'Train to Busan' director builds low-budget paradise to test human existence

The Korea Times - Oct 14, 2026

Director Yeon Sang-ho said his latest low-budget psychological thriller "Paradise Lost" explores human identity, the double-edged nature of filling a loss and a story written by his mother. The director explained that the movie uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to examine human existence and emotional boundaries, rather than simply warning about its dangers. "Trying to replace what you've lost always has two sides," Yeon told The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul on Wednesday, recalling how he often discussed existential literature, such as Albert Camus' "The Stranger," during his college years. "The main character So-young's choices may or may not be emotionally understandable to viewers by the end, but I think that gap creates a necessary story in today's AI-driven world." The film centers on So-young (Kim Hyun-joo), a mother trapped in grief nine years after her son Sun-woo went missing along with 12 other children on a school bus. To endure her pain, she interacts daily with a virtual version of her child through an augmented reality program. However, she collapses when a grow

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Oct 14, 2026

'Train to Busan' director builds low-budget paradise to test human existence

Oct 14, 2026

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