Actor and director Ha Jung-woo revealed that he didn’t worry about censorship while directing the bold film ‘Neighbors from Upstairs.’
On the afternoon of the 2nd, Ha Jung-woo, who both directed and starred in the film ‘Neighbors from Upstairs,’ met with Xportsnews at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The movie ‘Neighbors from Upstairs’ depicts the unpredictable story of the upstairs couple (Ha Jung-woo and Lee Ha-nee) and the downstairs couple (Gong Hyo-jin and Kim Dong-wook) having an overnight dinner together due to constant noise from above every night.
Ha Jung-woo plays Mr. Kim, a high school Chinese teacher with a significant private life, collaborating with Lee Ha-nee to capture the overly energetic upstairs couple’s dynamics.
The film ‘Neighbors from Upstairs,’ which doesn’t shy away from portraying the intimate lives of married couples, is restricted for adults only.
With an age restriction, success at the box office becomes more challenging. However, Ha Jung-woo stated, “There was no choice,” as he elevated the intensity beyond the original Spanish film.
He explained, “As a director, that seemed like the right decision. Although you have to consider and compromise on the rating from a business perspective, there was an innocent belief from a pure director’s standpoint to see it through to the end.”
Regarding the buzz about it being rated 19+, he added, “Being highlighted online as such is something that will improve over time.”
Ha Jung-woo, who does not consider ‘Neighbors from Upstairs’ a sex comedy, expressed, “The film’s relationship recovery and drama from the original were excellent. The depth and resonance of the drama seemed to stem from the understanding and recovery in the couples’ emotions. Maintaining this was the challenge.”
Ha Jung-woo adapted the simple original more boldly, adding his personal touch.
“I didn’t worry about censoring the intensity and saw it through to the end. Although some may find it unsettling, the upstairs couple is a fantasy-like character,” he stated. “The fun lies in seeing the realistic reactions of the downstairs couple to such (extreme) remarks.”
He explained the choice to use bold dialogue, saying, “In the film, Kim Dong-wook is utterly dumbfounded, while Gong Hyo-jin tries to accommodate as a guest. Such (intense) dialogue was necessary for these reactions.”
‘Neighbors from Upstairs’ is an adult film without any nudity. Ha Jung-woo remarked, “I thought Gong Hyo-jin’s nudity was unnecessary. For instance, a scene with Hyo-jin basking in sunlight in the nude is not needed in our film. I couldn’t convince Hyo-jin either. I felt it would earn a ’19’ rating without it,” he said, raising expectations for the work.
‘Neighbors from Upstairs’ releases on the 3rd.
Image source: By4M Studio
