Stars of 'Hear Me: Our Summer' hopes remake of Taiwanese hit warms hearts

From left, actors Roh Yoon-seo, Hong Kyung, Kim Min-ju and director Jo Seon-ho pose for a photo during a press conference for film ″Hear Me: Our Summer″ held in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]
The Korean remake of the hit Taiwanese romance film "Hear Me" (2009) is set for local theaters on Nov. 6, featuring a deeper emotional narrative and aiming to warm the audience’s heart during the chilly weather.

“I personally think that the original Taiwanese film has a purer sense of feeling and focuses on depicting its vibrant story,” actor Hong Kyung said during a press conference held in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, on Friday.

“Our film also has that clean vibe and story of pure love, but I think our film delves much deeper into the lives and relationships of individuals and the process of understanding others. I believe that alongside the vibrant, clear feeling, more delicate emotions have been added in our film.”

The Korean version is titled “Hear Me: Our Summer,” with director Jo Seon-ho at the helm. The film follows the love story between Yong-jun and Yeo-reum, with Ga-eul, Yeo-reum’s younger sister, supporting their relationship.

Still from upcoming romantic film ″Hear Me: Our Summer″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT]
It features actors Roh Yoon-seo portraying Yeo-reum, Hong as Yong-jun and Kim Min-ju as Ga-eul, who are considered young rising stars in the Korean movie scene.

The film was also invited to this year’s Busan International Film Festival for its world premiere.

The Taiwanese version, directed by Cheng Fen-fen, was first released in 2010 in Korea, a year later after its home premiere. It gained a major fan base in Korea with its pure love story, showcasing its unique Taiwanese romance vibe, which later led to a rerelease of the film in Korea in 2018.

The directors and cast also recognized the original’s popularity in Korea, which was a major concern for the director.

Still from upcoming romantic film ″Hear Me: Our Summer″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT]
“Creating a remake is never an easy task because it leads to issues both ways — just simply following the original, but also deviating from it,” director Jo said. “So, when I first started the project, I had a lot of concerns. However, I felt that the pure love story inherent in the original work would resonate well with Korean audiences, so I decided to go with it.”

He added, “I had concerns about how much of the unique Taiwanese emotion from the original work could be expressed in a Korean context. After putting thought into this, I decided to carry on the original's purity while also incorporating the reasons I make films and the stories I want to tell.”

The director also gave the film a Korean twist, changing Yong-jun’s lover to the older sister, who was the younger sister in the original, to make it “more persuasive in the Korean context,” with the common perception in Korea that the older sibling sacrifice for their younger sibling.

Still from upcoming romantic film ″Hear Me: Our Summer″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT]
When the film's cast was first announced, many applauded the perfect casting choice, as the director intended to select actors in the same age range as the film’s characters.

“It was such an honor and a joy to capture the shining moments of these three individuals in a way that resonated with their characters,” the director said, adding that the synchronization between the characters and actors was “100 percent.”

For actor Roh, one of the reasons why she selected to participate in the film, aside from being touched by the love story and sisterhood shown in the script, was to fulfill her own desire.

“I always wanted to participate in a film that is refreshing, youthful and heart-fluttering,” Roh said. “I was curious how my current self would perform in such a film, growing the desire to do it.”

Still from upcoming romantic film ″Hear Me: Our Summer″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT]
In the film, the characters use Korean sign language (KSL) — as Ga-eul is a deaf swimmer — which the actors learned together for three months.

“While [learning and] using KSL, I realized that I cannot take my eyes off the other person to thoroughly see and understand what they are saying,” Hong said. “I could really vividly feel what each and every word means.”

The director also revealed the reason for releasing the film in the fall, despite the fact that it is set in summer.

“Time and memory often become precious only after they’ve passed,” director Jo said.

Still from upcoming romantic film ″Hear Me: Our Summer″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT]
“While the actual summer we experience is sweltering hot and sometimes frustrating, when fall and winter come, we find ourselves missing those summer days. Like so, I hope our film resonates with the audience in that same way, which is the reason why we chose to release it in the fall.”

Each actor also expressed the film in words — coming of age, first, and love — hoping the audience would leave the theaters with a heartwarming yet refreshing feeling.

“As the air starts to feel a bit crisp, I believe our refreshing, heart-fluttering and warm story will leave a lasting impression on the audience as they leave the theater,” Roh said.