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DIRECTOR Q&A
Kim Ki-duk
The edgy South Korean auteur discusses his
Oscar chances and the alternate ending to his
controversial BIFF entry Pieta By Soomee Park
AFTER THE SCREENING
of his film The Isle at
Sundance in 2001, Kim
Ki-duk, then just an emerging
director, made a small
wire sculpture of a man on a
swing, and gave it to Roger
Ebert, hoping the critic would
give him a favorable review.
But Kim says he later felt
humiliated about the overture,
believing that asking for
such favors is shameful for
an artist. It’s precisely this
uncompromising, rigorous
approach to moviemaking that
Kim is now known for on the
festival circuit. Little over a
decade later, he’s directed 18
films. His latest effort, Pieta,
tells the story of a deranged,
merciless debt collector. Made
for just $13,000, the film won
the Golden Lion Award at this
year’s Venice International
Film Festival and was recently
selected as South Korea’s official
foreign language submission
to the Academy Awards.
Shortly before BIFF, The
Hollywood Reporter caught up
with Kim in a bustling section
of southern Seoul.
South Korea has put forward Pieta
as its official submission to the
85th Oscar’s. How do you think it
will resonate with the Academy?
We’re trying to figure that out.
Our U.S. distributor noted
that the film’s subject matter
is very interesting but some
scenes could be overwhelming
psychologically. I think if you
can bear the beginning, the
interest of the subject matter
and storyline soon become
evident. Pieta delves into the
discord of human relations
within an extreme capitalist
system, as it shows how family
gets disrupted and money creates
distrust between people. I
think this is a universal experience
not only in South Korea
but also in Europe and U.S.
The film’s religious overtones
and its references to the debt
collector from The Merchant of
Venice likely resonate with Italian
audiences. Do you think that
contributed to your Golden Lion
win in Venice?
Maybe. I heard the response
has been quite positive in Italy
since the film opened in 40 to 50
6
theaters last month. I personally
don’t think the film has a strong
religious subject other than its
title. The notion of forgiveness
and distrust in the film is something
we all need to think about
on a humanistic level.
In one sense, the film’s setting is
reminiscent of Park Chan-wook’s
Lady Vengeance, although the
style and the film’s ending are
very different. How do you feel
about the ending now?
Originally, the story had two endings.
The other ending, which
most people preferred, was a
scene where a mother carrying
a dead son gets burnt to death
in front of Kang-do (the main
character) like the historical
pieta. That ending, for me, was
too obvious and had too many
religious overtones. I wanted the
story to reflect on human agony.
So the one you see now carries
some references to crucifixion.
Have you been tempted to work
within the mainstream system to
attract a broader audience like
Park or Bong Joon-ho?
Strictly speaking, no. I think
I’m a different element than
those directors. If they are
more like wood or metal, I’m
more like soil. They could be
transformed into something
else, but I can’t. I don’t have
the ability to find a middle
ground with my audiences, and
I know this too well. I’ve shot
18 films, and none of them had
a middle ground. I think this is
mainly because I didn’t study
filmmaking, and I don’t know
as much about the process as
Vital Stats
Nationality South Korean
Born May 1, 1969
Film in Busan Pieta
(Korean Cinema Today)
Selected Filmography
Samaritan Girl, 2003; Spring,
Summer, Fall, Winter... and
Spring, 2003; 3-Iron, 2004;
Arirang, 2011
Notable Awards Silver Bear,
Samaritan, 2003, Berlin Film
Festival; Silver Lion, 3-Iron,
2004, Venice Film Festival;
Golden Lion, Pieta, 2012;
Venice Film Festival
they do. I don’t know any way
other than how I shoot. So
audiences have the choice of
following me or not following
me, and I don’t blame them if
they choose not to watch.
Would you be open to an offer
from Hollywood?
Well, before we get that far,
I have to say, I’m not interested
in most stories they want
to tell.
You shot your first film Crocodile
in 1996 and you’ve now spent 16
years making films. How do you
feel that you’ve grown creatively?
I don’t really know how I grow.
I can only see the changes
when I look at the films. I
think the biggest change is
that my earlier films were
quite reckless and strong. I
was very subjective. Many
people who have watched Pieta
have said my filmmaking has
become more objective. I think
I’m just looking in new directions
now. If before I looked
towards the East, now I’m
looking to the West. The funny
thing is, audiences in Europe
are amazed that my films are
so different every time. When I
come to Korea, though, people
ask why my films are so similar.
I can never understand
this gap.
Winning a Golden Lion has
undoubtedly raised your profile.
Do you think South Korean audiences
will approach your films
differently now?
No. They’re happy that I won
the award, but many still don’t
see my films. On the way to this
interview, strangers offered to
shake hands and congratulated
me; but when I asked, none of
them had seen my films. Also,
an artist’s creative energy
is ephemeral as a flower. It
blooms and soon dies. No artist
is great forever. Personally, I
think I reached my peak in
2004 when I shot Samaria and
3-Iron. I might have bloomed
briefly again when I shot Pieta
but who knows what the next
one will be like. THR