Interview [Written]: Bong Joon-Ho (“Snowpiercer”)

An Indiewire interview with Bong Joon-Ho, writer-director of numerous movies including The Host (2006), Mother (2009), and Snowpiercer (2013):

What was it about “La Transperceneige,” the graphic novel the film is based on, that you were attracted to?
Just the idea of the train and being inside the train. For some reason, as a young kid growing up, I always enjoyed being in tight spaces. This claustrophobic aspect of hiding in a closet was just strangely excited. I was terrified but also enjoyed that feeling. And just the idea that the world is frozen outside and you can’t go there and you’re all stuck inside this closed space, had this strange excitement about it.

Did you ride a lot of trains when you were younger?
Yeah, of course, a lot of travel via train when I was in middle school and high school. I have a lot of memories. I also drank a lot on trains. There’s this one course where you go through a mountain range to get to the ocean. It’s about a nine-hour train ride. Then you arrive at the ocean in the early morning. It’s really unforgettable.

Can you talk about the specific sections on the train in the film? They all have their own unique vision and design. Each one almost feels like a short film that’s part of the bigger narrative.
Yeah, I think Tilda also felt that way. On the days she wasn’t shooting a scene, she would walk through different sections of the car and put on her costume and take photos and actually wanted to make a calendar. She really enjoyed every train car. The idea is you open the gate to get to the next car, and that was a key thing. Just the idea of where you are now and where you’re going to be in two seconds. Just in terms of color and texture and even the air. All that had to change drastically and that was the intention, especially after the greenhouse section. Up until then, it’s really kind of similar palates and similar feelings. And it’s sort of, if you will, the staff only section of a luxury hotel.

A trailer for Snowpiercer:

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For the rest of the interview, go here.

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