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Director Gu Hye-sun talks about her film at PiFan

Boys Before Flowers actress Gu Hye-sun‘s directorial debut is screening at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival, or PiFan, which opened last week and closes this weekend. The film, translated literally as The Cheerful Caretaker [유쾌한 도우미], also goes by the English title The Madonna.

The short clocks in at 14 minutes and also screened at the Busan Asian Short Film Festival in May, where it brought home the Audience Award. At PiFan, Gu Hye-sun spoke about making the film and her intentions behind writing a story that deals with the topics of death and euthanasia (mercy killing), as a man seeks relief in the church. She explained, “I didn’t want to make it a story about morality or euthanasia, but about a person’s choice.”

The Madonna‘s been received well. How did you think of such a story?

I don’t usually think those thoughts. [Laughs] I wanted to make a short film with a story that couldn’t be done in a feature-length film.

When did you start dreaming of being a filmmaker?

To be accurate, it’s not that I wanted to make movies, but I was interested in graphic design. After drawing, making music, and trying this and that, I started to want to try design. I thought of studying mise en scene, but the [now-deceased] film company CEO Jung Seung-hye encouraged me to try film directing. So I took on this wild challenge.

Whose idea was behind the film?

The idea came to me completely out of the blue. At first, it was a story about an undertaker who handles dead bodies. But the thought came to me that it would be more interesting if the person handling the bodies was someone who shouldn’t be. That’s how I came up with the religious part.

I could feel the influence of director Park Chan-wook.

Because it’s a short film, I experimented with a lot of things. You can imagine any sort of outrageous things in a movie, and I decided to tackle as taboo a topic as I wanted in the short. I really like Park Chan-wook’s movies. I’ve been told by someone at a production company that after seeing the film, they thought of Park Chan-wook’s old short films. It’s such an honor.

There are quite prominent people listed in the credits.

It’s all thanks to CEO Jung Seung-hye. I don’t have anything on my own. In the beginning when I was meeting with her at the company’s office, when people would drop by to ask, “What are you doing?” she told them, “Work on this.” When someone would say a greeting like, “Oh, Gu Hye-sun, hello,” she’d tell them, “Sit for a moment.” [Laughs] They were brought in guerilla-style, and helped me half-doubtingly.

How far are you in work for your feature film?

We’re casting now. It’s a music film about a cellist. For now, we’re saying we will begin shooting in November — I have to say something aloud to stick to it. I think I’ll do a drama series too, so I’m in trouble in this second half of the year. [Laughs]


A scene from the short film

Via IS Plus

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cool. a drama she says?? hmmm

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yay! new drama <3 i feel like she's so...humble about her popularity and she really has a genuine interest in art/film. some celebrities just love the fame and money, but i think she shows a charismatic love for acting :) i'm excited for her next project ^^

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I like her honest answer~ ^^

She's been doing lots of different things, and I hope she does more and increases her skills. I really look forward to her future work.

I also admire her for doing a "taboo" topic, and being inspired by Park Chan Wook. It shows that she's not afraid of doing something that's different from others, and not afraid to experiment with such a topic.

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I would love to see this, but I doubt anyone will sub it so I could actually understand, nonetheless, I like her down to earth personality, and she's gorgoeus (just check out her recent Elle Girl photoshoot)....BOF did not do justice!

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Her acting is not compelling to me at all in "Boys before flowers." She just tried too hard to be cute. She's still very young and definitely talented so I hope she would hone her acting skills more, if she decides to pursuit an acting career, before exploring other fields.

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she was not compelling in BOF, but she stole the series KING AND I with her death sentence scene. she really delivered well in that period drama.

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Good for her but I think she's spreading herself too thin. I wonder if she has ever thought about mastering a specific field before exploring all of them....

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“I didn’t want to make it a story about morality or euthanasia, but about a person’s choice.”

It sounds like something ACLU and Planned Parenthood would say! She's a liberal.

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^LOL

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we've got a case of bad Jack-of-all-trades,Master-of-none --itis going on here.... kudos for the bold forays into exploration, though. how lucky to have the means, avenue--luxury-- to be dipping your feet into many pools at once.

