Few filmmakers are as beloved around Certified Forgotten as Na Hong-jin. From Monagle's love of The Chaser to Donato's never-ending stumping for The Wailing, Hong-jin remains one of the few directors whose work is always in demand from both halves of the podcast. So now that the much-lauded Hope is in theaters, we knew we needed to talk about this wild ride of a monster movie on the podcast.
Despite its proximity to the Korean Demilitarized Zone, life is pretty quiet in the fishing village of Hope Harbor. So when the town’s livestock turns up just a little mutilated, the local police chief doesn’t think much of it – maybe it’s a bear, or even a tiger, which would be the most exciting thing to happen to the community in ages. But when people start to report a monster running rampart through the village, Hope Harbor’s meager police force must work with whoever is packing heat to defend the town against an extraterrestrial force.
In this short excerpt from the episode, Donato explains why Hope is attempting to do the same thing as the director's previous film:
Where I walked away with it is much like The Wailing, in which basically every act feels so different. The Wailing goes from being the budy copy, pluckier thing, to a haunted house, then the final act is just full-force horror. And the way that The Wailing weaves through tones, it's so seamless. I think he tries to do it again here with Hope, and I definitely see where all the parts work.
The Hope episode of the Certified Forgotten podcast is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, or the podcast platform of your choice.
