Interview with Director Lee Mi-rang on Concerning My Daughter
By Park Ju-yeon
Published: October 30, 2023
Translated by Julie Leigh
Back in late 2017 or early
2018, I dove into a novel that everyone seemed to be talking about—Concerning
My Daughter by Kim Hye-jin, published by Minumsa. The story is told from
the perspective of a woman in her 60s who’s trying to come to terms with her
daughter being a lesbian, all while living together with her daughter and her
daughter’s girlfriend. To be honest, reading it was tough. The mother’s words
and thoughts just kept hitting me hard, and it made me stop and think, “Do I
really need to understand her this much?” I appreciated how the novel tackled
big issues like elder care, the struggles of care workers, the precarious lives
of adjunct lecturers, queer life, and the right to form a family. But, the
mother’s point of view almost overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t figure out why.
In the
film Concerning My Daughter, the mother, played by O Min-ae, stares out of the
car window. (Source: ATO Inc., the production company)
The film adaptation of Concerning My Daughter premiered at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which was held from the 4th to the 10th of October. It closely follows the narrative of the original novel, yet, this time, the film introduces us to the lives of the mother, her daughter Green, Green’s partner Lane, and Jehui, [an elderly woman] whom the mother takes care of, all through a new cinematic lens. While the film, like the book, centers around the mother’s experiences, watching it unfold on screen allowed me to process her story with a sense of calmness that I hadn’t expected. This shift in perception made me wonder: Was it the physical distance the screen provided that made the difference, or have I changed since reading the novel? It seemed that, through the film, I was able to understand the mother’s heart a little.
Feeling brave, I decided to
pick up the book again. Diving back into the story, I realized that all the
characters are living “queer” lives in their own ways—even the mother, with her
harsh words towards her daughter. The film adaptation of Concerning My
Daughter sheds light on the lives of four women, each navigating—willingly
or unwillingly—unique paths away from what society deems normal. Yet, their
lives, while distinct, share common threads.
Concerning My Daughter has made quite the splash in
the film scene. At BIFF, it captured the CGV Award and the Actor of
the Year award in the women’s category (for O Min-ae, who plays the mother). It
also won the Queer Camellia Award, a prestigious accolade given to outstanding
LGBTQ+ themed films, in the feature film category.
So what inspired Director Lee
Mi-rang to bring this novel to the big screen? I’m eager to learn more about
her approach to depicting highly debated issues in Korea like care rights,
labor rights, and the right to form a family.
On the
set of Concerning My Daughter, Director Lee Mi-rang looks deeply focused.
(Source: ATO Inc., the production company)
- How did you feel when first reading Concerning My Daughter?
Kim Hye-jin and I both studied
creative writing at the same institution, though she was a year behind me. I
knew of her talent in writing from those days, so I’d read everything she
published since her debut. So I also read Concerning My Daughter, and I
was struck by her ability to capture the nuanced emotions of a woman in her 60s
so vividly. I was
particularly captivated by the mother character. As a single woman living on my
own, I know the feelings of solitude and the sense of lack that come with it.
In addition, there’s my career path in the film industry, fraught with
uncertainties about the future, and my position as an adjunct lecturer, which makes
it hard to secure a loan from banks. As a woman who lives alone, I have to work
constantly to make a living… These personal experiences make me understand the
mother’s concerns for her daughter, Green, on a deeper level.
- I understand ATO Inc., the
production company, acquired the publishing rights for the novel before you
were brought onto the project.
I knew Jae Jeongjoo, the
producer, through the [famous] director Lee Chang-dong. One day, Jae reached
out with the proposition of adapting the novel into a film. I’ve always admired
Kim Hye-jin’s writing and the novel resonated with me deeply. Sure, the thought
of taking on such a project was a bit daunting, but somehow, I felt ready for
it.
Timing truly is everything when
it comes to making choices in life, isn’t it? After my college years, I spent
three years writing a franchise film. Franchises demand
considerable investment and, unfortunately, things didn’t work out as I had
envisioned, which led to a sense of burnout. It was during this period that
Jae’s call came through. The timing was impeccable.
 |
| In the film Concerning My Daughter, the mother, played by O Min-ae, is poised to wake her daughter Green, played by Lim Semi, who is asleep in bed. (Source: ATO Inc., the production company) |
- You adapted the novel yourself, didn’t you?
