Cannes

On the fourth day of this 60th Festival, South Korean cineaste Kim Ki-duk returns to Cannes to present Breath in the Competition selection. His film The Bow was one of the highlights of the 2005 Un Certain Regard section. This time, Ki-duk tells the story of a prisoner condemned to death. He is visited by a woman who feels neglected by her husband, and she falls in love with him.

With this drama revolving around jealousy, unhappiness, and the lack of love, Kim Ki-duk is  "referring indirectly to a difficult relationship with Korean society. I concentrated on individuals. What interested me was to show how human beings utterly fail to communicate."

Press conference:

The crew of Breath, the South Korean film presented in Competition this Saturday May 19, fielded questions from the international press. Director Kim Ki-duk appeared with actress Zia, actors Chang Chen and Kang In-hyung, and the film's co-producer, Song Myung-chul. Excerpts follow:

Kim Ki-duk, on his intentions: "In this film, I concentrated on the individual personalities. What interested me was to bring out the incommunicability of human beings. In fact, the film is an indirect reference to my difficulties with Korean society, and the way that my films often try to express the inexpressible, something that is apparently impossible."

Kim Ki-duk, on the Korean film industry: "I'm afraid that in Korean cinema, style and form are not the top priorities. The most important thing about Korean films is for there to be truth, something deeper. That's the thing that moves and excites foreign audiences, I think."

Kim Ki-duk, on what inspires him: "The first thing that comes to my mind when I make a film is not an idea. Instead, it's a vision, a vision of society. It usually reflects what I feel about the society around me."

Chang Chen, on his silent part: "Breath is my first Korean film. This was a very different role for me, because I didn't have any lines. I apprehended that, like a real challenge. I worked a lot on the psychological side of my character. I had to use my body to communicate feelings."

Kang In-hyung, on his own experience: "I'm at the beginning of my acting career. I was very happy to work with Kim Ki-duk and Chang Chen. Working with Chang Chen was very special: we don't speak the same language, and so communication was pretty difficult, in the beginning. He helped me a lot, using his eyes. He has very powerful and profound eyes."