Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman is a mystery thriller entwined with elements of horror and fantasy. The dryly funny film depicts a fake shaman, played by Gang Dong-won, who pretends to conduct exorcisms. Since he doesn’t believe in exorcisms that makes the charming shaman a con man, although he does occasionally use his insight to help people solve their problems. So, he’s quite surprised when he meets someone who is actually possessed by an evil being, a situation he’s asked to resolve. Fortunately, having some shaman ancestry helps him conjure up the skills required to solve a supernatural mystery. The 2023 film is based on the 2014 Naver webtoon Possessed, written by Fresh and illustrated by Kim Hong-tae. That’s what attracted director Kim Seong-sik to make this story his first feature film.
“The production company, Filmmaker R&K, initially provided me with the screenplay,” said Kim. “It was when I discovered it was based on a webcomic titled Possessed. It had been a while since its publication, and I remembered reading it a long time ago. I love comics, so I was intrigued.”
Kim also loves cinema and decided to become a director after watching films by accomplished directors Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, both of whom he eventually got to work with.
“I decided I wanted to become a filmmaker after watching Memories of Murder and Old Boy,” said Kim. “In my 20s, I learned more about directorial greatness from Mother and Thirst. While I have an appreciation for thrillers, I don’t believe I have a favorite genre; rather, I enjoy a combination of genres.”
Interviews with Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook introduced him to a wider world of films.
“Specifically, I delved into the works of Martin Scorsese,” said Kim. “I adore Taxi Driver! His recent film, Killers of the Flower Moon, sent a profound shiver down my spine.”
Kim worked as an assistant director on Bong’s Academy-Award-winning film Parasite and then worked as an assistant director to Park on Decision To Leave, which was South Korea’s 2022 Academy Award entry for Best International Feature. Being around these filmmakers was a rewarding experience, one that offered invaluable lessons.
“Now that I reflect on it, I believe what I gleaned from these two great geniuses was how to approach filmmaking and how to enjoy the process. This led me to strive for a lively atmosphere on set, extend respect to the crew, and be open to people’s opinions. However, I’m not entirely certain, though, if I managed it as skillfully as Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook.”
Kim had a generous budget when he began making his first feature film, but he still faced challenging financial constraints due to the film’s extensive VFX and SFX requirements.
“Consequently, adjusting the storyboard and script to align with the budget posed a challenge,” he said. “On a positive note, my task became more manageable, thanks to the crew of my debut film. They were my colleagues from the time I worked as an assistant in the directing department. Working and filming with them turned out to be enjoyable, effortless, and rewarding.”
The director worked closely with cinematographer Yang Hyeon-seok.
“The cinematographer Yang Hyeon-seok and I worked together as assistants on Haemoo (2014), Parasite (2019), and Deliver Us from Evil (2020),” said Kim. “Working with him was easy and interesting because we knew each other’s tastes and personalities well.”
There’s a visually evocative scene about one hour into the film where Gang Dong-won’s character stands in a field and it seems like a dream. The color palette is a misty blue and gray, making the scene appear other-worldly. In that scene the character sees his brother and father and then a demon.
“The webcomic didn’t have a scene like this,” said Kim. “The idea was to reverse the colors, creating a fantasy-like ambiance. I believe that’s why the colors turned out somewhat dreamy and we utilized the infrared technique for the shoot. Among the crew, we refer to it as the trauma scene.”
According to Kim, the inspiration for his color choices in this scene—perhaps even the entire film—were drawn from Some Kind of Heavenly Fire, a photography collection by Maria Lax.
Kim likes to work closely with actors, talking about ways to improve scenes and develop characters.
“I enjoy engaging in conversations with actors while working, and we explored various topics during pre-production,” said Kim. “I also value and welcome input from the actors. One particularly memorable conversation took place during the pre-production phase with Lee Dong-hwi, who played the character In-bae and is the same age as me. We spent hours strolling around the office, discussing his character, our lives, hobbies, and areas of expertise.”
The end of the film seems to suggest that a sequel is a possibility. Now that Gang Dong-won’s character has discovered his ability to vanquish evil, there must be more evil in the world to vanquish.
“I did consider creating a series when I started the project,” he said with a smile. “But I think we’ll have to wait and see about the possibility of a sequel.
Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman was released in South Korea in Sept. 2023, topping the Korean box office in its opening week. The film, which also stars Esom, recently screened at the 18th London Korean Film Festival.