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Director Yeon Sang-ho chose a smaller, more personal story for Revelations to delve deeper into human weaknesses.
Revelations features Ryu Jun-yeol as Pastor and Shin Hyun-been as Detective. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Yeon Sang-ho’s latest Netflix thriller, Revelations, marks his shift to psychological horror. The Train to Busan filmmaker delves into the dark side of human nature while maintaining his signature style. Wanting to explore human weaknesses more deeply, he opted for a smaller, more personal story rather than a grand narrative. Initially, Yeon believed the film’s themes were relevant only in South Korea, but after discussions with producer Alfonso Cuaron, he realised their global significance.
In an interview with Variety, Yeon explains, “With Revelations, I wanted to delve deeper into human nature and emotions. To really dive into human fragility, I needed an intimate storyline, not a grand-scaled one. I am very much intrigued by the fragilities and vulnerabilities people harbour. I am a vulnerable human being myself, so I see those sides in me, in others and in society in general. That leads me to deeply ponder on how we can overcome those fragilities.”
When Yeon Sang-ho was working on Revelations, he first thought it was “a uniquely local story.” However, Alfonso Cuaron helped him see that its subject has the potential to connect with people all over the world. He said, “I realized that issues that are relevant in Korea also ring true for the global audience. I thought we may live in different parts of the world, but we all share the same feelings. Since Revelations is being released globally on Netflix at the same time, viewers around the world can share their thoughts on the film without any delay.”
The movie, now available on Netflix, features Ryu Jun-yeol as Pastor Sung Min-chan, Shin Hyun-been as Detective Lee Yeon-hui and Shin Min-jae as Kwon Yang-rae. It tells the story of a pastor and a detective. The pastor is convinced that it is his duty to punish the person responsible for a missing person case. Meanwhile, the detective handling the case is struggling with disturbing visions of her deceased sister.
After Revelations, Yeon Sang-ho has more exciting projects lined up. One of them is The Ugly, which tells the story of Im Dong-hwan, the son of a famous blind seal engraving artist. Another upcoming film, Gunche, will be a unique zombie film. Instead of focusing on how a zombie outbreak begins, it will feature the special behaviours that make zombies unique.