[Busan=Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] “If anything, I felt more immersed, and the energy was different.”

Actress Kim Hyun-joo made these remarks while reflecting on the filming process of the movie “Paradise Lost” during a press conference for the film’s Gala Presentation at BIFF Hill in the Busan Cinema Center, Haeundae-gu, Busan, on the 10th, as part of the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

Kim Hyun-joo said, “We wrapped up filming in just 14 shooting days,” adding, “Many people ask how we managed to do that, but I think it actually allowed us to shoot with greater immersion and focus. It helped us make the film and allowed us to capture the feelings of anxiety well.”

She continued with a smile, “If we’d prepared for a long time, I think we would have overthought things and the outcome might have been different. But because we did it in a short time, we were more immersed, and the energy was different. I think that’s why we were able to do an even better job.”

“Paradise Lost” is a film completed with a short production period and a limited budget. Director Yeon explained that he was able to move quickly with the production and filming following the release of “Face” last year.

Director Yeon Sang-ho’s new film, “Paradise Lost,” is a psychological thriller that begins when Ryu Seon-woo (played by Bae Hyun-sung)—whom his mother, Ryu So-young (played by Kim Hyun-joo), had believed to be dead after losing him in a camping school bus disappearance nine years ago—miraculously returns alive.

Kim Hyun-joo described her first impression of the script, saying, “I’m the type to hold onto the emotions I felt when I first read the script and draw on them one by one when filming that scene, so that initial reading was incredibly important.”

She continued, “Although the emotional arc was challenging, I focused on fully embodying Ryu So-young herself rather than thinking of it as ‘acting,’ and I believe those emotions came across authentically.”

Bae Hyun-sung, who plays the role of Seon-woo, the son, revealed that he tried to convey the fear he felt toward the character through an indifferent demeanor. He said, “In the script, Seon-woo appears to be a frightening character, but I tried to portray that fear through an indifferent attitude,” adding, “When delivering emotionally intense performances, I think my reactions naturally followed my senior’s acting.”

In the drama, Ryu So-young has poured emotions bordering on obsession into her AI-generated son for nine years. For her, the return of her real son is an event that is difficult to accept with pure joy. Kim Hyun-joo shared that she reflected on the meaning of motherhood and family to understand her character.

“I even wondered if only blood relatives count as family,” she explained. “Because I had harbored feelings bordering on obsession toward my AI son for nine years, I acted with the mindset that my son, who had returned alive, might feel like a stranger to me.”

She added, “I even thought that my real son might feel like someone standing in the way between my AI son and me.” She explained that she portrayed Ryu So-young’s complex psychology with the understanding that the relationship she had built with her AI son over a long period of time would be shaken by the return of her real son.

“Paradise Lost” is a film that explores the nature of humanity and the meaning of family in the age of AI. Through the confusion experienced by a mother who lost her son—caught between her AI-generated son and her son who has returned alive—it questions whether memory and relationships are what make us human.

The 31st Busan International Film Festival runs through the 15th at venues across Busan, 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.