Actors Song Seung-heon and Cho Yeo-jeong have reunited with director Kim Dae-woo a decade after the 2014 film “Obsessed” for the new mystery thriller “Hidden Face." The film promises to deliver another bold shock to viewers as it delves into the darkest depths of human desire, unraveling the characters' lives through a series of mind-bending plot twists.

“Every person holds different intentions and goodwill, and I wanted to show that the line between good and evil becomes blurry by adding numerous plot twists,” Kim said.


The film, set for release on Nov. 20, follows orchestra conductor Seong-jin as he searches for his missing fiancee Su-yeon, who disappears after leaving a video message. However, his deepest desires start to surface when he encounters Mi-joo and they start to become intimate. Meanwhile, Su-yeon is discovered to be trapped in a locked room in her own house and witnesses a series of shocking events.

Directed by Kim, well-known for his other R-rated films “The Servant” (2010) and “Obsessed,” his latest film features actors Song, portraying Seong-jin, Cho as Su-yeon and Park Ji-hyun as Mi-joo.

The film is also a remake of the Colombian thriller “The Hidden Face” (2011), directed by Andrés Baiz. The Korean director tried to add his own twist to the new version by focusing more on the intentions behind the human actions.

“The main thing I wanted to change was to add the ‘intentions’ of a human — whether they're malicious, good or mischievous. I wanted to make the current settings a little bit more powerful by adding them,” the director said.

He also added that he tried to focus more deeply on the inner complexities of humans compared to his previous films, saying, “[In my previous work,] I thought I needed to add some comedy, but this time, I wanted to take the laughs out and deal with something more serious or more internal.”

Most of Cho's scenes were shot inside a locked room, with Cho saying that she felt "stifled" and physically exhausted from continuously yelling and hitting the walls to make others aware of her presence.

“I would come home with a sore throat after yelling all day,” she said. “As I kept banging on the door, my body began to ache, and yelling took a toll on my voice. So, I remember suffering and groaning every night as I tried to sleep.”

The director also revealed his reason for selecting the two actors again for his film even though a decade had passed since “Obsessed."

“The two actors are performers who will never be diminished. They are two people who I want to respect and also want to be respected by, even when meeting off-screen,” he said. “I thought that with these two actors, I could easily solve any harsh task that I face.”

Song also showed his respect and belief in the director, saying that his first collaboration with Kim was a “turning point” in his acting career and that he was “ready to say yes to whatever project the director proposed.”

“If ‘Hidden Face’ had been recommended by another director, I might have taken more time contemplating on taking the role,” Song said. He added that the audience will see a never-before-seen side of his acting in the movie.

The director strongly emphasized that viewers should see the film in theaters to experience the suspense created by the film's sounds.

“I paid a lot of attention to the film’s sounds,” director Kim said. “So, I believe that experiencing this visual shock and immersion in a grand soundscape will be a much more entertaining experience than viewing it on a small screen or with limited audio equipment.”

“I also focused heavily on the variation and impact of the sounds coming from both inside and outside the locked room,” he added. “I think that the audience will have a truly shocking sound experience when seeing it in theaters.”

Cho also agreed that the film should be watched in a theater. “The film truly suits the season of November and December. So, I hope everyone comes to the theater to receive a cinematic experience through our film,” she said.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]