'Rebel Moon' gets a touch of Korean sartorial flair

Poster of film “Rebel Moon ? Part One: A Child of Fire” [NETFLIX KOREA]

“Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire,” Netflix's upcoming sci-fi film mashed with technologies from the future and cultures of the past, has gotten a very Korean touch.

Director Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire” is a 130-minute-long action sci-fi that will be released on Netflix on Friday, starring actors Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou and Bae Doona.

“I definitely like to think of it as a science-fantasy film as opposed to hardcore science fiction,” director Snyder said, according to Netflix Korea.

“Sci-fi tends to become really abstracted by the science itself, and while this does take place in a world with crazier scientific advances than our world, our story gets to the mythological root of those things in a way that just allows it to be,” the director added.

Snyder is known for his production of works such as “300” (2007), “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” (2010) and “Justice League” (2017).

The sci-fi film centers around the protagonist Kora, portrayed by Sofia Boutella, a stranger who lives quietly in a village while hiding her identity. When a legion from a dominant force threatens Kora's peaceful frontier planet, a group of warriors from various planets come together to fight a battle that will determine the galaxy's fate.

Bae, who played the role of Nemsis, a cyborg swordmaster, showcases her skills in dual-wielding swordsmanship in the film, combining Malaysian martial art Silat and a hybrid martial art Jeet Kune Do, conceived and practiced by martial artists Bruce Lee.

Bae appears in the film wearing a traditional Korean hat, gat, and attire.

“Probably I would say ‘Kingdom’ (2019) was where those [gat] went viral, but we still had to do a lot of real historical research to find more and additional examples of [how the hats are designed],” the director said, in a press conference held in Tokyo last Tuesday.

“Doona said [traditionally] only men should be wearing the hats, but in our case, it was a gender-destroying element to Doona’s character. An important thing for us was to have respect for Doona’s Korean roots. We thought about what we can do to express the concept of this swordswoman but also give her character some mystery, toughness and coolness,” he added.

The Korean actor also pitched in with her idea, she said.

“I was thrilled to wear the hat that was once only worn by men,” Bae said at the conference. “It felt good to wear a hat traditionally used by scholars while portraying a warrior character.”

“I shared my idea about the pants when deciding the costume,” she added. “Initially, the pants were short for ease of movement, but I suggested that since I'm playing a woman who wields a sword, long, wide pants like those in Kendo would be better.”

BY LEE CHAE-MIN [lee.chaemin1@joongang.co.kr]