'Our Body' explores way out at corner of life

Sep 20, 2019

"Our Body" is a film about our body, and how it changes when we run. Rather than emphasizing health, the film explores the metaphor of the human body and how running can change our state of mind and eventually our lives.

"Official poster for film "Our Body&

During the press conference held Tuesday at CGV Yongsan, Han Ga-ram, the director said the idea for the film was born from her own experience studying for an exam to get into a broadcasting company.

"When I saw my friends who work out, I was curious as to why they were so obsessed with it," Han said. "I believed that health was not the only reason that they stuck with it."

Han started to run for herself, and tried to depict her change in the fictional character in the film.

In the film, Ja-young (played by Choi Hee-seo) who is studying and preparing for the Civil Service Examination in her 30s, finds an escape in running, after failing the exam for eight years.

One day, Ja-young meets a runner, Hyun-joo (Ahn Ji-hye) near her house, and joins her running crew, following Hyun-joo as if she is following the white rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland."

Although people around Ja-young worry mostly about her state of employment, Ja-young finds the joy of life through running and building her body, the only thing that she can actually control in her life, after many failures she faced in the society.

Han said the encounter of Ja-young and Hyun-joo was the most important scene in the film.

"I tried to reflect this on screen with extreme close-ups on Hyun-joo's body. I wanted the audience to feel that Hyun-joo was a big figure to Ja-young at that moment, as if Hyun-joo was the whole universe," Han said. "But I also tried to be very careful not to objectify Hyun-joo's body."

The film is also frequently referenced as a film for female rights, however the director said it is more apt to say it is a youth film.

"I wanted to show what kind of worries and burdens my fellow friends had," Han said.

"Someone who has experienced running like Ja-young would be able to sympathize with the story. Anyone with such worries in life do not have to be so aware of other people's eyes. That was the message."

Choi, the lead actress who played Ja-young, also unraveled the behind-the-scenes stories, having to run for lengthy periods of time.

In the film Ja-young bursts into tears after running out of breath trying to keep up with Hyun-joo. "I like sports, but I wasn't exactly a good runner," Choi said. "At first I was worried about whether I could run so many times to shoot this film, but I thought my running level would be appropriate as Ja-young's is an amateur runner herself.

"I had my personal trainer build my body. I started from walking and running for one minute each time. Eventually I was able to run for 30 minutes straight. Like Ja-young, I ran every night, and had to build abs for a scene where Ja-young explores her body."

Choi said it was important for her to follow the emotion of Ja-young and feel the changes that Ja-young went through while her body changed. "I was fine some days and crying all day on others," Choi explained.

Ahn, a supporting actress, said she had a strong impression of the message on their first meeting with the director.

"When we first met, Han said the film does not tell you what to do, but how to live for once in a lifetime. I really agreed with this, and appreciated it for giving me an opportunity to run as much as I can," Ahn said.

The film is officially invited to several film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, Seoul Independent Film Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival Society. The lead actress Choi Hee-seo was awarded "Actress of the year" at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival.

"Our Body" will be released at local theaters on Sept. 26.

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