The industry has needed a proper feel-good flick for a long time. Not just the bittersweet, but the genuine, wholeheartedness of a story designed to relight some hope in humanity. The Taiwanese hit romance Hear Me did this over a decade ago, and recently got its much-anticipated Korean redo. After its Italian premiere at the Udine Far East Film Festival, we caught the geniuses behind the work: Jo Seon-ho, a creative and flexible director not afraid of making necessary changes along the way, and the efficient and straightforward Kim Jae-joong, producer and mastermind behind the remake. 

Jo and Kim are a creative power duo; once they joined hands on production, they remarkably faced no conflicts in decision making, and Jo’s undertaking of a directorial role helped fill in the missing pieces. Surprisingly, the latter was originally just a script doctor on the film: hired to revise scripts. The director’s history of purely darker-toned films of horror and mystery cannot be sniffed out at all in Hear Me: Our Summer, demonstrating his dynamic potential as a new voice in the film industry. Kim is also not one to be typecast, as romance is just one genre in a whole pool of others he’s dabbled in. 

In a deep dive that neared half an hour, the two shared their most insightful anecdotes on filmmaking, from abrupt changes to actors’ own contributions to the story. Devoted to honesty, both stumbled over the occasional hard question but offered their most profound take, with a few surprising nuggets of info spilled along the way.

View of the Arts: Congratulations on the Italian premiere of Hear Me: Our Summer. While we get to know these characters, the viewers spend so long with Yeo-reum, thinking that she is a hard-of-hearing person. Then there’s a really surprising twist at the end, where it turns out she actually could hear the entire time. What was the reason behind choosing to tell the story this way, ending it with such a surprise?

Jo Seon-ho: The biggest reason is, of course, because the original does something similar in revealing the twist at the end, and there’s a lot of misunderstanding that goes on in the story. While thinking about making the remake, we were wondering if we should change this or not. For two reasons, we didn’t: one is because we respect the original story, and the second is that we also thought those who were watching it would mostly be people who could hear. And so their misunderstanding in the film reflects that of this group in actual social settings as well.

VOA: Right! You mentioned that you were thinking the majority would be those who can hear. So, who do you think this film would most impactfully be watched by: those who are hard of hearing, or those who can hear but are ignorant of the struggles they face?

JSH: The unfortunate reality is that with all kinds of content – drama, TV, film, anything visual – the majority of the audience is those who can actually hear. And because of that, our target audience is also those who can hear, so anything that would have entertainment value focuses on that group. It’s really unfortunate for those who cannot hear; what we try to do for them only comes after the production, which is through our barrier-free screenings. I feel it’s too bad that we cannot do something more. The film is through the viewpoint of those who can hear, but I do want to emphasise that there is a forgotten viewpoint that many don’t realise.

VOA: Don’t you also feel that it’ll have a positive impact on those who maybe had these ignorant views beforehand and will now have more empathy towards people like the characters in the film?

JSH: Yes, yes. The fact is that with any film dealing with hearing-impaired characters, this is a major conflict, of course. But I’m more focused on the relationship between human and human. The disability is just a part of this person. It’s not about the hearing impairment itself.

VOA: That makes sense. I was surprised to hear that the ending with the reveal of Yeo-reum being a person of hearing was actually in the original Taiwanese film. So, something I want to ask is, what was the most significant change between this film and the one it was based on? Why did you feel it was better suited to Korean cinema?

JSH: Compared to the original, I think there are two big changes. The original was more focused on the woman and the man’s relationship, but I put more weight on the story of the sister, as well as the mum and family. The second difference is that I tried to make the characters put in the effort to understand each other’s perspectives. So, for example, there’s a scene where Yong-jun covers his ears while walking to experience what it’s like to be hearing impaired, and there’s a scene where Yeo-reum jumps into water to see what it really feels like to be underwater as well. So the focus is a little bit different in that sense, and luckily, our audience understood our intention very well.

VOA: Yes, I remember at the screening of the film, you mentioned that this is a film, to you, about understanding each other.

JSH: Yes, I did!

VOA: So, between yourselves, were there any differences of opinion in the production process?

