Korean director Yeon Sang-ho credits mother for inspiring new film 'Paradise Lost'
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- Yeon Sang-ho, the prolific Korean filmmaker behind the hits "Colony" (2026), "The Ugly" (2025) and "Train to Busan" (2016), said Friday his latest film, "Paradise Lost," was inspired by a three-page story penned by his own mother.
"Paradise Lost" is a psychological thriller that follows the unsettling reunion between So-young (Kim Hyun-joo) and her son Sun-woo (Bae Hyun-sung), who was presumed to have died in a school bus accident nine years ago.
"I have said this before, but my mother is very fond of me. One day, while I was visiting her, she said she was worried that screenwriting was too difficult for me. I told her it was not and that anyone could write," Yeon said at a press conference in Seoul.
"On my next visit, she showed me a three-page story she had written, which became the basis for 'Paradise Lost.' I was not sure how it would work out, so I bought it from her at a discount," the director jokingly said, adding the film was based on the third and final version of the screenplay he developed based on her note.
Yeon, who explored a father-son relationship in his low-budget film "The Ugly," continues with his dystopian exploration of the human psyche by focusing on a mother-son relationship in "Paradise Lost," calling the film one of his darkest to date.
The film, which also navigates the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in human life, portrays So-young's inner conflict as she finds her real son different from the perfect and younger version of himself she recreated using AI.
This image, provided by Wowpoint and CJ ENM, shows a poster for the Korean film "Paradise Lost." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
As the title of the film suggests, Yeon said the screenplay was also inspired by British poet John Milton's classic epic poem of the same name.
"I wanted to tell a story of acquiring human identity after leaving a perfect paradise and entering an imperfect world," the director said, adding he tried to contrast memories preserved in a perfect state, with the help of technology, with imperfect human choices.
Noting that "Paradise Lost" is his second low-budget project, Yeon said the production model allowed him, the cast and the crew to work in a more relaxed atmosphere, with less pressure on investment returns.
At the same time, the director, who has worked across low-budget films, commercial films and even the Japanese Netflix series "Human Vapor" in the past few years, said he feels reinvigorated each time he starts a new project.
While each format comes with its own difficulties, that ironically makes moving on to another format feel more refreshing, he said, adding he has encouraged other commercial film directors to foray into low-budget projects.
"I cannot even imagine stopping. I feel as though I relieve the stress of work through more work," he said.
"Paradise Lost" is set for release Oct. 21.
mlee@yna.co.kr
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