데이지 (Daisy) Press Screening Report

But two things made her the star she is today: a CF for Samsung MyJet (printer) in which she sported various sexy outfits and danced like a femme fatale, and of course Kwak Jae-Yong’s 2001 comedy 엽기적인 그녀 (My Sassy Girl). Adapted from an internet novel, the film marked the return of Director Kwak after almost a decade of absence, and made the young actress and her partner in crime Cha Tae-Hyun big stars, not only in Korea but also in the Chinese market. The film was one of the flagbearers of the 한류 (Korean Wave), which up until then mostly involved TV Dramas, and even attracted interest from Hollywood, which materialized into remake rights for a possible American version.

Of course the biggest problem for stars who make it big very fast is sustaining their popularity. Jeon could have done a dozen films along the lines of ‘My Sassy Girl’ and she probably would have been successful anyway, especially in Hong Kong and China. But she came back in 2003 with Lee So-Yeon’s psychological thriller 4인용 식탁 (The Uninvited)—her third time working with Park Shin-Yang—one of the best Korean films of the genre in years. Although still showing shortcomings in terms of range, Jeon transformed herself completely from the hyperactive Sassy Girl to a mess of a young woman, both depressed and suffering from conflicting emotions. Jeon was praised for her acting, but as the film didn’t do too well at the box office, she quickly came back to what made her famous: melodramas masked as romcoms. Paired together once again with director Kwak, Jeon starred in 내 여자친구를 소개합니다 (Windstruck), which did well both in Korea and Japan. One of the queens of CF in Korea, alongside Lee Mi-Yeon, Kim Nam-Joo and Go So-Young, Jeon has been in the public eye enough to have the time carefully plan her comeback to the big screen, which is why it took two years to see her back, in Andrew Lau’s 데이지 (Daisy).

Although he’s better known as a director, Lau actually entered the HK industry in the mid 80s as a director of photography - and quite a good one at that. Some of his works as DP include Wong Kar-Wai’s debut 熱血男兒 (As Tears Go By), Ringo Lam’s classic 龍虎風雲 (City on Fire) and 1989’s 伴我闖天涯 (Wild Search). But Lau has also become one of the most influential directors in Hong Kong through multiple hits: 古惑仔 之 人在江湖 (Young and Dangerous) in the mid 90s started a huge trend towards youth triad films in HK, and 1998’s 風雲 雄覇天下 (The Stormriders) hit it huge at the box office. Even with the industry in dire straits, Lau made another ‘miracle’, combining popular and critical acclaim, with 無間道 (Infernal Affairs), the first of a very successful trilogy. After the domestic hit 頭文字 D (Initial D)—which released in Korea last week, and flopped pretty badly—Lau makes his debut as an International director in ‘Daisy’, and he’s just the tip of an iceberg full of Internationally acclaimed staff members. We have Umebayashi Shigeru, responsible for the soundtrack of Wong Kar-Wai’s wonderful 花樣年華 (In The Mood For Love); Dion Lam of 無極 (The Promise) takes care of the action (and acts in the film as well); and last but not least Kwak Jae-Yong of ‘My Sassy Girl’ wrote the script.

The cast is also impressive, as other than Jeon, Jung Woo-Sung and Lee Sung-Jae will play the other two angles in the film’s love triangle. Also, the supporting cast features a very familiar face for Korean fans, especially those from the 386 generation: none other than David Chiang, who starred in several Shaw Brothers hits popular in the country during the 70s and 80s. With names like that, it’s pretty obvious this film will have the world stage in mind, and not merely Asia, let alone Korea. This also explains the choices in casting. Jeon should take care of the Western and Chinese market, Jung is enjoying his newfound popularity in Japan after the success of 내 머리속의 지우개 (A Moment To Remember), and despite Lee Sung-Jae’s lack of hits since 2002’s 공공의 적 (Public Enemy), he was certainly brought in for his acting skills. Both the storyline and the overseas locations (The Netherlands) scream Korean Wave like nothing else released this year in Korea has, and that could be a problem, at least in the domestic market.

Of course a melodrama with big stars and a director known for his visual bravura could be enough to make ‘Daisy’ a big hit in Korea as well, but something tells me this might not be the case. But for that verdict, we’ll have to wait until the film’s release on March 9. ‘Daisy’ had its press screening yesterday at the Megabox in Samsung-Dong, present at the premiere director Andrew Lau and stars Jeon Ji-Hyun, Jung Woo-Sung and Lee Sung-Jae. After the film’s release in Korea, other Asian countries (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and more) will be able to see ‘Daisy’ starting from April. Also, Hollywood’s Gold Circle recently purchased rights for an American remake.

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Press Reaction
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Reaction was, in some ways, all over the place. Some people liked it a lot, others said it was decidedly vanilla. What seemed to be general consensus is that the story is too traditional and cliched, but the acting and especially directing (at least in terms of visuals) seem to be quite good. Other problems involved slightly hackneyed dialogue, and a bit too much ‘Korean Wave’ posturing (long, agonizing gazes at the horizon while classical music plays… you know the deal). On the box office front, most commented that the film has enough star power to succeed, especially in the rest of Asia, but it will have a hard time becoming a huge hit in Korea.

