Director Park Wants His New Movie Provokes Jealousy

A young couple is whispering, ˝Will it be fun?˝ while watching the poster of `Jealousy is My Power`. Hearing them speaking about his new movie, 36-year-old director Park Chan-ok says that he feels happy but strange when watching people of no acquaintances talk about his movie.

`Jealousy is My Power,` is a story about a young man named Won Sang, who lost two women he loved to the same man. He feels jealous of the hateful chief editor of a publishing company, but keeps hanging around him to know more about the rival.

˝The title of the movie is from the same titled poem by late Gi Hyeong-do, who died young. The last part of the poem reads, `I have been searching for love desperately throughout all of my life and now I find that I never loved myself.` “When you are young in your 20s, you go through tense relationships with others. Won-sang`s character in the movie is the remainder of the poem.˝

Park was an art teacher for four years, and then he suddenly realized that his young days are too short. At the age of 27, he quit the job and began to study theater and movies in Hanyang University.

˝You can`t take on an adventure when you look further in your life. But you can get off to a new start if you think you live just until 40.˝

He worked as an assistant director for movie `Oh! Su-jeong`. In fact, there seem some similarities between `Jealousy is My Power` and the movie made by Hong Sang-soo, a director known for his way of describing everyday life calmly.

˝It dosen`t. Jealousy is My Power is a romantic drama. If you find similarities, it may be because people in the movie are not exaggerated.˝

He is a man of curiosity. During filming of `Oh! Su-jeong,` there was a scene in which actor Mun Sung-guen was hit hard on the cheek.

After some 10 no cuts, so Mun`s cheek turned red. Then, assistant director Park approached Mun and asked, ˝Well….Please tell me how you feel at this month later after shooting.˝ Although he did not get the answer, he just can`t help asking questions.

˝To me, people are mysterious. It seems that there is not a single person I know well. They say they can`t understand Won-sang`s getting along with the reprehensible man. And the character might come from my tendency of seeing people mysterious.˝

Soo-Kyung Kim skkim@donga.com