PPublished in 2018, “Winter in Sokcho” by Elisa Shua Dusapin takes place in a small seaside town in South Korea, whose particularity is that it borders North Korea. A zone of calm near the storm, into which Yan Kerrand arrives, a graphic novel author looking for inspiration for his next work. He finds refuge in the small pension where Soo-Ha, a 23-year-old girl, works… Quickly, an indescribable bond is created. Is a romance blossoming? Is Yan the father she always wanted to know? Is this the real reason for his coming?
“I understand that, for the viewer, the writing creates a certain ambivalence. However, for me, from the start, this relationship was clearly defined: there was no romantic ambiguity. This total absence of seduction ultimately makes the relationship stronger, because it leaves each person the freedom to interpret certain things that are left unsaid,” confides Roschdy Zem who plays this charismatic artist. To play him, the actor wanted to follow the same process of discovery. “My character gets lost both geographically and culturally. I wanted to reproduce this feeling by arriving just one or two days before the shoot, without acclimatizing. I asked the director to start with the first scenes, so that this slightly destabilized look could be felt on the screen. This approach helped me restore this feeling of strangeness. »
The aesthetics of the film release a latent, almost disturbing poetry, which envelops the viewer in a soft setting
“A dizzying feeling”
In small touches, “Winter in Sokcho” maintains the confusion for a long time. Its aesthetic releases a latent, almost disturbing poetry, which envelops the viewer in a soft setting. Koya Kamura does not hesitate to film only certain parts of the bodies, like these hands which express themselves during a key scene in a restaurant. “I like this type of game,” adds Roschdy Zem, who will soon be seen in the shoes of Yves Montand. “My body is an important tool. Playing with your hands or even from behind is something that I find fascinating. Being filmed from behind is even what I prefer, because often, a back expresses more than a face, which is often formatted to convey a specific emotion. »
However, his look is overwhelming when he goes to the famous border. “It’s a remarkable experience. When we see how close North Korea is, almost within swimming distance, we realize that we are facing an open-air prison. It gives a dizzying, almost depressing feeling to have in front of you an entire country deprived of freedom, movement, thought, exchange… This contrasts brutally with what we take for granted in our daily lives. . »
All the symbol of this sensitive film which depicts a complex relationship between two beings who seek their place in the world. The scenario also has the intelligence to essentially take the point of view of Soo-Ha, played by the revelation Bella Kim.
Cedric Coppola
“Winter in Sokcho”, by Koya Kamura. With Roschdy Zem, Bella Kim, Park Mi-hyeon. Duration: 1h45. In theaters this Wednesday, January 8.
