Song Kang-ho directs in 'Cobweb,' a film about filmmaking

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Song Kang-ho directs in 'Cobweb,' a film about filmmaking

Published: 18 Sep. 2023, 18:29 Updated: 18 Sep. 2023, 19:10

LIM JEONG-WON
lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr

Actor Song Kang-ho plays Kim Yeol, a film director in the 1970s who is obsessed with making a masterpiece out of his film ″Cobweb,″ in the upcoming film by director Kim Jee-woon ″Cobweb″ [BARUNSON E&A]

In the flood of video content in all forms and genres, black comedy “Cobweb” is a film about filmmaking that brings back the true beauty of art form, says lead actor Song Kang-ho, famed for his appearances in blockbuster hits “Parasite” (2019), “The Host” (2006), and “Snowpiercer” (2013).

“Through the Covid-19 pandemic we witnessed a transformation in content and how it's made and consumed, and that is all the more reason why the power of good films is important,” said Song during a group interview with local reporters at a cafe in Jung District, central Seoul, on Monday.

“'Cobweb' attempts something completely new in the sense that it blends genres and is about filmmaking itself. I hope more and more films stray away from the easy option of just copying the old format of films already out there and push boundaries.”

“Cobweb” is about a film director in the 1970s named Kim Yeol, played by Song, who is obsessed with making his next film a masterpiece. He is sure that if the ending of his film — also named “Cobweb” — is reshot, it would be much better, and gets into a series of conflicts with his colleagues in an attempt to do so.

Playing a director in a film, when in real life he is a veteran actor who has worked with some of the most famous directors in Korea, was a refreshing experience for Song, according to the actor.

Main poster for ″Cobweb″ [BARUNSON E&A]

Besides director Bong Joon-ho who directed him on “Parasite,” Song has also worked with the likes of Park Chan-wook, Lee Chang-dong, and Kang Je-gyu — the auteurs of Korean cinema — and boasts an impressive filmography with hits including “Joint Security Area” (2000), “Memories of Murder” (2003) and “A Taxi Diver” (2017).

“I thought that it would be fun being able to say ‘Ready, action’ on the set of the fictional film ‘Cobweb,’ and it was an interesting part to play,” said Song. “But I also became jealous of the others who were playing the actors inside the film who got to feature in the black-and-white movie within a movie,” he said.

“Cobweb” is about the universal challenge that all artists face, of overcoming their own reservations and doubts about their abilities,” said Song.

“I think all artists, not just film directors, have those negative feelings that they need to overcome,” said Song. “I understand my character Kim Yeol very well in that sense, because I also have reservations and doubts and sometimes question my talent as an actor. The ending shot of ‘Cobweb’ is ambiguous because whether artists do overcome those insecurities always changes.”

Actor Song Kang-ho [BARUNSON E&A]

“Cobweb” had the honor of being invited to the Cannes International Film Festival this year, to the Midnight Screening section, one of the out-of-competition sections of the event.

But the film has also faced difficulties with the family of the late Korean auteur Kim Ki-young filing an injunction to ban the screening, citing that the character Kim Yeol is based on the late director and portrays him in a negative light. Song clarified that Kim Yeol is not based on Kim Ki-young, and that “Cobweb” is an homage to the larger era of the 1970s Korean film industry and the many directors who were active at the time.

The application for an injunction was dropped Monday as the family of Kim Ki-young and the producers of “Cobweb” reached an agreement in court.

A scene from ″Cobweb″ [BARUNSON E&A]

“We are paying homage to all of the directors from that era, to the profession of film directing, to film itself and the industry and the system behind the art form,” said Song. “Filmmaking back then was such a hard process — the environment on set and the technology were nothing like what they are now and it is amazing how many great films were made in such a setting. ‘Cobweb’ is not really about one specific person, in that sense — our film is about a much larger subject matter.”

Song is joined by actors Im Soo-jung, Oh Jung-se, Jeon Yeo-been and Krystal Jung in “Cobweb,” and he said that the group did not have to practice their lines a lot together because everyone arrived on set “in the zone” and ready to play their parts well.

“Everyone, down to Jung, who was the youngest on set, did their share spectacularly and there was a kind of rhythm on set while filming,” said Song. “I think director Kim Jee-woon really struck a chord with the casting.”

On a humorous note, Song claimed that all the world-renowned directors probably cast him because he is not typically good-looking but has a familiar face — like a neighbor or your friend’s father.

“There are so many strikingly handsome actors out there, and I am not one of them,” Song said, laughing. “But I have a familiar, guy-next-door kind of face and that is how I got to work in such masterpieces as ‘Parasite,’ I think.”

Although he has gained international fame with “Parasite,” Song is not actively searching for overseas projects to film because he believes the “most Korean films have the most potential to become international.”

“I do not think I need to intentionally work with foreign directors on foreign films to gain more popularity or recognition overseas,” said Song. “I did recently work with Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, but I don’t go searching for only those kinds of projects.”

“Cobweb” has been presold to 187 countries, and will open in Korean theaters on Sept. 27.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]