By Lee Minji
Acclaimed filmmaker Na Hong-jin, director of the critically lauded horror film “The Wailing,” returns with his highly anticipated sci-fi thriller, “Hope.” Set in a unique pre-smartphone era, presumably the 1970s or 80s, this gripping Korean film plunges viewers into a forlorn seaside town near the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone. The narrative follows local cops and villagers as they confront mysterious, powerful entities that suddenly emerge, threatening their tranquil existence. “Hope” boasts a star-studded international cast, featuring Korean talents Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Jung Ho-yeon, alongside Hollywood stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. The film’s compelling premise and strong cast earned it an invitation to compete at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival this year.
Director Na Hong-jin delved into the profound themes underpinning “Hope” during a recent interview. He explained, “A person who provides the seed for the tragedy commits a very trivial act in a very small town and this movie follows how big this can become, how tremendously tragic situations can arise from the smallest things.” He further elaborated on the complex nature of human intent, stating, “And what the movie shows is the source of this wrongdoing may not necessarily be driven by malice.”
To powerfully convey these contrasting ideas, Na strategically chose to set the film in a small, remote village named Hopo. “Isolation carries an important meaning in the story,” he emphasized, discussing the fictional harbor town. “I wanted to tell a story that begins in a tiny, humble place. It is like a speck that gradually expands in a manner that cannot be contained and into a story of the entire universe.”
Na Hong-jin, known for exploring supernatural forces in his 2016 horror masterpiece “The Wailing,” which depicted a rural town grappling with a mysterious outsider, revealed his ambition to deepen this perspective in “Hope” by introducing an even greater presence. “In ‘The Wailing,’ I used supernatural phenomena to build the story. I started wondering how I could deepen such a perspective… and that made me think I wanted to reach toward a greater being, naturally leading me to the setting of space,” Na explained, shedding light on his decision to incorporate extraterrestrial beings into this new sci-fi thriller.
While “Hope” thematically touches upon concepts of belief and resurrection – with the remote town intentionally named after the English word “hope” – Na chose not to explicitly define what that hope signifies, allowing audiences to project their own interpretations onto it. What remains abundantly clear, however, is Na’s unwavering intention to deliver an unforgettable thrill ride to his audiences.
“I wanted to maximize that thrill by creating the sounds and the visuals so that the audiences at the theater feel they are in the story. That was the ultimate goal,” Na shared, confirming that the film is in its final editing stages ahead of its highly anticipated release next week, promising an immersive cinematic experience for fans of compelling sci-fi and supernatural narratives.