I learned about filmmaking from
Lee Chang-dong, who is known for his adaptations like Secret Sunshine
and Burning. Watching his films, I realized that having an original
source shouldn’t limit my ability to tell my own story. My background in
creative writing has also taught me to appreciate the differences between
screenplay writing and literary prose. Understanding these differences turned
out to be helpful for adapting a story for the screen. Adaptation can take many
forms, but I personally strive to stay true to the original text. While some
talented directors, including Lee, might focus on preserving only the theme of
the original and creatively diverge in their storytelling, I haven’t developed
that level of competence yet. So, I focus on translating the original narrative
into a cinematic framework.
- Some will view this film as a
narrative centered on women, others as a family drama, and yet others as a
queer story. My interpretation leans more decidedly towards it being a queer
film. This perspective isn’t solely because the plot involves lesbian characters;
the lives of the mother and Jehui are portrayed as queer in their own ways.
Initially, I saw the story as an exploration of the dynamics between queer and
non-queer individuals, aiming for mutual understanding. However, after watching
the film and revisiting the novel, I’ve come to see it as a narrative focused
on the struggles of queer individuals.
Upon my first reading of the
novel, I felt it transcended being merely ‘concerning a daughter.’ In some
ways, it seemed to be about the mother, in others about the daughter Green, about
Lane, or Jehui, eventually unfolding into a story that concerns us all. This
universality is what drew me to adapt it. During a post-screening discussion at the BIFF, the moderator,
Song Kyung-won, a film journalist at Cine21, described the film as “concerning difference.” That insight was
revelatory for me.
"Queer" is a
multifaceted term, but if we understand it as embodying deviation from the
norm, then all characters in the film embody queerness in their own ways. Take,
for example, how the mother interacts with Jehui. It’s rare to see someone
engage with someone outside their family as fervently as she does with Jehui.
She does so because she understands that she and Green could one day find
themselves in similar circumstances. Likewise, when Green stands up for a
colleague who was unjustly dismissed even though it wasn’t directly her issue, her
solidarity is not just about the colleague but also about herself. Thus, the
film discusses our differences but also underscores how these stories could
belong to any of us. For me, that’s where the film’s impact comes from. Queerness may seem different
(from me), but it can also become my story.
I was somewhat taken aback
during the discussion by how the audience shared their personal experiences in
relation to the film. Some mentioned, “My grandmother also had a cognitive
disorder and would constantly search for her bag, just like Jehui in the film,”
or “Being a social worker, I’m concerned about caregiving work.” Hearing these
personal reflections helped me see the unintentional mirror effect of the film.
Watching it with my family, I observed my mother and sisters connecting with
the characters. Despite living what many would consider ‘normal’ lives, they
found aspects of their own experiences reflected in the film. This ability to
resonate so personally, I believe, speaks to the profound impact of cinema.
In the
film Concerning My Daughter, the mother, played by O Min-ae, clips the
toenails of Jehui, played by Heo Jin, who lies in a nursing home bed. (Source:
ATO Inc., the production company)
- This film is also about women’s labor and caregiving. The portrayal of the mother’s labor as a care worker, in particular, is something that stands out to me.
Before we started shooting, I
spent time with Kim Eunju, the author of I’m a Care Worker of the Gods,
to gather insights. She is an actual in-home care worker. However, I must
admit, the film may not fully capture the harsh realities of care work,
including the intricacies and challenges of the job. This discrepancy made me
uneasy, as I felt we were depicting a somewhat fabricated version of reality.
Moreover, I carry a sense of guilt regarding the portrayal of Jehui, because I feel
we might have oversimplified individuals with cognitive disorders. The
franchise movie I mentioned working on before was related to a psychiatric
hospital, and so while writing it I met with many people with cognitive
disorders, which offered me a firsthand look at their lives and symptoms. Because
of that experience, I know that Jehui’s portrayal in the film is more polished than what you might find in
reality.
In the film, the nursing home
is portrayed as much more upscale than what you’d typically find. It’s a known
fact that most homes aren’t this lavish. Also, in the movie, the mother leaves
her hair down, which doesn’t reflect actual care settings since having hair
untied could lead to it being grabbed. I’m aware these details do not align
with reality. My aim was to adjust the portrayal to lower the psychological
barriers for the audience, believing that too stark a representation of reality
could be off-putting. Although I grapple with the fact that we didn’t capture
the full extent of reality, feedback from viewers has been positive. They
appreciated the spotlight on caregiving labor. This has led me to understand
this topic is not often explored in mass media.
- I’m curious about what
happened behind the scenes. Which scene was the toughest to shoot?
One particularly challenging
scene was when a recreation instructor visits the nursing home where Jehui lives.
