Though best known for his zombie masterpiece Train to Busan, Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho is depicting a more realistic terror in his new Netflix movie Revelations. The psychological thriller kicks off when ex-convict Kwon Yang-rae (Shin Min-jae) enters Pastor Sung Min-chan’s (Reply 1988’s Ryu Jun-yeol) fledgling church shortly before becoming the prime suspect in the disappearance of a church member’s child. Detective Lee Yeon-hui (Shin Hyun-been, Hospital Playlist) is certain of Yang-rae’s guilt due to his kidnapping of her sister years earlier, but she starts to suspect the pastor is hiding something sinister as well.

In fact, Min-chan believes himself to be the recipient of divine messages from the Lord, the latest of which convinced him that not only did Yang-rae kidnap the young A-yeong – but that she was already ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, and the killer must pay with his life. This puts Yeon-hui in the difficult position of having to protect her sister’s tormenter, who in turn suffers his own delusions caused by childhood trauma. Revelations revolves around the concept of each character being driven to act – oftentimes irrationally – by random events that their mind insists are connected (known as pareidolia).

ScreenRant interviewed Ryu, Shin, and Yeon about the complex characters that make up Netflix’s Revelations. The actors shared how they interpretation their onscreen behavior, as well as how easily they got along offscreen, while the director explained how he approached his more grounded project after several supernatural-focused works like Train to Busan and Hellbound.

Whether You Believe It Or Not, Ryu Jung-Yeol Says The Pastor’s Revelations Are Real

The Actor Chooses Not To Interpret His Character As Being Delusional

Though director Yeon previously told Netflix’s TUDUM that he “wanted to depict psychological elements that can be found in reality, such as illusions, delusions, and traumas,” Sung Min-chan’s story is not that cut and dry for actor Ryu. In an interview with ScreenRant, he pushed back on the notion that Pastor Sung was delusional, explaining, “Instead of thinking of him as being delusional, I personally believe that he really got those divine revelations. And, of course, he believed that too.”

While his response can be attributed to actors often aligning with their characters’ views as part of their immersion, it also plays into the surreal aura of the movie itself. Perhaps that was a divine message, and Min-chan simply misinterpreted it, just as perhaps Yeon-hui really is being haunted by her sister’s ghost. But what really matters is that his belief drives all his actions, just as her guilt drives hers.

Yeon-hui’s sister was kidnapped while she was in the police academy, so naturally, she blames herself for not preventing the tragedy. “Her duty was to save people, but she failed to save her own family,” Shin said thoughtfully. “That gives her an immense sense of guilt, and I think it also gives her a bigger sense of duty. She feels she has a calling.”

It is precisely said calling that leads her to be suspicious of Pastor Sung before anyone else on the force, though Shin was humble when praising her character’s instincts. “When Yeon-hui first saw Min-chan, she could feel that he was anxious and nervous but trying not to show it,” she explained. “She knew right away that something was up with this guy… She naturally narrowed it down to him as an option, and that’s why he looked into him.”

Yeon Sang-ho Approached Revelations Very Differently From His Previous Work

“This Is The First Time That I’ve Done A Film Without Fantastical Elements”

Fervent faith (and fervent delusions) can often coincide with supernatural events, and Yeon came up with the idea for the comic Revelations is based on while writing the story for Hellbound season 2. Therefore, it makes sense that some of the events in the story come across as paranormal – but the intent was nevertheless to express human frailty in quotidian life. Yeon went so far as to claim that “since delving into the world of live-action films, I think this is the first time that I’ve done a film without fantastical elements to it.”

Since that aspect was so important to his vision, “it was my homework to make it look grounded and realistic without those fantastical elements.” In order to achieve this more naturalistic look, the filmmaker sH๏τ on location “as much as possible, and I used a lot of natural lighting.” He highlighted the performance of the three leads, who elevated the climactic confrontation scene in the third act, which was sH๏τ as if it were all one take. Yeon was particularly proud of that one, where “we could feel the raw and realistic emotions of the three characters.”

However raw the actors’ emotions were in the movie, the atmosphere on set was lively – something Ryu attributed to the cast’s ages. “Hyun-been is of the same age as myself,” he said. “In Asian culture, being of the same age means a lot. You can be friends instantly, and so we could easily rely on each other.” Not to be left out, Shin also got to partake in the on-set friendship. “Min-jae, who is a senior actor of mine, is also almost the same age as us. In the end, we had a lot of fun together on set.”

Zombies Get A Close-Up In Gunche, The Upcoming Follow-Up To Train To Busan

Yeon Sang-Ho’s Zombie Universe Continues To Expand

Despite Revelations’ more realistic leanings, Yeon is far from done with the supernatural world. In fact, he is currently in production for his next zombie film, тιтled Gunche. The Korean word translates to colony (in a biological sense) in English, though it’s not yet clear if that will be the international тιтle. The cast is full of A-list Hallyu talent, including Jun Ji-hyun (My Love from the Star), Ji Chang-wook (The Worst of Evil) and Koo Kyo-hwan (D.P.).

When asked about how Gunche would evolve the universe he created in Train to Busan, Yeon answered, “In my past zombie projects, what was really important was the space where everything happened, where the zombie virus started and spread.” This was true even of the тιтles, as the animated prequel film was тιтled Seoul Station, and the live-action prequel was called Peninsula. “But in Gunche, the zombie is of our utmost focus. They have their own characteristics, so I think it’s going to truly be a new kind of zombie movie, for sure.”

Source: Screen Rant Plus