Was Ji Kang-hun, an escaped convict in the late 1980s, a hero or merely a criminal? The upcoming local film Holiday poses this question in its fictionalized account about the controversial figure who is often regarded as a victim of an unfair society.
"Personally, I once thought it was hard to justify the fact that he ran away", director Yang Yoon-ho said Tuesday during a news conference after the preview screening of the film at Lotte Cinema in Seoul. "So I tried to avoid giving a definite judgment on him in the film".
Instead of defining what's right and wrong, Yang said he tried to maintain a balance in his portrayal of the characters, hoping that audiences can understand the whole incident through their actions.
The incident that the movie is based on occurred in October 1988 when 12 criminals broke free from a prison van with a loaded gun in their possession. Six were soon captured, but the remaining convicts, including Ji, eluded police for nine days by taking families hostage and hiding out in their homes.
When the police finally found them and surrounded the house, the criminals tried to negotiate with police in return for the lives of the hostages. The whole incident was broadcast live on television, and Ji used the moment to tell the public of the unfairness of Korea's penal system.
Ji admitted his guilt but nevertheless argued the law favored the rich and disadvantaged the poor. "If you are rich, you're not guilty, but if you are poor, you're guilty", he said.
Actor Lee Seong-jae, who plays the main role of Ji Kang-hun, said he tried not to just recreate the historical figure, but rather invent a whole new personality, emphasizing the film is not about Ji's heroic achievement.
"The movie is a fiction based on a true story, but it was really hard to imagine who he was as all I had were two photos and a 60-minute documentary about him. So I stepped back from the real person and, through discussions with the director, tried to create a new character", Lee said.
Lee also said he tried to get into the character by continuously asking himself "What made him (Ji) decide to run away from a prison van?"
Although Holiday is based on a real incident, the film does not use real names and has added fictional characters, including a cruel prison warden played by Choi Min-soo.
English 
US$5 off (order min. US$5)