Kim Jae-joong: We don’t fight! We’re best friends! [Laughs]

JSH: Initially, producer Kim was the one who was preparing the project before I got on board. There was an issue with the writing; he got stuck a little bit, and he was looking for someone to take on the role of director. He asked me if there was something I’d want to do, and I answered honestly and said, “I’m not good at everything, but these are some of the ideas that I have that I want to try.” And when I suggested these options and asked if they were okay, producer Kim actually said, “Yes, that’s the exact approach I wanted to take too.” He genuinely liked my ideas. So in short, I guess, until the end of the shoot, we had trust in each other, our views were aligned, we were able to finish shooting, release it, and here we are.

VOA: That’s lovely! Something so impressive about the film is the leads’ performances in sign language, especially as actors who previously didn’t have experience in this area. How long did it take them to perfect this performance, and did you know from the beginning that you wanted to cast non-deaf actors?

KJJ: The issue is that there are not many actors with hearing impairment or disability in Korea, and even fewer in the age bracket of these characters. That’s the restriction. So we thought about casting actors who could hear from the beginning, and we cast the best from that age group. They took six months of training in sign language, and they worked really hard and tried their best to express realistic portrayals of those with hearing impairment. The motions of sign language are, of course, important, but what’s very important is the way people show their emotions on their faces. These actors were able to put on a very natural and convincing performance because they could control their expressions well.

VOA: Obviously, it’s a film without a lot of dialogue, so they really have to express themselves through facial expressions, emotions, and their bodies as well, to compensate. Was this something you especially directed them to do? Or was it something that came naturally to them as they read the script (or lack thereof)?

JSH: As producer Kim said, sign language and acting are very similar in nature because they both use the body to express themselves. It’s actually kind of fun for an actor to take on roles like these, and it’s easier. They’re prone to learning it more easily than other people.

VOA: That’s interesting.

JSH: Yes. As the director, I asked them to do precise expressions in the beginning. But it turns out that was the wrong approach, because sign language is not about that. You have to think about the face and all the gestures as well. So I decided to change direction. Along with my cinematographer, we talked about framing the shoot so their arms could be seen. But we realised we were missing their expressions because we were too far away from the subject’s face. So we decided to focus more on the faces, even if some parts might have their arms – and thus sign language – cut out.

VOA: I noticed that while watching. This is why I personally suspected that this was more of a film for those who can hear, because in certain scenes, you can maybe see that their hands are moving, but it’s out of frame. You can only see their faces.

Moving on to a very different topic, another thing I noticed in the film was that Yeo-reum wears a lot of yellow in almost every scene. She’s wearing this pale, sunny yellow colour. I wonder—was there any significance to this styling choice?

JSH: In terms of styling choices, I applied a lot of each actor’s own interpretation of their character. For example, Yeo-reum means “summer” in Korean, so the image of summer is embodied in her character. She’s someone passionate and hard-working, so when Roh Yoon-seo took this and applied it to her character, she thought that yellow would be suitable. It was she who chose the colour yellow, and we, of course, agreed with her.

VOA: Was the smile – her sign-name – Roh Yoon-seo’s choice as well?

JSH: It’s from the original. Although Roh Yoon-seo is very famous for her charming smile, it actually fits the character perfectly.

VOA: Yes, especially with the use of the colour yellow as well; it’s a very sunny colour, and a smile is sunny.

In your opinion, then, what is the kindest thing a person can say without words?

KJJ: It’s a hard question. To understand the other person, I’d really look at them and make appropriate eye contact. (Laughs.) In films or dramas these days from Korea, people in their 20s are often portrayed as wild, promiscuous, and perhaps rude. In this film, we really wanted to say that this is not true all the time, and when casting the characters, we relied on the actors because they are such people. You can just tell from their faces that they’re kind people.

JSH: It’s a difficult question. [Laughs]

VOA: Yes, it’s a fun question!

JSH: This is somewhat of a simple question in a way because we all know the answer. I think one has to be sincere with their feelings. Without having the intention to do so, it comes out in your facial expressions or your body. Whatever you’re thinking or feeling, the others can see that kindness when you have it inside you. Even if the other person cannot see you, if you have those thoughts and feelings, they can feel it. As long as you’re sincere. That’s the most important thing.

Written and interviewed by Maddie Armstrong

Image courtesy of Alice BL Durigatto

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}