Lee Seong-min who believes in and sees X irreplaceable regardless of genre!
Let's go to the summer theater evaluation!
Lee Seong-min, who has risen as a luxury actor who can trust and watch regardless of genre by going back and forth between CRT and screen, heralds the birth of a new 'Thriller King' this summer with the only thriller 'Witness' following 'Hide and Seek'.

Actor Lee Seong-min, a former troupe who produced Korea's leading actors such as Song Kang-ho, has been active in all areas, from movies to dramas. Lee Seong-min, who imprinted his unrivaled presence in the dramas [Pasta] and [Golden Time], took on the role of ‘Oh Sang-sik’ in the drama [Misaeng], perfectly digesting the pain and suffering of office workers, and created a character that will remain in the memory. Since then, he has become one with characters such as the movies <The Attorney>, <Kundo: Age of Rebellion>, <The Sheriff>, and <Wind Wind Wind>.

Lee Seong-min takes on the role of 'Sang-hoon', the main character who saw a murder in the middle of the apartment he lives in, but has to pretend he didn't. “‘Sang-hoon’ represents the image of us, small citizens living in the present age. Therefore, there was no need to prepare special appearance, appearance, or practice action for the work. I acted because I thought it was the same as my usual appearance.” Director Jo Gyu-jang, in charge of directing, said, "Actor Lee Seong-min is an actor who perfectly dominates two hours of a movie." In order to express the strong setting of witnessing a violent crime in the middle of an apartment, Lee Seong-min said, "There was an incident where I went to my girlfriend and brutally assaulted me in the parking lot with resentment over the breakup notice. At that time, I watched the CCTV footage through the news, and I thought that there was a passage similar to our movie in that it was a shocking incident that took place in everyday space. It was really scary, and I even remembered the emotions I had at the time of filming.”

Director Jo Gyu-jang said, "Actress Lee Seong-min is an actor who has more to show than what he has shown." Actor Kwak Si-yang said, "The moment the shot goes in, he changes. I felt the energy of a tiger,” he said. At the moment of eye contact with the murderer, attention is paid to Lee Seong-min's move, who will win the title of 'Thriller King' by depicting the struggle of an eyewitness who became the next target of the killer.

“A corps of all-time great actors mobilized”
Unrivaled new stealers Kim Sang-ho & Jin-kyung, and shock transformation new thriller villain Kwak Si-yang!
The acting synergy of the luxury actors explodes!
<Witness> raised the level of immersion and completeness of the film with the collaboration of not only actor Lee Seong-min, but also talented actors who radiate a strong presence.

First, Kim Sang-ho takes on the role of 'Jae-yeop', a detective who struggles to find even one witness. Kim Sang-ho has shown a heavy presence with his bold acting in films such as <Ordinary People>, <Fabricated City>, and <Daeho>. In this <Witness>, a new face and charisma that has never been shown before adds tension and weight to the flow of the play. Director Jo Gyu-jang, in charge of directing, said, “He is an actor with an animalistic intuition for acting. This intuition doesn’t just come out, it’s the result of a lot of thought, research and hard work.” He praised actor Kim Sang-ho. Kwak Si-yang also said, “He is a strong supporter. He has a reliable aura, and he received a lot of help while working.”

In the movie <Veteran>, scene stealer Jin-kyung, who delivered a refreshing shot to the audience as ‘Joo Yeon’, the wife of ‘Seo Do-cheol’ in the movie <Veteran>, together with her husband ‘Sang-hoon’, a witness in <Witness>, became the next target of the criminal’s wife ‘Soo-jin’. return to ' She captivated the audience with her various appearances across the drama [Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim], the movie <Master>, and <Wrestler>. Jinkyung said, "'Soojin' shows a strong female image. I was drawn to the appearance of a strong mother, so I decided to appear.” Lee Seong-min, who worked as a married couple, said, "Actually, there are a lot in common between the two, so we got along very well while filming." Director Jo Gyu-jang said, "In a word, a perfect actor!" Here, next-generation actor Kwak Si-yang takes on the role of 'Tae-ho', a criminal who pursues 'Sang-hoon', a witness who saw his murder. Having captured the hearts of viewers through the dramas [Second to Last] and [Chicago Typewriter], he gained a whopping 13kg in weight for the movie <The Witness> and showed enthusiasm for the work. <Eyewitness> was made so that the audience could be more immersed in the breathtaking chase between the witness and the criminal by taking the extraordinary approach of revealing the criminal's face from the beginning of the movie. Director Jo Gyu-jang said, "Tae-ho, played by Si-yang Kwak, is a difficult character. I expanded my imagination and had a lot of conversations with the actors,” he said. Kwak Si-yang also shared his impressions of the work, saying, "I tried not to let go of the tension by holding on to the so-called 'mental' in order to provide the audience with extreme tension." Kwak Si-yang's 'Tae-ho' role, which was born in this way, is expected to give the audience a thrill that cannot let go of tension even for a moment by radiating intense energy that does not hesitate even in front of prominent seniors.

The intense and perfect performances of actors full of diverse personalities like this will be another viewing point to watch <The Witness>.

[ PRODUCTION NOTE ]

From the psychology of people whose daily life is broken to the prevailing collective egoism in reality!
It contains the bold and sharp planning intentions of director Jo Gyu-jang.
The story behind the birth of the only thriller <The Witness> this summer!
<Witness> is a film based on the shocking setting of a murder that occurred in the middle of an apartment building and there were people who saw it but no witnesses. Director Jo Gyu-jang, in charge of directing, puts the phenomena that can happen in our daily life into the thriller genre and strengthens the suspense of the play based on the creepy reality.