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Her acting in BOF ranged between ho-hum to forced. Still, I wish her luck in her directorial debut. It is noteworthy that she tries to accomplish so much at such a young age.

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Agreed, Jack of all trades, but master of none. She may appear creative, but her "products/ouputs" were rather superficial, and lack of originity. Nevertheless, lucky her, thanks to being at the right time, at right place and meeting the "right?" people who are willing to bet on her and continue to buy her outputs??

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Has anyone seen the short? Is it any good?

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I hate her in BOF...really2 bad acting, and she's not suited to that high school role,,esp when she pout her mouth..rrrggghh!
she should stick wit modelling or yet stick to be an ullzzang!
Her painting and film is not original, she should focused on one thing..so people doesn't hate her soo much for being greedy for everything!
And go get a tann or somthin, u looked like a ghost girl!!

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impressive....she has lots of talents while others getting mad coz they thought she's just a show-off but if really look at it she's not that type of person....it's just that she's showing that she really had different talents....so people that are telling her she's greedy or what so ever, don't really care but (no offense)actually means JEALOUS!!!!

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Can't believe still some envious GHS haters around. The girl is amazing and honest,She already won 2 best acting awards as a newcomer in Heart of 19 and King and I. Most of those people who criticize her have not achieved even a tenth of what GHS had achieved at this point.Look in the mirror before finding fault in her. Love her guts and everything about her.

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The world's sore losers will always vent their own frustrations and self-loathing in the direction of those who work the hardest while utilizing their own special talents to achieve excellence. The accomplishments of this special young lady are no optical illusion. The transparent rantings of no-talent blowhards are also every bit as revealing. Keep up the heavy stream of hatred kiddies. Your own personal "picture of Dorian Gray" must be looking real attractive to those who gaze in horror upon it while you seethe your venomous bile...

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wow, she has so much haters.
i love this girl ever since i knew her 4years ago.
she's still young, its good that she's exploring on everything she can. i believe she'll focus and master on 1 thing after she find which is most suitable for her. i'm jealous she has the opportunity to try many things. i dont hve much choice, but to end my study and start working. sigh..

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(I'll admit it. I was quite a strong Gu Hye-sun fan back in the day and thought she was one of the most promising up-and-comers in her generation. But the overzealous and often angry defensiveness leveled by her "fans" has really turned me off to her, which I recognize is unfair to the actress herself. Just as it's too bad that her detractors have perhaps overcompensated by overly harshing on her flaws. I think she's reached the point where the fandom has split into very extreme halves.)

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Not everyone is born being a pro at a certain thing ^^ I believe that for Goo Hye Sun, she is still trying out new things, and so she's relatively a "beginner" in many areas. Like directing. She's new to it, and this is her first film. I don't expect her to make a film worthy of top awards and bring home the best director award. I'm sure after time, she will get better as she continues as she gains more experience ^___^

While I understand this "Jack of all trades - master of none", she's still in her early twenties and really young, and I'm sure as she finds passion in something she enjoys, she'll become a pro in one of these fields ^^ Again, not everyone can become a pro over night, and it takes experience ^^

Personally, I don't like the idea of "sticking to something that you're only good at", since it seems really unfair, no? I think it's good to branch out into activities, even if you're not good at it ^o^

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How could she good in BOF when the whole thing was seeking mediocrity
creativewise. Nobody brought their A game.

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"we’ve got a case of bad Jack-of-all-trades,Master-of-none –itis going on here"

AMEN! While it's great to see her take advantage of the myriad of opportunities available to her, I'd like to see her master a field first before plunging into others.

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I still don't understand why people criticize Hyesun's acting skills in BOF. She portrays a character and is told by the director how to deliver it. Almost every detail is controlled by his direction, and granted, her own personality and method of delivery is part of the finished product, but she still does what she's told. If you didn't like the acting then your criticism should be aimed at the director and production team, not Hyesun. I absolutely adored her in BOF. Thought she nailed the Geum Jandi character, and according to many accounts of her on the set, Hyesun was a gem to work with. Not once did she complain of the grueling filming schedule, even after being hospitalized twice, she was always kind and thoughtful towards others, and brought much fun and laughter to the set. In my humble opinion, Hyesun = Jandi, and there must be a reason why she was picked out of over 200 girls who auditioned for this role, and I think the reason is that she was perfect for the part!!

