Entertainment · Film · 1 day ago
Namkoong Sun Says Netflix Let Her Focus on Making ‘Love Untangled’
Namkoong Sun said making her first commercial feature felt much like making her independent films once filming began.
Netflix staff worked with the team, and she said the setup let them focus on the film.
The streaming release reached viewers around the world, while her earlier films faced difficult timing and cinema limits.
Her experience shows how a film’s release platform can affect how many people get to see it.
Director Namkoong Sun said making her first commercial feature, Netflix’s Korean romance “Love Untangled,” felt much like making her independent films once production began, apart from the scale.
Namkoong joined the project after its screenplay was in place and said she wanted to make a joyful film after two features about difficult social issues.
She said Netflix staff worked within the production team, while changes to the script were her own and served the film’s theme of happiness.
Set in 1990s Busan, the film recreated the Gwangan Bridge under construction despite having a modest budget for a period piece.
Namkoong said the film reached No. 1 in many countries and remained in Netflix’s global top 10 for more than six weeks.
She contrasted that international audience with the difficult release circumstances for her earlier independent films, including pandemic-era cinema restrictions and a press screening that coincided with the declaration of martial law in Korea.
- Who
- Director Namkoong Sun
- What
- Her experience making Netflix’s “Love Untangled” and reflections on creative freedom and independent filmmaking
- When
- Namkoong spoke at a Busan International Film Festival and Netflix panel; the date is not stated
- Where
- Busan, South Korea
- Why
- She said she accepted the project when she wanted to find joy again after making two films about thorny social problems.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Once we went into production, it was a system where we could focus only on the film
I didn’t want to imagine what would happen if I failed to take responsibility within that freedom. But because that freedom was there, there were definitely things I was able to bring to it.
Small, sweet romance films don’t make up a big share of the Korean audience. But I was getting messages from people in Brazil and friends in Poland and Colombia saying the film was popular there.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Film
- “Love Untangled,” a Korean romance set in 1990s Busan
- Director
- Namkoong Sun
- Production-to-release period
- A little over a year passed between opening the production office and release.
- Netflix performance
- The film reached No. 1 in many countries and stayed in the global top 10 for more than six weeks, according to Namkoong.
- Filming location detail
- The production recreated the Gwangan Bridge under construction.
- Earlier independent films
- “Ten Months” and “Time to Be Strong”
Sources
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