Park Nouri's “Gangnam B-Side” searches for humanity in a cruel world

Seoul's Gangnam district has become synonymous with flaunting wealth and extravagant spending, but it also has a dark side, one of which is the Disney+ TV series Gangnam Side B explore. Set in a club scene, this Korean drama exploits, abuses and brutalizes unsupported teenagers. Detective Kang Dong-woo, played by Jo Woo-jin, searches for his teenage daughter here and eventually gets help from low-life mediator Yoon Gil-ho, played by Ji Chang-wook.

When director Park Nouri first read a draft of the script, the story seemed so intense and violent that she wondered if she could live with the project. It was written by Joo Won-gyu, who worked undercover in some real clubs trying to help teenagers.

“When I was doing some research on this writer, I saw that he said he was a writer and a pastor, but also a part-time driver who found and helped runaway teenagers,” Parker said. “That inspired me. My curiosity led me to read all of his books. His work had a pessimistic tone, but I also felt an underlying compassion for the socially immature, which eventually led me to meet him in person. When we met, I found that we had the same vision of how this project should be done, exploring the concept of “what is the minimum of human nature” rather than trying to attract attention through sensitive themes, and that was the beginning of our collaboration.”

How realistic is the show's depiction of exploitation? As minister, Chu helped youth in juvenile shelters and correctional facilities. After losing contact with some of the teenagers, he discovered they were working as hosts and prostitutes at the Gangnam Club, so he went undercover and offered to help them. Much of what he saw left him numb.

“I've heard that sometimes things can be harsher in reality,” Parker said. “A lot of the series is based on the darker side of what he's been through and adds some creativity.”

The most challenging part of directing the show was balancing intensity.

“It was important not to let the provocative subject matter overshadow the core message of the story, and we also didn't want the audience to feel unnecessarily uncomfortable,” Parker said. “While the story includes themes such as drugs, nightclubs and criminal investigations, the ultimate focus must be on the characters. Without this focus, the story will lose depth and emotional resonance.

Gangnam Side B This is Park's first time directing a series. She previously directed the 2019 film moneystarring Ryu Junyeol and serving as assistant director Berlin Archives and The unjust. She had always wanted to direct a TV series.

“With a series, I believe there is more room to explore a wider range of characters and delve deeper into their stories with a longer runtime. While the movies typically run around two hours, this allows for more focus The protagonist becomes very important. Now that I have experience directing series, I feel that it requires the same intense decision-making as a movie, and it is easy for the audience to switch to something else when the content on the screen becomes slightly boring. Leave and they usually don't come back to watch it again.

Gangnam Side B provide the audience with one An engaging storyline and plenty of engaging action scenes. It's a highly stylized series with bold, dramatic imagery that seems inspired by pulp fiction magazines. There’s a lot of melodrama, dark imagery and neon.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about how to get them hooked,” Parker said. “Make sure every scene and episode leaves them craving the next.”

Park learned a lot about action scenes while working with director Ryu Seung-wan. smuggler, Escape from Mogadishu and Berlin Archives.

“He had the whole scenario mapped out in his head and gave clear direction, which made everyone's job easier,” Parker said. “Being a part of it and getting that first-hand experience was very valuable to me.”

The question she always asks before directing an action scene is: “Why is this particular character fighting at this particular moment?” For a good action scene to be engaging, it requires care.

“We wanted to make sure every action scene was grounded in the emotions of the characters,” Parker said. For example, Kang Dong-woo displays fast and furious action as a detective, focusing on catching criminals, while Yoon Ji-ho's first priority is survival, which leads him to carry weapons and target his opponents' weaknesses. Beyond that, I believe the detailed choreography choreographed by the stunt team and the dedication of the actors helped make all the scenes come alive.

When working with actors, Park welcomes their ideas for character development.

“For Kang Dong-woo, played by Jo Woo-jin, the relationship with his daughter plays an important role in the story,” Park said. “Qiao also has children in real life, so I tried to talk to him about the father-daughter relationship to understand better. Qiao really had a lot of ideas and was well prepared when he came to shoot, so the details of Jiang Dongyu were really captured by him It comes alive. I have worked with him before and we have a tacit understanding. I have full trust in him.

Park worked with Jo money.

“On the other hand, for Ji Chang-wook's Ji-ho and Kim Hyung-seo's Jae-hee, they are really people living in extreme circumstances, which allowed me to discuss the characters with the respective actors,” Park said. “The actors also felt that these characters' lives were tragic, which led to adding more detail to scenes showing their pasts.”

Ji Chang Wook has played roles with moral conflicts before, such as the policeman he played in the drama worst evilbut he's generally portrayed as a good guy. As Ji-ho, he is a man with few choices. His predatory lifestyle left him forever bloodied and bruised. However, despite his exploitation of others, this character still values ​​human life.

“Ji Chang-wook has created a series of kind and righteous characters in his previous works, which has become his overall image,” Park said. “However, his character image has recently changed, which makes me wonder about the range of his acting How wide. I wonder what it would be like if you saw evil in his righteous face and wanted to show it to the audience. Ji-ho is a person between good and evil, and I want him to look like a living person. Someone who is in grief and pain, not a person who is merely aggressive.

Kang Dong-woo is Jo Woo-jin's first starring role, having previously appeared in ” narco saint, happiness and Mr. Sunshine and characters appearing in the movie Harbin.

“With Kang Dong-woo, I wanted to show a 'good' detective, but also a person with what I call 'human charm'” I feel like Jo Woo-jin is that person. He brings natural humor and warmth while always being considerate and attentive to others. I believe his personality fits perfectly with the humanity and appeal I want the character to convey. More than anything, I'm eager to see the actor take on his first leading role and carry the weight of this project from start to finish.

The other main cast member of the drama is prosecutor Min Seo-jin played by Ha Yoon-kyung. Xiuzhen seems corrupt, but she also has faith. This character is very different from the character played by Ha Outstanding lawyer Wu.

“The first time I noticed her was in Outstanding lawyer Wu, “She did a great job creating a character with a 'sunny' personality,” Parker said. “I was immediately attracted to her. I went back and looked at her other works, and what impressed me most were her clear, kind eyes.” But when she was deep in thought, I saw her expression become empty. This duality is very similar to Min Seo-jin who is standing at the crossroads of ambition and belief, and his choices are filled with uncertainty. Compared to being fiery and single-minded, Min Seo-jin's emotional expression is much more reserved and I think her performance really brings the character to life.

The villains are here Gangnam Side B They may be rich and powerful, but they are monsters. Although Ji-ho and Jae-hee, played by Kim Henry, are both victims. They also seem to be the most human.

“Characters like Jae-hee, Gil-ho, and others like them are barely eking out a living with nothing to gain and therefore nothing to lose,” Park said. “Because they know how devastating it is to be treated inhumanely, they know firsthand how cruel life can be. That’s why they can lend a helping hand to those in need, even if it means sacrificing themselves.

For the park, Gangnam Side B It's about human dignity.

“Ultimately, I believe our story is about people fighting to protect what matters most to them,” she said. “For some people, it may be family, friends, relatives, or even a certain faith. I hope that by following the path of the struggling people, the question will come to people's minds: 'What is the minimum of humanity?' Do we live in a society where even basic human dignity is guaranteed?

Gangnam Side B Streaming on Disney+ internationally and Hulu in the US