In A Normal Family, director Hur Jin-ho explores how far parents will go to protect their children, even if it defies all moral principles.
Writer-director Hur Jin-ho is no stranger to exploring the complexities of human emotion in his work, particularly regarding love. With the arrival of A Normal Family in select theaters, his latest film delves into a different kind of love. Rather than tackling the romantic as he has in One Fine Spring Day, April Snow, and A Good Rain Knows, Hur Jin-ho focuses his lens on parental love and the lengths a parent might go to protect their children, even if it means compromising their values in the process.
Based on the global best-selling novel “The Dinner” by Herman Koch, A Normal Family follows two brothers whose families live opposite lifestyles. The eldest brother, Yang Jae-wan (Sul Kyung-gu), is a defense lawyer who epitomizes success at all costs. His younger brother, Jae-gyu (Jang Dong-gun), lives his life more respectfully as a pediatrician doctor who constantly butts heads with his brother over his lack of morality. This tension all comes to a head when a violent crime committed by their children forces them to analyze where their fundamental principles lie.
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We spoke to Hur Jin-ho (with Jonathan Choi interpreting) about the moral challenges in the screenplay, how the director navigated the complexities of parenthood while tackling the film, and how he worked with the composer to balance the proper emotion in the film’s score.
BUT WHY THO: I saw that you have an educational background in philosophy. A Normal Family presents a fascinating moral dilemma that muddles the waters of justice. When reading and working with the script, how did you find yourself challenged by or, better yet, reflecting on the moral quandary presented in the film’s story?
HUR JIN-HO: Well, it’s been way too long, and honestly, I didn’t study that well [laughs] for philosophy, but I think that a lot of people think that everybody has standards that they hold themselves to for morality and ethics, and a lot of people live thinking that it won’t shake and it won’t change, no matter the circumstance. But like we saw in the scenario and in [A Normal Family], when it’s an issue that regards a child, it was really fascinating to me how one person’s morality and that one person’s ethics could just dissolve instantaneously, like that. So, I found that part very interesting.
BUT WHY THO: That may partially answer my second question, but this film could be interpreted as exploring parental love, but it almost seems to explore duty and ‘saving face’ more than love. Sometimes, those lines can blur. What were your considerations in navigating the complexities of parenthood in this film?
HUR JIN-HO: When looking at the brothers’ decision on what to do, I questioned what I would do. It made me think that throughout the whole film, and honestly, there is no answer for this. When someone is faced with a situation like this, I would assume such questions come into their head. And this is what I was thinking – how do I love my child best? What is best for my child? What is the right decision for my child? In the film, we can see how the two siblings deal with this situation differently. This also has to do with their financial situation, or their difference in socioeconomic status or wealth.
Another part that I talked about with the actors was the roles of these two different parents. For example, the younger brother shows a pure love towards his child and tries to shower the child with love and happiness. Whereas for the older sibling, it’s a little bit more calculative and a little bit more materialistic, in a way that they focus on what the best outcome is for their child in terms of, what resources can they use, what strings can they pull to protect and do what’s best for the child in that way.
BUT WHY THO: Claudia Kim’s Jisoo almost operates as an audience surrogate. She is new to this family, much like we are, and we see the slow-growing horror of the situation take on a different light in her eyes. When casting for Jisoo, what were you looking for, and how did Claudia Kim capture it?
HUR JIN-HO: Well, actually, let me mention that this is actually Claudia’s first Korean movie, so I would assume that she felt, in a way, a little bit overwhelmed when selecting the project. But when I met Claudia, the first impression I got was that she gave a very pure, positive, gentle image. So, I thought that she would be perfect for this role.
Throughout this film, she has a different acting style and is able to express different things, like making different eye contact and such. With these things all together, she could execute this role really well, just like I imagined, expressing this unbiased character within the storyline.
What was the process like when you worked with composer Cho Sung-woo to design the soundscape used in A Normal Family?
HUR JIN-HO: Regarding the music director, he’s someone I’ve worked with a lot in the past. So, when I tried to sync up the sound design and the music to the story, I just really talked a lot about the story. I should also mention that the sound director also has a PhD in philosophy, so we talked about these parts together. I was thinking, how can I convey these emotions on the screen through sound?
During this process, I thought the movie could be a little bit cold if I had made it too emotional. So I thought it could be too cold on one side, and I needed to convey the emotion. But on the other hand, it can’t be too emotional either. I discussed these things a lot with the director so that we could have a sound design and music in the film that was not too emotional and that still had an unbiased portrayal, so that we could really emphasize the message of the movie.
A Normal Family is now available in select theaters before expanding nationwide on May 1.
