On May 9, 2017, at 7 p.m., I was in a DI studio working on the skin tone of Moon Jaein who appeared in OUR PRESIDENT. On my laptop, they were broadcasting an exit poll with a caption reading “Moon Jaein elected as president” on top of his smiling face. His solemn face while speaking of President Roh’s dark life overlapped his muted smile on the election broadcast, and it was like a déjà vu. Right then, I decided on my next documentary. When a strong intuition comes to you, it can lead to dramatic results, but it can also forecast a difficult process. I’m not sure how the resulting film will come out, but the process it took was definitely the latter.

The project was first planned in 2018, and it was officially proposed to the Blue House, the Korean presidential residence, in 2019. I didn’t hear back. I made some connections while working on OUR PRESIDENT, and tried to use them to my advantage, but I still didn’t hear back. In order to create a point of contact with the president, I directed two national ceremonies despite not having any background in the field. But a handshake with the president was all I got out of it. Before his term ended, I used all the skills I acquired in almost 30 years of my casting experience to get through to him, but the project and I were continuously put on hold. Even at this moment as I write, I resent the intuition I had back in that DI studio. Although I regretted picking such a coldhearted protagonist, I admit his charms allowed me to last and persevere for so many years.

Westerners often express political, social, and systematic superiority over Asian countries. East Asian countries have made great advances in technology and economy, but there are widespread notions that our democratic systems are backward. I started working on casting in 2018 which was the year the K-series boom started to take dominance over Hell Joseon which was born under the former President Park Geun-hye government. I thought that after much struggle, Korea’s democracy would soon reach its peak, and by disclosing Moon Jaein’s office, I wanted to show the other side to K-Democracy. Unfortunately, my plan fell through because of the coldhearted protagonist and the current situation. But considering various circumstances, I don’t think any of us from the production team will have to flee to Saseungbong Island (please refer to the OUR PRESIDENT note!). Anyway, the journey that started in 2018 finally came to fruition. This project was the longest journey in my documentary life. LEE Changjae

Between (2006), On The Road (2012), The Hospice (2014), OUR PRESIDENT (2017)

Stepping Down from Power, Back Home
Director Lee Changjae has created documentaries that contemplate the meaning of life and the irony of fate. This theme permeates through his films: Between portrays a shaman whose life disappears the moment she becomes possessed; On the Road observes a Buddhist nun who renounces the world in search of truth; The Hospice discovers the meaning of life in a hospice; and OUR PRESIDENT depicts a president who ends his life despite becoming an icon of his era. With this film, the director adds a new individual to his filmography and rises to the challenge again. The central figure, this time, is a president who has taken a step back from power. 

Most films that deal with politicians focus on their process of grabbing power and their time in office. However, this documentary chooses an unconventional narrative and shows the former president surrounded by his wife, dog, and secretary right after his term, spending his days doing household chores and tending the garden. Old colleagues and those who worked for him during his time in office speak about his habits, attitude, and methods as a politician and recount the events in Korean politics over the last few years. However, all these accounts serve as witnesses for an image of just one man trying to live out his ordinary days grounded, not in some paradise, but on Earth, rather than highlighting the political achievements of a president who upheld the system of democracy.

The former president’s attempt to put his political life in the past and live his present at home is marred by the shouts of a few extremists and the worry that decisions he made in the past may not have been for the best. But his concentration on planting and caring for budding life and his silence in the face of mocking and swearing may be the exact attitude and hope he carried toward the democratic world he dreamt of, with the people that love and support him. Sung MOON

Production Dice Film (singlesny@naver.com)
Distribution MProject Films