Park Chan-wook: ‘Too much violence and nudity would have overwhelmed the audience’

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “If there’s too much violence and nudity, it would completely overwhelm the audience and dominate their impression of the film.” Park knows – and to an extent, he understands – that it can be hard for viewers to notice the quivering core of his work when it is surrounded, as it often is, by soft flesh and exposed bones. For a film in which the apex of sexual tension is sharing ChapStick, “even applying lotion to someone’s hand can become very erotic”, says Park. “I could never have imagined Korean pop culture would go beyond Korean borders and really win the hearts of the world.” When Park first started making films, his ambitions were almost unbelievably modest. “I really had to have a strong determination and courage to make it,” recalls Park, explaining exactly how his political thriller was in violation of South Korea’s National Security Act, which still forbids the “positive” representation of North Korean people.