[HanCinema's News] Jung Yu-mi Talks About "KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982"

In the currently airing film "KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982" the title role is played by Jung Yu-mi, whose last turn in a leading role was in the 2018 drama "Live". But in "KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982", Jung Yu-mi is the protagonist of a very different story, centering on regret and apprehension as a woman discovers after marriage that her opportunities have become sharply more limited. Though the message of the movie has proved controversial, Jung Yu-mi is nonplussed in her affection for the role.

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In a recent interview, Jung Yu-mi mentioned accepting the role and reading the book that "KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982" is based on. She observed that, in ironic form, there was not actually that much for her character to say. By speaking more, there was actually a risk of getting in the way of the novel's original message and the audience. So Jung Yu-mi treated the role as a vehicle for observation.

A major reason for that is because, title notwithstanding, "KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982" is predominantly about the other women in the main character's life. Kim Jiyoung's mother and grandmother become emblematic of the struggles of their eras, and Jung Yu-mi described this sentiment as impossible to ignore. This is why Jung Yu-mi describes "KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982" as everyone's story.

This isn't just a textual statement either, but one regarding society writ-large. Jung Yu-mi said that during the scene where young Kim Jiyoung asks her mother why she didn't become a teacher, Jung Yu-mi thought about her own mother, and how she gave up things she wanted to do to raise children. Jung Yu-mi's co-star, Gong Yoo, has also expressed a similar sentiment in his own interviews.

Though "KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982" has been a hot topic for its depiction of gender discrimination, Jung Yu-mi said that during filming the cast and crew saw the themes of unfairness in life as being universal and applying to men as well as women, even if women are the primary focus of "KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982". The point made is, that this isn't a movie just for women born in 1982. Jung Yu-mi also said that the dialog fostered by the story was meant to inspire hope.

Written by William Schwartz

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"KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982" is directed by Kim Do-young, and features Jung Yu-mi, Gong Yoo, Kim Mi-kyung, Gong Min-jung, Park Sung-yeon, Lee Bong-ryeon. Release date in Korea: 2019/10/23.