On September 24, a press conference for the film A Normal Family was held in Yongsan, Seoul. Director Hur Jin Ho, along with Sul Kyung Gu, Jang Dong Gun, Kim Hee Ae, and Kim Soo Hyun (aka Claudia Kim), attended the event.
A Normal Family tells the story of two families, holding differing beliefs, whose lives are upended after they come to know of their children’s crimes recorded in CCTV footage.
Sul Kyung Gu plays Jae Wan, a cold and rational lawyer who prioritizes material desires. The actor revealed behind-the-scenes stories about filming the movie’s three dinner scenes. He began by saying, “I considered those scenes to be the most important,” and humorously added, “The director said we shot them eight times, but if you count each cut, it felt like 100 takes.” Laughing, he confessed, “It just never ended.”
He then explained the focus of the scenes, saying, “From a distance, the dinner scenes might look cozy, but as the camera gets closer to the table, we aimed to express the subtle cracks and feelings of discomfort that arise.”
Jang Dong Gun plays Jae Kyu, a pediatrician who strives to uphold his principles. He also shared his thoughts on the meal scenes, saying, “During filming, the actors had the hardest time filming those scenes. There weren’t any physically demanding scenes, but we had to express the different perspectives and psychologies of the four characters,” adding, “We couldn’t show too much, and when one person expressed something, the other had to respond. The relationships between the four characters were so intricately intertwined that it took a lot of effort to carefully fine-tune everything for the scenes.”
Claudia Kim played Ji Soo, the epitome of a cool and self-disciplined woman. Reflecting on working with her senior actors, she said, “I struggled the most with figuring out how to break through the tension and deliver my lines. It was a scene where so many emotions were swirling, and it took a long time to shoot.”
Regarding the war of nerves her character engages in with Kim Hee Ae’s character, she explained, “It wasn’t easy because of her strong presence. The way I envisioned Ji Soo was as a young mother who, being somewhat timid, tries to appeal to the more mature mother Yeon Kyung (Kim Hee Ae). In the end, Ji Soo attempts to stand her ground and express her beliefs.”
Director Hur Jin Ho also spoke about the decision to adapt “The Dinner”, a novel by popular Dutch author Herman Koch, into a film. He explained that after receiving the script, he read the novel and reflected, “The films that were already made were excellent, so I wondered if I could do it well.” “But as a parent myself, I could relate to the question of how parents would act in such a situation. I felt there was a story to tell within the framework of Korean society, so I mustered up the courage to take on the project.”
He also explained why he chose the title A Normal Family instead of the original title. Hur said, “When watching the movie, viewers might question whether this really is an ‘ordinary family.’ But I felt the story could reflect an experience that anyone could go through, which is why I liked the title. There’s also an ironic and paradoxical aspect to it, which makes you think about the movie again after watching it.”
Despite being a suspenseful film, A Normal Family contains unexpected moments of humor. Director Hur commented on this by saying, “It feels a bit like an absurdist play, which I think led to some humor. Audiences overseas laughed a lot too.”
A Normal Family is coming to theaters on October 9.
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