Interview with ‘My Heart Beats’ Writer/Director/Producer Eunhee Huh

Watching My Heart Beats, it was clear this was not like any other film I had ever seen. “Juri’s story is about a middle-aged woman who seeks a real heart to fulfill her life in the very vivid and brutal world of adult entertainment. It is a comic, erotic and somehow sad story or our dreams.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. The film, although slow at times, really captures the raw emotions that are not often shown of women in Hollywood movies. Although I was quite thrown by it, as days go by and I think more about it, it really has grown on me. I look forward to seeing what Eunhee Huh does in the future.

About the Film:

My Heart Beats is a 2009 Korean film from Writer/Director/Producer Eunhee Huh by Lucky Star Lounge LLC, an entertainment company specializing in financing culturally diverse films along with Orange Cinema.

The film has been invited by several international film festivals including Pucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea, and Rome International Film Festival.

The following is my interview with Eunhee Huh.

After reading your comments in the press notes it was clear to me that this movie was very personal to you, is this how you think your experience would have turned out had you actually decided to enter the world of porn?

MY HEART BEATS is my first feature project as a writer and director, so I wanted to tell the story that I am familiar with. I worked for porn industry as a crew like boom operator, camera assistant, etc., not a porn actor (^ ^), when I was a film student since it paid more than other jobs. The script has a lot more scenes from my experience and we shot every scene, but it can’t be in the final movie, time wise. I would like to make a director’s cut later with all scenes that I have. And I don’t think I was good enough to describe the details of porn industry, which is more funny, sad, and sometimes embarrassing than we expected. But in some way, I am relieved much, thinking I did tell what I know through MY HEART BEATS.

When I was depressed a lot before I started writing the script, I actually think I could have been porn actor for my life. I just took another way to reach this goal.

When you were writing the script did you consult people in the porn industry?

Busan where I live, is well know for the illegal porn production, so I tried to research their working field in Korea, but I couldn’t. They didn’t want to be exposed even if that would be off the record.

What did you find to be the most challenging aspect of making such a personal film?

When I showed my script to my students in class, some asked, “Maam, do you actually have two jobs?” I really appreciated them, since they thought the story was that real. That is very important to me. A teacher usually wants to be approved by students. But the other way, I am a professor in here, and it is very risky to take that kind of revolutionary and controversial idea since MY HEART BEATS reveals bad sides of educational system. It is conservative and defensive area every where, especially in Korea. Even the story of female professor having affair with her students is non-fiction. So most people thought I might lose my job after MY HEART BEATS comes out. That is why I need to be invited by a lot of film festivals. Once I got accepted to the festival, the school could give me a kind of indulgence. It can’t get rid of me because people approved me and MY HEART BEATS a good art.

So I think such a personal film like MY HEART BEATS is very risky because people tend to have some difficulties to separate my life from my film.

Was Dongsook You your first choice for the role of Juri?

For me, Yes. But other producers wanted to take well-known actress who tried to be in MY HEART BEATS, for marketing. But those actresses couldn’t make it because of their agents. And I could cast Dongsook finally right before shooting. She said she prayed to be Juri every day since she had met me in audition, I think that is why we could work together.

How comfortable was she with the idea of being naked in front of other people and
the camera?

We usually shoot with a small crew for sex scenes to protect actors’ privacy as much as can, but she even suggested that she was okay with all crew members on the set. Furthermore, she said she didn’t need the device for anti-sex. She was really free in front of camera and that helped us to be comfortable for shooting all the time. I am very thankful to her for that.

What kind of budget did you have to work with? Did it restrict you in anyway?

I had about USD 1,200,000. And this small budget caused me a lot of troubles.

I had to finish all shooting schedule for one month, which is really short time for actors to adjust themselves to the roles. I was afraid that MY HEART BEATS is Dongsook’s last work piece, since she was one of the greatest actress in Korea even if she was not famous at all at that time, and I believe she would do greater job like other actress who wins the CANNES award as a leading role, if she had the same condition as theirs, including the enough shooting schedule more than three months. She passed away last year right before we came back from Rome international Film Festival. She got infection on her heart after she walked on the red carpet for the first time in her life. She was the most beautiful actor there in the world.

And I did producing works, too many roles. I begged for location in front of people who were told us to get out of the place, on my knee and right after that, I had to direct my actors and crew. It is very hard to keep my composure.

These are two main things to restrict me. There were a lot more though. ^^

Without spoiling too much, is there an alternate ending?

Yes, there is, but not that different. Juri runs the ground with a small boy. I want to tell the life goes on after a big event, so we have to live, still live. The small boy’s part was out, so the ending had to be changed.

What do you want your audience to take away from this?

For this, I want people try to do what they want for throbbing lives and time. Even if it is risky, the happiness can be reached during we search our dreams and take a journey to them. I don’t think happiness comes after our dreams come true. The process is happier than that moment.

How long did it take you to write the script? What is your process of writing?

It took 3 months to finish the first draft, and I need another one year to research. The final draft came out after 2 and half year after I started writing.

The story came from my life and two of my best friends. I took their episodes in real life and mixed with mine according to the plot, journey to Juri’s searching for her dream, having sexes with a lot of guys. So, ore than 80% of the story is non-fiction including the dialogues.

What has been the reception as film festivals you’ve attended?

In Rome, more elder people came than other festivals, and they said, “Thank you for your movie.” I was shocked, because I didn’t think I deserved that. I determined I have to work hard to be a good director. The Head of Extra section, which MY HEART BEATS was in, in Rome Festival sent me e-mail to thank me for participation and he said a lot of people told him
MY HEART BEATS was better than most of films Official Selection. I think he just wanted to encourage me, but I was so glad.

Some young audience told me MY HEART BEATS is unique and different woman cinema. They asked what kind of thoughts we had as Asian woman director. I answered the idea and the tone in MY HEART BEATS is not that different from western woman cinema, and the way to describe them was just tougher and bolder.

In France, the programmers in some film festivals mentioned that it has to be introduced to French people for many reasons. I have to ask them what those are exactly.

What is next for the film?

We got invited to some more festival in France and Germany, and the film will be provided to the American market through the major broadband services, ie, Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, YouTube as well as on DVD. I wish MY HEART BEATS could have been released in theaters, but even this, I am happy.

What are you working on next?

My next feature is going to be thriller and scary film whose story is about seven people who witness the murder together and somehow accomplices even if they don’t intend it. And they got killed one by one later. It is based on true story.

The third project which is going to shoot in 2013 is Vampire film about ‘growth’, and ‘evolution.’ It is going to be funny, sad and dynamic love story which has Korean traditional swords action and powerful concert.

Biography of Eunhee Huh:

Eunhee Huh is a professor or the department of Film Studies at Dong-Eui University. She has been working in film, video and theatre production as a director, writer, producer, actor and editor for more than 18 years both in Korea and in the States, getting the most out of her understanding of various diverse academic backgrounds…as she is of a different culture.

She has written and directed more than 30 films and plays including Love Letter (16mm color, 17 min, 2003), Bucket Story (16mm color, 16 min, 2002), and Cabaret (rock musical, 2006), etc. My Heart Beats is her first feature project since she founded Orange Cinema in 2008.