Not every guest is welcome, and certainly not those at a creepy motel located in the middle of nowhere. Written and directed by Yeon Je-gwang, The Guest is a psychological thriller that asks what would you do if you see someone’s worst nightmare begin to unfold before you.
Based on his original short film which screened at the Cannes Film Festival and won Best Thriller at the LA Independent Film Festival, The Guest had its world premiere at the 2023 Busan International Film Festival, and is Yeon’s feature debut.
It stars Oh Hye-won, Jeong Sook-yo, and Lee Ju-seung and Han Min as Min-cheol, and Young-gyu respectively, two friends working to pay off a debt by secretly recording the private interactions between the guests of the motel.
Voyeurism is a premise that’s been used before in film, but Yeon ups the ante and layers to this already disturbing act by subtly asking the question what men can and should men do when they watch a woman be violated not only by an attacker, but they themselves when their actions of voyeurism as violations themselves.
Following the film’s world premiere, I had the opportunity to have a sit-down interview with Yeon to speak about his inspiration for the film, and how it’s premise of voyeurism and violation relate to the real world as recording women in public and private spaces are acts of violence, giving his female character an arc that gives her self-determination and agency.
Interview interpretation done by Park Chan-yeon
Carolyn Hinds
Freelance Critic, Journalist & Podcaster
African American Film Critics Association Member, Tomatometer-Approved Critic
Co-Host & Producer So Here’s What Happened! Podcast
Bylines at http://Authory.com/CarolynHinds
Twitter & Instagram: @CarrieCnh12
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