Kim Seong-sik Debuts with Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman

I may be basic, but when it comes to Korean cinema, I’m a sucker for both Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho. (On the actor front you can add Gong Yoo and Kim Tae-ri, but that’s a different story.) Kim Seong-sik, the first-time director of Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman, worked as an assistant director for both Park and Bong on some of their best works, namely Decision to Leave (Park, 2022) and Parasite (Bong, 2019), as well as with Hong Won-chan on Deliver Us From Evil (2020). Though the sample size is limited, you’d be hard-pressed to find an assistant director with a better resume just three films in. As an assistant to two of the best films to come from the country post-New Wave, he has been gifted with a potential to perfect the craft of compelling thematic visuals that most ADs will never be graced with.

As usual, Gang Dong-won (Broker; 1987: When the Day Comes) can do no wrong.

Continue reading at the Boston Hassle.