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Literature is different from cinema in that, when I’m writing it, I’m thinking of one reader who will go through a range of emotions with me, whereas with film I’m addressing a larger audience. For me, writing fiction is like writing love letters.

— Lee Chang-dong

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More quotes by Lee Chang-dong

I have to wonder how much obvious messages like ‘justice prevails’ would affect our lives, which leads me to make films that ask questions.

I’ve never made films that delivers messages, nor have I ever felt the urge to make such pieces. I just like to ask questions.

To me, it seems that the world we live in continues to become more and more sophisticated, convenient and cool on the outside, but there are so many problems underneath that we can’t really discern — and that’s the nature of this post-modern world and its problems.

When I used to write novels, I always wrote for one person, for this person who thought and felt the same way as I do. It almost felt like I was writing a love letter to this very specific person who would understand what I’m writing and share the same feelings and thoughts.

I’ve always wanted actors to simply and purely feel the emotions rather than feeling like they have to express them. During the film shoot, I tried to have as much conversation with them as I could about the characters and their circumstances. Having conversation was a more effective way of communication than simply giving directions, and I believe it allowed much more freedom for the actors.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Lee Chang-dong (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.