While the other elderly residents seem to be having a great time, Jehui does
not, which affects the mother. Interestingly, the instructor isn’t an actor but
a genuine recreation instructor. I had envisioned this scene as the film’s
opening, so I invested a lot in it, including the use of many actors and
cameras. Shooting this scene was quite demanding, but in the end, it wasn’t
chosen as the opening scene. There were several scenes like this, that either
didn’t end up being used as intended or didn’t even make it into the final cut.
Independent filmmaking comes with financial constraints, so I was particularly
cautious about where to allocate resources—but ironically, it turned out that all
scenes into which we poured the most resources were the ones we didn’t use.
(laughs) It seems to be a sort of curse in the industry; many directors fall
into this trap, and it turns out I wasn’t an exception. (laughs)
- Then, what’s your favorite
scene?
One that doesn’t appear in the
original novel. It’s where the mother goes to the foundation office Jehui
established and confronts them, asking, “How could you treat Jehui like this?”
An employee there challenges her involvement, wondering, “Why are you so
involved? Did Jehui tell you she has hidden assets or something?” The scene
then transitions to a noodle shop, where the mother sits down to a bowl of
noodles. I like this scene the most.
This noodle shop scene came
about quite by chance. [Producer] Jae, a cinematographer, and I stumbled upon
this small noodle shop while scouting for a location to represent the
foundation’s office. Despite its unassuming appearance, the food was really good.
Over a bowl of noodles, I was inspired to include this scene in the film. It’s
not often I make such impromptu decisions, but in that moment, I could imagine
the mother’s emotions. After going out of her way for Jehui, only to have her
motives questioned, I felt her mix of indignation and hurt would find some
solace in the simple act of eating noodles. There’s something cinematic about
that.
In the
film Concerning My Daughter, Green, played by Lim Semi, and Lane, played by Ha
Yoon-Kyung, walk side by side, jointly carrying a watermelon. (Source: ATO
Inc., the production company)
After wrapping up the shoot, I
had an epiphany. My drive to bring this novel to the screen wasn’t, in fact,
rooted in its pages but in the author’s note. Kim Hye-jin wrote in her note, “I
believed that understanding someone is beyond our reach. Yet, the refusal to
give up on connecting with others kept haunting me.” She expressed a desire to
explore this tenacity, which really resonated with me. We often dismiss others
with phrases like “What do you know?” or “How could you understand?” But the
effort to comprehend carries profound significance. And without it, life would
be significantly harder.
Today, the act of trying to understand,
not just minority groups but everyone around us, seems to be less common. So
many people feel isolated. There’s still a yearning for connection, for someone
to extend a hand, yet often, no one does. However, this novel seeks to bridge
that gap, and I realized we
need more stories like this.
It made me ask, “Despite feeling lonely myself, how often have I truly tried to
understand someone else? Am I engaging in empathy?” This film comes out as a
response to those reflections. While novels are a powerful medium, films, with
their visual and public appeal, can inspire a broader audience to contemplate
and embrace empathy. Through adapting this novel, I aspired to nudge viewers
towards a deeper engagement with the world around them.
- After watching the film, I
find myself reflecting more on the mother’s heart. It also occurred to me that
it would be good to watch this film with my own mother.
It’s really heartening to hear
that. Inspiring people to think of others is precisely what this film aims for.
If this film manages to redirect attention from ourselves to understanding the
hearts of others, then it’s done what it set out to do. My brother-in-law, who’s
a typical forty-something and usually only interested in Marvel movies, watched
this film at BIFF and said he’d like to see it again with his parents. I was
happy to see the needle of his heart move, even just a little. It gave me a lot
of comfort.
- I hope more people get the
chance to watch this film. Could you tell us about any future plans for it?
The film is set to be screened
at the Seoul Independent Film Festival, which is running from November 30th to
December 8th. As for a theatrical release, that’s still up in the air. Naturally,
I’d love for it to hit theaters, but it’s hard to say how things will unfold at
this point.
- The actors in the film, like
O Min-ae (the mother), Lim Semi (Green), and Ha Yoon-Kyung (Lane), are getting
more attention these days. Do you think their growing fame might give the film
a boost towards a wide release? (laughs)
I certainly hope so. From what
I understand, there are plans for a showing of O Min-ae’s movies next year, and
if the timing aligns well, there might be a chance for this film to hit
theaters too. But predicting a theatrical release can be quite tricky. I have
faith that Jae and ATO Inc., our production company, will put their best
efforts into making it happen. (laughs)
*Original article: https://www.ildaro.com/9756
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