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The Korea Times

By Baek Byung-yeul
Acclaimed Korean director Bong Joon-ho said his coming film Mickey 17, starring British actor Robert Pattinson, aims to convey that human nature persists even in the face of extreme adversity.
Adapted from Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey7, the sci-fi film revolves around Mickey (Pattinson), a disposable clone sent on perilous missions who is regenerated after each death.
The narrative intensifies when Mickey’s 18th version is mistakenly created while Mickey 17 is still alive, leading to a series of unexpected events.


The movie also stars Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun and Naomi Ackie in prominent roles.
“In Mickey 17, we see people who assign all dangerous, potentially fatal tasks to a single Mickey without feeling any guilt. In Korea, we’ve had people die because of accidents in industrial sites.
“I’m not sure how much working conditions have improved, but someone else is now doing those jobs. In the movie, they repeat that to one Mickey. There’s a sadness that comes from that.
“If I had to summarise this situation in one word, it would be ‘expendable’,” Bong said in an interview.

“Mickey faces harsh conditions and contempt but at the end of the film he remains unbroken. That’s the message I wanted to convey. I hope it offers a small consolation to those who watch the film.”
Bong recently premiered the film at the Berlin International Film Festival, attracting attention from movie fans and journalists from around the world.
In Berlin and later in Paris, the most common question he received from reporters was about the dictator character played by Ruffalo, which reminded many of current political figures.
I’ve been asked many times if I felt pressure about the new work, but I haven’t felt any
Bong Joon-ho
“I want to emphasise once again that I completed writing the screenplay for this film in September 2021,” he said with a laugh, adding that he did not try to match the character to any currently active politicians.
“European journalists asked many questions about Mark Ruffalo’s character. It seems the world is quite similar. People seem to have projected their own negative political experiences onto this film. This is part of what makes movies interesting. The audience response was also positive.”
He expressed that meeting Pattinson was fortunate, as the actor excellently portrayed the dual roles of Mickey 17 and Mickey 18.
“While filming, Rob [Pattinson] improvised many unexpected lines as Mickey 18. I was very grateful for that,” the director said.

“Mickey 18 has an aggressive personality, but gradually, he grows to want to protect Mickey 17. Rob did an excellent job of portraying this internal change in the character.”
Despite Mickey 17 being Bong’s first film in six years since Parasite (2019), which won numerous awards including the Palme d’Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival and best picture at the 92nd Academy Awards, the director said he felt no pressure.
“Actually, this year’s Berlin International Film Festival also requested Mickey 17 for the competition section, but I did not want anything more in terms of awards. We wanted to give other works a chance in the competition section, so we said we’d like to screen this film in the non-competitive gala,” he said.
“When Quentin Tarantino won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for Pulp Fiction (1994), he was around 31. I was already in my fifties when I received various awards for Parasite.
“At that time, I felt like I had two selves. One self was saying, ‘This is crazy’ from a distance, while the other self was going through the schedule of attending ceremonies, receiving awards.
“I’ve been asked many times if I felt pressure about the new work, but I haven’t felt any. I’ve been continuously working on other projects as well, so it feels like I’ve been working continuously.”

Bong is already working on two new projects – an animated film about deep-sea fish, and a horror-action film set in Seoul.
In addition, the director expressed interest in making a biographical film about a historical figure, citing the recently released Harbin, which deals with Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun, who fought against imperial Japan in the 1900s.
“Watching Harbin, I could feel its cinematic quality. Meeting a person with noble spirit in our chaotic modern society gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.
“There are some figures I’m interested in, and I’m reading biographies of several people. I might be able to tell you more about it around the time the new animation is released,” he said.

Amid changing audience habits with streaming and short-form content, Bong emphasised the irreplaceable experience of watching movies in cinemas.
“I watch a lot of YouTube videos and streaming content, too. It’s not about which format is good or bad, but I think cinemas have their own value.
“The thrill felt on a big screen, the subtle expressions of actors, the excitement of waiting for a film’s release and watching with others on a big screen – these shouldn’t be considered old-fashioned traditions, but rather the most powerful experience that movies can still offer,” Bong said.
Read the full story at The Korea Times.


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