MINDS Film Festival 2023: Interviews with INSEPARABLE BROS

Film still from INSEPARABLE BROS

Q&A with Director YOOK Sanghyo

“This film is about everyone’s ‘weakness’. We are all born into this world not as a god but as feeble beings that must wonder how we’d survive. The strong live this world alone, but the weak stay together, which is their own method of treading through this world. Since they’re together, they’re stronger than the strong… When we are together, we aren’t ashamed of our weaknesses. You become more honest to your faults, and turn them into a source of humor. Humor is a way for the weak to deal with the world. Through it, we share our weaknesses and tender our hearts to stand up against the strong. I want my disabled friends to laugh more and live even more dynamically. That’s why I wanted to make the film this way. These are things that we all want to be a reality in our lives. Be more humorous and be more dynamic.”

- A director who values worthy comedy, YOOK Sang-hyo

What kind of a film is INSEPARABLE BROS?

INSEPARABLE BROS is a film that depicts how the weak help each other and live their lives. No one on earth is ever perfect and we all possess weaknesses. I wanted to obtain the courage to continue living by seeing how these characters help each other in the film. 

How does this film differentiate itself from other films with disabled protagonists?

Rather than focusing on the differences between the disabled and abled, I focused on two people with weaknesses and how they help one another on a daily basis. Whether we notice or not, we all have our small weaknesses, people with disability are dealt a hand. I didn’t want their disability to be portrayed in a normalized way. 

What were the main factors for casting your stars?

Se-ha has to be sat down at all times but has a lot of dialogue. I needed an actor who had strong phonation and dialogue delivery, and casted SHIN Ha-kyun as a result. Since Se-ha is paraplegic, I ordered him to breathe without ever moving his body, but SHIN pulled off all my orders without a problem. He delivered all his lines with perfection. In direct contrast to him, Dong-gu is very physically capable and he needed to have a healthy body. When I met LEE Kwang-soo for the first time, he was not only tall but physically adept. The mindset we had about mental disability between us was quite similar. He didn’t overact with emotions and expressions, and it came out very naturally on the screen. With Esom, I was very impressed with her role in MICROHABITAT. Her performance was subdued and when I met her in person, she had the perfect physicality to play Mi-hyun.

What do you want the audience to get out of this film?

We all have our weaknesses and we must help each other get through this tough life. I hope people are encouraged in their daily lives as they watch these 3 characters overcome obstacles. 

Film still from INSEPARABLE BROS

Q&A with an actor loved by a nation | SHIN Ha-kyun

What kind of a character is Se-ha?

He’s extremely smart but he can’t go anywhere without Dong-gu. He may feel caustic on the surface, but he has undying affection and love for Dong-gu.

Why did you decide to star in this film?

I was drawn to the story in which the weak help each other survive. It’s a film that’ll give you an opportunity to think about what it means to live together. 

What was something that was very important while portraying your character?

When I’m acting, I believe that it’s very important to be faithful to the script. Because of the characters that live and breathe inside the film, flow of the story is dictated, and which story is told. Se-ha represents a group of men and youths of House of Responsibility with his silver tongue. He may not be able to move his body, but he’s in constant motion. I wondered if I could adequately portray this side of him and it was very difficult to stop myself from portraying him with body gestures that I’ve been doing since birth. 

What was it like to work with the director and your co-stars?

Director YOOK ordered very detailed emotions from Se-ha. Since he’s someone who cannot move, he talked a lot about movement. Whenever Se-ha got excited, I had to breathe like I was out of breath, and I’d move subconsciously. Director YOOK would point out these minuscule movements. I always ate with my co-stars and drank together too in order to have plenty of conversations. We all had similar personalities so we got along really well, which only added to our ensemble performance. Both LEE Kwang-soo and Esom prepped considerably for their role, and seeing them prep beside them only fueled my urge to perform and I was moved by their passion. 

What do you want the audience to get out of this film?