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Comments
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DIRECTOR ANDREW LAU
“I wanted to work with people like Jeon, Jung and Lee for a long time, and working together was a fun and interesting experience. I learned a lot from them, and am very thankful. Before leaving for the Netherlands, I worried a little about the language barrier, but since we all had the same problem, we ended up helping each other. Jung Woo-Sung spoke Chinese pretty well, and Lee Sung-Jae spoke a little English, but Jeon Ji-Hyun showed her English and Chinese skills with ease. I might have been the director, but I found the unique and mysterious colour Jeon gave to her character really appealing. I think the most important thing in this film is the feeling and fate establishing between the characters, their ways of expressing that sentiment and how by repeating different scenes a connection between them is formed. We really had a lot of fun shooting in the Netherlands, and finding new places to eat at every day. I particularly enjoyed the Chinese restaurants in Amsterdam, and it was a relief I could find them.”

JEON JI-HYUN
“I really can’t speak the two languages that well. Of course a language barrier can always exist, but before meeting Director Lau, watching ‘Infernal Affairs’ I felt a very strong uneasiness because of its very dynamic and masculine elements. I was worried about approaching the characters’ emotions the way he wanted, and about whether he could understand my acting style. Yet, the first time I met him I realized there was no need for language. I can’t really draw that well [Jeon plays a painter in the film], but I took lesson to at least look the part. I know myself better than anyone else, and I know I couldn’t possibly learn that much in a short time. So I approached those lessons without rushing, and tried my best not to look awkward. One day my teacher told me to draw a tree, and I kept wondering why. He told me later, that it was to find my own tree, the kind of tree only Jeon Ji-Hyun can draw. Since this is the first time I act in a love triangle, trying to find the right way to express those feelings was quite complicated. There were also many changes compared to the original script I read in Korea. The biggest difference between the Netherlands and here was that obviously not many people recognized me, so the people working with me [road manager, coordinator, etc.] might have had it much easier. But then again I kept constantly looking at the phone, as I was always afraid they’d leave me alone.”
JUNG WOO-SUNG
“More than anything else, I tried to approach love in a very simple way. There’s many feelings you can experience when falling in love, but you always feel a sense of excitement and nervousness when meeting that person, so I tried to focus on that. I knew my English and Chinese skills are not that good, but what I learned working with this crew is that we didn’t really need any language. In a way, ‘Daisy’ became our own language with which we communicated, so it was a very special experience for me. Director Lau is much different from other directors who constantly look at the monitor, as he worked the camera himself [Lau was also DP], and that helped us a lot more when trying to express the feelings he wanted. He’s a really relaxed person, without ever feeling distant, and always very warm. I enjoyed working with his tremendously, and even though my Chinese wasn’t very good, he kept complimenting me.”

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Quick Judgment
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No Cut News’ Lee Chan-Ho
Film Quality: GOOD
Box Office Potential: GOOD

Money Today’s Kim Hyun-Rok
Film Quality: GOOD
Box Office Potential: GOOD

Kyunghyang Sports’ Choi Jae-Wook
Film Quality: AVERAGE
Box Office Potential: AVERAGE

Segye.com’s Ryu Joon-Young
Film Quality: EXCELLENT
Box Office Potential: EXCELLENT

Screen’s Park Ji-Young
Film Quality: AVERAGE
Box Office Potential: GOOD

Pressian’s Ahn Jae-Hyung
Film Quality: AVERAGE
Box Office Potential: GOOD

Herald Economy’s Yoon Kyung-Cheol
Film Quality: GOOD
Box Office Potential: GOOD

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데이지 (Daisy)
Director: 劉偉强 (Andrew Lau Wai-Keung)
Writer: 곽재용 (Kwak Jae-Yong)
Cast: 전지현 (Jeon Ji-Hyun), 정우성 (Jung Woo-Sung), 이성재 (Lee Sung-Jae)
Official Website
Theatrical Trailer (Streaming, 500k, Windows Media)

Teaser Trailer (Streaming, 700k, Windows Media)
Making Of (Streaming, 300k, Windows Media)
Making Of (Streaming, 700k, Windows Media)
Music Drama (Streaming, 300k, Windows Media)
Cast Interview (Streaming, 500k, Windows Media)
Production Documentary (Streaming, 500k, Windows Media)

Poster Shoot (Streaming, 700k, Windows Media)
Movie Stills/Posters
Produced By: 아이필름 (iFilms)
Distributed By: 아이러브시네마 (I Love Cinema)
Rating: 15 and Over
RELEASE: March 9

Sources
nKino: 1, 2
Film2.0: 1
Yahoo Korea: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Star News: 1, 2, 3, 4
Goodday Entertainment: 1