Song Joong Ki is set to close out 2024 with Bogotá: City of the Lost, a tale of survival in unfamiliar territory that aims to captivate holiday audiences.
At the press screening and conference held at Megabox COEX in Gangnam on December 19th, director Kim Sung Je joined cast members Song Joong Ki, Lee Hee Jun, and more for a candid discussion about the film.
The story follows Guk Hee (Song Joong Ki), who travels to Bogota, Colombia in the aftermath of the IMF crisis, becoming entangled with Korean community power players Su Young (Lee Hee Jun) and Park Byung Jang (Kwon Hae Hyo).
Song, who portrays Guk Hee from age 19 through his 30s, revealed his initial attraction to the project: “I generally enjoy trying things I haven’t done before. I like working in new environments with people from cultures I haven’t worked with before,” adding, “I was also curious about what it would be like to act in Spanish.”
However, given that he’s portraying a character struggling in a foreign land, it’s true that some viewers have noted similarities between Bogotá: City of the Lost and his previous Netflix film My Name is Loh Kiwan. The actor explained, “I encountered ‘My Name is Loh Kiwan’ four and a half years after filming ‘Bogota,'” noting, “I try to go back and forth between dramas and films. For dramas, I usually choose projects that can give viewers fantasy, avoiding emotionally bleak content, while for films, I stick to my personal taste. That might be why people find similar emotional tones in my films.”
However, he emphasized the distinctions: “While my characters in ‘Loh Kiwan’ and ‘Hopeless’ lacked motivation or sense of agency in their lives, Guk Hee is an extremely self-driven character with strong determination. He’s a bundle of ambition.”
When concerns were raised about potential negative portrayals of Colombia in the movie, Director Kim Sung Je clarified, “I wasn’t exactly worried about it.” He then cautiously added, “From what I know, Bogota was actually considered one of the world’s most dangerous cities for about a decade before the period I set in the film. Rather than trying to damage the country’s image, we aimed to handle the narrative and conflicts with detailed, realistic material.”
Song also offered a personal perspective: “My mother-in-law is Colombian, and my wife’s family lives there,” he shared. “From what I understand, the locals have worked hard to move past certain images. The Colombia I experienced is full of excitement and warmth. I have very joyful memories of my time there.”
Bogota, which was invited to the 29th Busan International Film Festival’s “Korean Cinema Today” section, is scheduled for release on December 31st.
>> Song Joong Ki Says His Role in ‘Bogota: City of the Lost’ Is Unlike Any Other He’s Played
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