The film shows how a disabled man develops friendship and bond with another disabled man and how they live harmonious lives. INSEPARABLE BROS will move you and force you into laughs. I hope you think of someone special as you leave the theater.

Film still from INSEPARABLE BROS

Q&A with Asian prince and Korea's jack-of-all-trades actor, LEE Kwang-soo

What kind of a character is Dong-gu?

Even though he possesses stunning swimming skills, he can’t do anything without Se-ha. He tends to be very forgetful and makes plenty of mistakes but he’s a warm-hearted character who becomes Se-ha’s hands and feet. 

Why did you decide to star in this film?

The script was so much fun to read and it made a lasting impression on me. I thought warmth of the film could be easily conveyed to the audience and it’d be really great to act in it. 

What was something that was very important while portraying your character?

Dong-gu doesn’t have a lot of dialogue, so I had to show his emotions with gestures, expressions and eyes. Prior to the shoot, I had a lot of discussions with the director about my character, and how Dong-gu would think and feel. And since Dong-gu and Se-ha spent 20 years together, I thought the way Dong-gu push Se-ha’s wheelchair or transport him had to feel natural. I also trained swimming for 4 months to make it look like he could actually compete. 

What was it like to work with the director and your co-stars?

Director YOOK is extremely humorous and made all the cast and staff feel at ease. He had a clear vision of what the film was, so I got plenty of help from him on the set, and when developing my character’s personality. As for SHIN Ha-kyun, I thought he was a quiet type for some reason, but he was a mood setter on the set. Director YOOK often called him ‘Captain Actor’, and SHIN would convey our conversations to the director well. Unlike my first impression of Esom, we got along just fine and made the 4-month shoot that much better. 

What do you want the audience to get out of this film?

INSEPARABLE BROS is a special movie. Even though the protagonists don’t share a single drop of blood, so many laughs arise from them and move you to no end. I hope plenty of people feel happy when they watch the film.

Film still from INSEPARABLE BROS

Q&A with Korea's representative of youths, Esom

What kind of a character is Mi-hyun?

She’s the brothers’ first real friend in 20 years and a youth who is in between jobs. She meets Dong-gu while working at a local pool and decides to help him out. In doing so, she learns a thing or two about life.

Why did you decide to star in this film?

I was drawn to Mi-hyun as a character. She meets these two characters at a crucial point in her life and helps them out but also receives help from them. I thought these elements could relate to the audience in an effective manner.

What was something that was very important while portraying your character?

I considered Mi-hyun as someone who possesses a face of most normal youth of this generation, so I wanted to portray her as honestly as possible. She laughs and cries easily, has tantrums and gets depressed just as easily. But at the same time, she gets right back on her feet too, which is how the youths of today are like. In addition, she had to have necessary swimming skills so that she could coach Dong-gu, so even though I have water phobia, I practiced swimming for 4 months. 

What was it like to work with the director and your co-stars?

Director YOOK is a very good listener. Whenever I wanted to talk about my character, we’d often have long discussions. Since Se-ha and Dong-gu are friends with Mi-hyun, the three of us would hang out after the shoot to grab dinner and talk extensively about the film. I think that’s how we became close. Thanks to that, the mood around the set was quite amicable. Their ability to concentrate in front of the camera was astounding. I learned a great deal from them.

What do you want the audience to get out of this film?

I believe that this is a film where the audience will head back home from theater with a smile on their faces. Like the characters in the film, we were very tight-knit group, and it’ll be a fun experience to witness that on the screen.

Catch INSEPARABLE BROS at MINDS Film Festival’s Community Screenings this September 2023

📅Screening #1:

3 Sep 2023, Sunday at Wisma Geylang Serai, Persada Budaya, Ground Floor Level 1, 2.15pm - 4.10pm

📅Screening #2:

10 Sep 2023, Sunday at Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre, The Great Hall, Ground Floor Level 1, 2.15pm - 4.10pm

Admission is FREE for the Community Screenings and seats are available on a first-come-first-served basis.