Fascinating drama that lures moviegoers with complex moral themes this fall

SEOUL, Oct 16 (AJP) – Filmmaker Heo Jin-ho’s latest film “A Normal Family” will attract many moviegoers this fall with its exciting story of ethical constraints.

The family drama, which hit theaters on Wednesday, centers on two wealthy parents who struggle to come to terms with a crime committed by their teenage children.

Based on the Dutch novel “The Dinner” by Herman Koch, the Korean adaptation debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last month and caught the attention of foreign audiences.

“There is always something in films that emotionally connects people from different cultures,” Heo said late last month at a press event in Seoul, attended by leading actors such as Sul Kyung-gu, Jang Dong-gun and Soo-hyun, Better known as Claudia Kim.

“The film was also invited to several other international film festivals, where audiences from different countries showed similar reactions,” Heo said. “Most of the audience initially appeared light-hearted, but the laughter gradually faded from their faces as the story became more intense.”

Jang nodded and recalled his surprise at Canadian moviegoers’ reactions to some hooky scenes of witty Korean humor during the film’s screening at TIFF. “I’m curious to see how Korean viewers who understand every subtle nuance of the Korean language would react to it,” he said.

 

As the title of the novel on which the film is based suggests, three different dinner scenes in which two brothers and their wives regularly meet once a month at a fancy restaurant are the focus of the film and convey what the film might be aiming for to discuss.

The director said he took great care when filming these scenes to capture every detail, even the smallest facial expressions of the actors. They clearly illustrate the complexities of human nature by contrasting the moral dilemmas that perplexed parents face when deciding what is best for themselves and their children – handing them over to the police or turning a blind eye to their crime closed, which leads to completely different consequences.

“The character I played is constantly calculating the best option for himself in a difficult situation instead of prioritizing what the right thing is,” said Sul, who portrayed a cool lawyer. “But I don’t even want to imagine something like that happening to me in real life.”

Jang, who took on the role of an upstanding doctor, said, “We all may know what’s right… but I have no idea what to do when faced with such a situation.”

When asked what inspired him to call the film “A Normal Family,” Heo said he wanted to question whether the family’s attitudes and behaviors in the film were “normal in such unusual situations.”

Whether it reflects the director’s intent or not, the film’s teaser poster piques curiosity with a provocative question like “What would you do if your child committed murder?”

“Some may think this terrible thing won’t happen to them, but you never know what life will bring,” he said.