Director Lee Sang-min Interview: 'Salmokji' Secrets

The horror film "Salmokji," directed by Lee Sang-min, born in 1995, has surpassed 520,000 viewers, topping the box office. Director Lee Sang-min gained recognition for his short films like "Hamjinabi," and "Salmokji" is his first feature film as a sole director. He presented a directorial style that maintains the basic grammar of the genre while twisting its mechanics. The film tells the story of events that unfold due to an unidentified figure captured on a road view screen at a reservoir, a place notorious for its strange rumors.

Director Lee Sang-min prioritized ensuring realism and chose the reservoir space to transform everyday scenery into terrifying memories. He explained that a reservoir is a familiar yet strangely frightening place, and it aligns well with the water ghost motif, allowing for audience immersion. Salmokji in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, which served as the film's motif, is a real place famous for its ghost stories, and its eerie atmosphere was brought to the screen.

Although there was some apprehension about using a real place name, the director set aside his concerns by focusing on 'the story of seven people who went to film road view.' The unique subject of road view filming forms the backbone of the story and provides the justification for each character needing to visit the reservoir. The director heightened the density of the narrative by adding individual characters' personal desires and backstories to their professional specialties.

The character of Suin (played by Kim Hye-yoon) was designed around guilt. The director initially intended for the character to have a trauma related to water, but as filming progressed, she evolved into a character burdened by guilt over someone else who went incommunicado during the shoot. The film consistently portrays Suin in a state of guilt, hoping this emotion would serve as a driving force for the audience and a source of curiosity.

"Salmokji" opted for a directorial approach that encourages the audience to question the situation themselves, rather than providing explicit explanations. The director clearly divided the information that needed to be explained from the information that needed to be hidden, increasing immersion by making the audience confused about the truth within intuitive events.