Park Chan-wook / Park Chan-wook was studying philosophy and working as a journalist and film critic when he switched gears and began to make films of his own, releasing Moon Is the Sun’s Dream in 1992. Now one of South Korea’s most successful directors, winning the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, his newest film Thirst (see review online at [honoluluweekly.com]) begins its Honolulu theatrical run on Friday. Park sat down with Honolulu Weekly with the aid of an interpreter to discuss his love of vengeance, literature and why people don’t need to fret in a multiplex filled with giant alien robots.

When you’re asked about your influences, you seem to mention authors–particularly classical authors–more than filmmakers. Why do you think that is?

Just this morning, very early, I was reading an Émile Zola novel, and I just realized that in works of literature, you are privy to the hidden background information and what motivates these characters into acting in a certain way–whereas in film, all you see are the outward appearances of the characters and what they are doing, and what expressions they have on their faces. Literature goes beyond that to describe the internal thoughts that are going through these characters’ minds. You are able to get better insight into the workings of human behavior. When you look at classic writers like Zola, they go even further in that they have their own comments included in their works. It’s like there is literary criticism included in part of their work.

Do you ever miss criticism?

Not at all. It was a time when I desperately wanted to shoot my next film, but nobody would finance it. So as a means of survival and to try and make a living, I took the jobs that I did. But please don’t misunderstand this, I’m not saying film critics are bad, or film criticism is a bad job, just that for myself, it was a choice. If I could have had my way I wouldn’t have become a film critic, but at that time, there just wasn’t anything else to do to make a living.

Does your previous experience with film criticism affect or influence you when you’re making a film? Do you keep the critics in mind?

At the time when I was really desperate to make my own films, but had to resort to the life of a critic where I would be watching other people’s films and analyzing them, I thought that at least that looking at these other films would help provide a fertile ground in which to make my own films someday. But, perhaps due to my lack of good memory, but when it actually came time to make my own films it didn’t really help because I couldn’t recall any of them. So when it came time to make my own scenes or shots and I hit a wall and couldn’t come up with a good way to direct it, I would ask, if it was Spielberg, how would he have done it? But the problem was I couldn’t remember any of his films.

Do you get the chance to view films often these days?

Well, I was known as being a cinephile before and was really into watching films, but I’m no longer qualified to be called that, because I don’t get the chance to see the films that I would like to. The film that I really want to watch right now is Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest film, Brüno.

A lot of your films are deemed vengeance tales and yet Thirst seems more to be about redemption and guilt. Is this a new direction, or do you feel your other films have been categorized unfairly?

Well as a person who labeled my films the vengeance trilogy, I can’t really say they’ve been miscatagorized at all. But that’s over and done with. So after those three films I was looking for new stories to tell. That’s why I did I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK, and now I’ve moved onto Thirst. And with future projects I will continue to look for new stories to tell. However, the theme of vengeance is such a strong and attractive theme because it’s a subject matter that can tell a lot of things about human condition and human drama. So who knows? I might revisit this theme in the future.

What made you want to visit and possibly reinvent the vampire drama?

It wasn’t my original intention to visit a vampire drama. When it appears to be a reinvention of the genre, it’s only an outcome rather than the intention.

What I wanted to do was have…a Roman Catholic priest go through a trial. I was trying to come up with ways he would face the worst possible trial he could be going through. I came upon this great irony that this Catholic priest during Mass that they have to conduct daily, they would be drinking wine, which symbolizes Christ’s blood, and these are people who have to contemplate the mystery of Christ’s blood every day. So when he finds himself struck with this malady that is like a vampire, no longer does he drink symbolic blood, but has to drink actual human blood, and not for the redemption of mankind, but for survival for himself. That’s why I was attracted to making him into a vampire.

What’s your opinion about the mentality of blockbuster films and megaplexes, particularly in the United States? Is it unfair that smaller films are expected to perform right off the bat, without being allowed to build an audience?

Well, it’s a very American phenomenon. As it is in every other industry or aspect. As the world becomes one and becomes standardized, something that is becoming Americanized, could also mean something is becoming global. So not only would this affect American cinema and American industry, but also global cinema and industry.

Of course, American cinema has two great traditions or two great strengths in that even in a blockbuster, they quite often manage to create films that are masterpieces artistically.

And secondly, even though it appears that the blockbusters are the only thing that make up the landscape of American cinema, quietly on one side you have smaller independent films which give off their energy to affect the blockbuster as well.

It’s easy for anyone to point out damages done by blockbusters or multiplexes but the real issue here is no matter how much you criticize a situation, it won’t change anything. You have to realize that the great golden age of cinema in the ’70s where a lot of masterpieces were made and experiments were allowed, not only in America, but globally, is gone. You have to accept it and adapt to the new landscape and there’s no point in complaining about changed audiences tastes or changed landscapes, because this is what it is.

Thirst - Chan-wook Park Interview

I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK-Trailer