2024-04-17 07:25:03
First episode of HBO’s ‘Sympathy’ series released
Dramatic story – gorgeous mise-en-scene
The American HBO drama ‘The Sympathizer’, for which director Park Chan-wook directed the entire production, script, and directing process as co-show runner, was released in Korea through Coupang Play on the 15th. Director Park directly adapted the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. This is director Park’s first work after winning the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival for ‘Decision to Break Up’ (2022) and his second series.
‘Sympathizer’ begins in 1975, when the Vietnam War was nearing its end. The main character is a captain (Hoa Shonday) who serves a South Vietnamese general. But his identity is much more complicated. Born to a French father and Vietnamese mother, he lives with contempt as a ‘mixed dog’. Originally from North Vietnam, he fled to the south as a child, but was noticed by an agent of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and began working as an intelligence agent. As a result, he comes to study in the United States, and both admiration and hatred for America take root in his heart. After returning to Vietnam, he serves a South Vietnamese general and acts as a double agent providing information to North Vietnam.
Episode 1, released on the 15th, depicts the dramatic process of a captain serving as a double agent and boarding a transport plane bound for the United States just before the fall of Saigon.
Director Park said, “When I first read the original novel ‘The Sympathizer,’ it was like watching fireworks. He said, “I got the impression that the expressions and writing style were very colorful and noisy.” He said, “The scene in episode 1 where the runway is bombed and engulfed in flames when the main character is trying to escape South Vietnam was inspired by that feeling.” Nguyen, the original author, said, “When I wrote ‘The Sympathizer,’ I wrote it while thinking about the images from Director Park’s movie ‘Old Boy.’ “Director Park is the right person to perfectly dramatize my novel,” he said.
In episode 1, Director Park’s unique directing style stands out. As his work values color and mise-en-scène, the drama is infused with red and yellow colors reminiscent of Vietnam. Even in the grave situation where South Vietnam falls and the main character flees, elements of director Park’s black comedy are embedded.
Actor Robert Downey Jr., who became a hot topic by playing four roles in this work, played the elderly CIA agent Claude in the first episode. ‘Sympathizer’ has a total of 7 episodes, one of which is released every Monday.
Reporter Choi Ji-seon [email protected]
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2024-04-17 07:25:03