Thirst: Chan-wook Park Interview

	I prefer to back away literally 1mm before the unimaginable horrors happen. I leave that to the viewer’s imagination!

A master film-maker of arty, psychological, and often brutal cinema, Chan-wook Park is one of Korea's greatest exports. Remember the bit in Old Boy where our vengeful hero thumps his way down a corridor filled with henchmen, or the underwater slice-'em up ending from Sympathy For My Vengeance? All the work of Mr Park, chaps.

His latest film, Thirst (out in UK from 16 Oct, trailer above), is a vampirish romance about a priest who becomes a vampire. But similar to the recent Swedish 'vampire film' Let The Right One In, it isn't really a vampire film, but more a sort of character study and - gulp - love story. But a really, really DARK love story.

We met up with Chan-wook Park for a little chat...

INTERVIEW:

True Blood, Twilight, Let The Right One In… you’re releasing a vampire film at just the right time aren’t you?

I had no idea vampire films would be so popular this year. When I was planning Thirst, everyone was saying: ‘oh, vampire films, that’s such an old-fashioned subject’. And I was retorting: ‘well, maybe it’s a good time to revive it, it’s been a long time.’ I’m now wondering whether if it’s good for Thirst that vampires are so ‘in fashion’. Audiences may be tiring of them…

Do you consider Thirst to be a true vampire film, though?

No, that’s right, primarily it’s a ‘priest film’. Secondly, it’s a romance. And then, thirdly, it’s about the priest turning into a vampire. Morality is what interests me in this film, it’s about how the priest faces up to his new situation.

You’ve been quoted as saying you go to bed each night and dream of the cruellest things and most unimaginable tortures. What awful things did you conjure up last night?

Haha, I think I must’ve been joking. That’s a funny quote!

You were joking? Damn, I was looking forward to hearing your darkest thoughts.

Haha, don’t take that quote too seriously.

Your films are often described as ‘extreme cinema’ though, with several brutal scenes. Do you think your films are ‘extreme’ or do you think it’s lazy categorisation?

I’m not sure why my films are categorised this way. It doesn’t make sense to me. These days, there are so many gory films, which genuinely are really extreme. I think it’s time to move on and get out of that categorisation.

But your films are quite bloody and psychologically unsettling in places. Is it not your intention to shock?

I prefer to pull out before I get to that extreme part [makes frantic hand gestures], you know, back away literally 1mm before the unimaginable happens. I leave that to the viewer’s imagination!

I’m sure you’ve been asked this lots of times, but Old Boy is being remade by Steven Spielberg, and starring Will Smith. That’s quite unusual isn’t it…?

I can’t wait for it. If they’d cast a wild actor or an actor with a history in angry characters, then it would’ve been too predictable. Even if this remake sounds wrong on paper, it’s such a fresh approach. I’m genuinely excited to see the outcome and how this might work.

Finally, we love Oriental food. Can you recommend a Korean dish for us to try for dinner tonight?

[Thinks for 30 secs]. Jab-chae or ‘glass noodle’.

THIRST IS OUT AT UK CINEMAS FROM 16 OCTOBER 2009