Director Jo Gyu-jang said, “60% of the Korean people live in apartments, and so do I. However, despite having a wall in between, they have no interest in their neighbors. I wanted to capture the psychology that people would reveal when the crime of murder infiltrated into this way of life,” he said. Unlike the existing thriller movies, the murder case that occurred in the middle of an apartment building rather than inside the house was shown as a factor that further maximizes the suspense of the play and the director's plan. In addition, the appearance of apartment dwellers watching the murder case is a passage that delivers a creepy reality and a sharp social message, reminiscent of the 'bystander effect' referenced by the director during the directing process. This indicates that <Eyewitness> is more than a simple thriller that melts issues closely related to our reality into the genre.

Director Jo Gyu-jang said, “In “The Witness”, the main character, who is very ordinary and ordinary, leads the tension of the play. It is clearly different from other thrillers and crime films,” he said, referring to the charm of <The Witness>. In addition, he said, “It will be fun to immerse in the character,” foretelling the unique fun that comes from the audience projecting themselves into the characters in the work and the situations they face.

With such intense directing and space setting close to reality, director Jo Kyu-jang's chase thriller <Witness>, which announced the emergence of a new storyteller in the thriller world, is expected to captivate theaters this summer with tension and suspense that cannot take your eyes off of it for even a second. am.

The best sense of reality completed by hiring an actual apartment complex!
Location, shooting, art, lighting! Bringing all reality to life!
Witnesses is an unpredictable story that takes place when an apartment, the friendliest living space, turns into the most feared place due to a murder case. Therefore, the production team worked hard to bring out reality in various areas such as space, art, and lighting so that the audience could fully immerse themselves in the play and watch the movie.

First, the production team filmed in various places, including real apartment complexes, with the consent of the residents, in order to realize the apartment, which is the background of the play and the most familiar residential area, in the same way as reality. Although it was actually a different place, such as an apartment with a mountain nearby, an apartment with a real murder case, and an apartment with a security room in front of the house, we focused on location hunting, filming, and art to create a smooth production as if it were one complex in the movie. . As a result, the place where 'Sang Hoon' and his family live could be drawn realistically like an actual apartment complex.

On the other hand, unlike previous films, art and lighting were minimized to create a natural feel. The part that I had in mind when expressing the spatial visual was to melt the anonymity and individualism of the apartment so that it did not appear on the screen. Art director Nae-kyung Nae-kyung said, "I tried to make the space look natural and not to emphasize art as much as possible when expressing places close to our lives, such as apartment hallways, elevators, and hallways." . In addition, the cinematographer said, "I thought of the apartment as a target to witness the murder, and I thought of the unlit houses as eyes that were awake but closed." The expectation of empathy for reality was further amplified. The lighting also uses almost no artificial lighting to deliver a natural sense of presence as much as possible. Based on the atmosphere created by the street lamps and the light leaking from the lit house, I tried to capture the space and the person in harmony in the camera.

<Witness>, completed with the efforts of many production crews, succeeds in capturing realistic horror and realism based on the setting of a murder that occurred in the space closest to 'me', and is expected to provide a high level of immersion to the audience.

111 minutes full of actors!
People who seem to be around in real life!
Immersive 200% character birth!
The movie <Eyewitness> presents suspense closely related to life with ordinary character settings that are likely to be around us. In addition to this, the perfect character analysis of the famous actors who believe and see will give the audience the overwhelming tension drawn by ordinary people.

First of all, Lee Seong-min, who plays 'Sang-hoon', a witness who saw a murder in front of his house but has to pretend he didn't see it, said, "It was different from other characters who learn appearances or appearances or learn action for dead-fighting scenes. I thought that it was most important to show the image of an ordinary small citizen as they are, without artificial elements,” he said, explaining the background of the realistic 'Sang-hoon' character and foretelling the birth of a new 'Thriller King'. . Lee Sung-min is expected to fill the running time of 111 minutes by showing the friendly charm of the man next door and the appearance of an ordinary householder struggling to protect his family.

On the other hand, Kim Sang-ho disassembled into the veteran detective 'Jae-yeop', who must find even one witness in the movie, saying, "I studied the character by reading the script repeatedly to express 'Jae-yeop' who is stubborn but honest." It revealed the birth period of a character that boasts of yul. From his eyes to facial expressions and gestures, he is a charismatic veteran detective that will provide unpredictable tension. Jin-kyung, an actor who shows off a unique presence regardless of genre and character, takes on the role of 'Soo-jin', a family of witnesses who are in danger. Jinkyung, who said, “I tried to color the character with my own color beyond the normal wife role,” gave birth to a more three-dimensional and strong female character by applying her own colors, such as a friendly and sometimes decisive figure to 'Soojin'. She plans to give tension and stability to the play at the same time with a resolute figure that does not lose her composure even in the midst of urgency. Finally, the murderer 'Tae-ho', who pursues the witnesses who saw his murder until the end, is played by Kwak Si-yang, a transformational genius. Kwak Si-yang said, "In order to play the ruthless and meticulous 'Tae-ho', I referred to the serial killer Jeong Nam-gyu, who did not neglect his physical fitness to avoid the police's hands." It will provide a thrill that cannot let go of tension even for a moment.

In this way, the perfect ensemble and passionate performances of actors who did not spare their efforts to express the perfect character in <Witness> will provide overwhelming tension and suspense without a breath to the audience.