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although its almost like jack of all trade master in none, aren't you guys too early to think that? not as if she is going to film those film/ drama and disappear! she might very well have another 20 yrs worth of 'media-life' within her!

i suggest we take a step back and see what she can do in the next 3-5 yrs before giving her that death penalty. she wasn't born able to direct, pose and act!

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I'm curious. Has anyone seen her film? How do you guys (those criticizing her for being a jack of all trades) know it's mediocre and not good enough for anything?

It's her debut and it's been picked up by Pifan and has won an Audience award at BSFF. I'm not just another rabid fan who cant wait to defend her but rather I would like to point out that those who criticize her cant wait to shoot her down either. This article is clearly about her directorial debut. Why talk abt BOF?

I think it's a feat to feature such a heavy topic into a 14 min film. I admire her not for just attempting to do it but to do it so thoroughly. She was involved in almost every aspect she could from writing, directing to composing the music. Clearly she took pride in her work.

All this talk about being focused & be good at just one thing is but a social construct. I think it's refreshing and brave to be able to go against norms. Life is so short. If you want to do so many things, why not just do it when you can? Should she wait til she is 50 to do them then?

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Well when people say She's a jack of all trades and master of none - You are a bot person...a robot.
Why? These type of people are people who do what they are told to do - a follower.
I'd rather be a leader of my own personal growth!

Clearly Gu Hye-Sun has a mind of her own and not afraid to try her own ideas explore and learn from it. I'd rather do that than get stuck doing something even when you are good at it but does'nt give you any satisfaction. Or suck at it but still continue doing it because you have to perfect doing it to get to different areas?

Think outside the box people not everything is according to textbook!

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I am not a fan of boys before flowers, neither am I a fan of F4's meteor garden. Am just curious to watch how an actor or an actress transforms over the years. They are public figure, so it is easy to monitor their growth and popularity.

Just like I love to observe political figures and investment gurus on their public policies and trading strategies respectively. i also like to watch people micro-expressions, especially during competition or games. The micro-seconds tell you a lot about a person's personality and whether he/she is really honest, sincere or genuine, or merely acting/putting up a show. Am not a hater of her, and I think she is very sweet. The actress who I have followered quite closely in the past few years were CJW. Hehe...I find CJW is generally or rather in relativity to others is an honest person.

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She sounded so candid and sincerely honest in her Elle interview.
But we haven't really read much (at least here in the U.S.) about her personal life. I'd like to know about the person she is, her family, etc.

I'm sort of disappointed she picked such a controversial topic as euthanasia for her film. Films are powerful and they'll do their part influencing others, one way or the other... I hope it's done responsibly.

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Leonardo Da Vinci was Goo Hye Sun's inspiration since childhood. The guy is not only a famous painter/artist but also a great inventor. He had contributed a lot to the sciences of physics,botany,hydraulics,physiology,optics,orbital mechanics etc. Pursuing multiple interest is not a crime .It is better to have tried and lost than never to have tried at all. It is so amazing and disgusting how these GHS haters are so quick to judge her. Of course most of them must be sore losers in life and can.t accept the fact that a young girl can achieve so much early in her life. Judge not and thou shall not be judged.More power to GHS and if she can dance and decides to join Dancing With The Stars ,I'll support her to make these haters blood turns green!!!!!

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Annyeong,
I really love your acting in BOF. Well whatever people says. I for one salute your effort to be the best in everything. Its not easy especially in this line.. Keep up and proof to all you are the best..Love your short film.

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after seeing bof, i am convinced to know more about this actress because she is different from other .. i mean , she has a lot of talents to offer and i think , she can't live without doing nothing when she finds time. I admire her being so industrious and not afraid to explore. Can any one give me the info how to contact her? i want to know her more. Any way, i am a missionary nurse from philippines. Many thanks and God bless!

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