[Busan = E-Daily Starin Reporter Choi Hee-jae ] Actress Kim Do-yeon shed tears as she opened up about the struggles she faced while trying to understand her character’s emotions in the film “Dora.”

Kim Do-yeon stated on the 9th at the press conference for the gala presentation of “Dora” at BIFF Hill in the Busan Cinema Center, Haeundae-gu, Busan—held as part of the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF)—that the process of getting to know the character Dora, whom she portrayed, was the most important aspect of the film.

“It was a process of changing my way of thinking,” she began. While explaining this process, Kim Do-yeon shed tears and was momentarily unable to continue speaking.

Kim Do-yeon recalled her first audition. “Without knowing anything about the script, I once asked the director, ‘Does Dora lie?’ But the director replied, ‘Dora always tells the truth,’” she recalled.

She continued, “I was shocked at that moment,” adding, “I realized that Dora must be incredibly lonely and struggling.” She reflected, “Even I, who was thinking from Dora’s perspective and speaking as her during the audition, thought she was lying—so I began to wonder how Dora herself must have felt.”

The process of understanding the character began with reexamining her own perspective on Dora. Kim Do-yeon explained, “I think that process continued,” adding, “It was a journey from viewing Dora as a third party to truly understanding her innermost feelings.” She added, “That shift in perspective was what I needed most, and I think I worked very hard on it.”

Director Jeong Ju-ri also described this project as an attempt to fully capture Dora’s voice. Director Jeong said, “Is Dora’s voice really here? Haven’t we only been seeing her through the eyes of others? It began with the question: ‘What would happen if we told the story entirely through Dora’s voice?’” She continued, “I thought it might turn everything upside down.”

She continued, “I worked on the screenplay while pondering how she could become a character capable of healing herself and standing on her own two feet.”

“Dora” tells the story of a family that leaves Seoul for a seaside villa in the height of summer. During their stay, Dora—who has been suffering from an unknown illness—experiences love for the first time, and everything begins to slowly unravel. The film stars Kim Do-yeon, along with Sakura An, Song Sae-byeok, and Choi Won-young.

The 31st Busan International Film Festival will be held throughout Busan until the 15th at venues including the Busan Cinema Center, CGV Centum City, Lotte Cinema Centum City, the Korean Film Council’s Standard Screening Room, the Sohyang Theater Woori Bank Hall, and the Busan Viewers’ Media Center Public Hall.