Song Joong-ki Had Flung Himself into ‘Hopeless,’ Here’s Why

Song Joong-ki has had diverse roles to his credit that further solidify him as the star that he is, albeit often lumped into the mold of a K-drama hero. I think Song is an outlier in the sense that he doesn’t box himself into a bracket or a character type; he prefers, I’m sure, interesting work, perhaps storylines with layers and deeper implications, and thus, when a chance to be in Hopeless (Hwaran) presented itself, Song readily accepted the offer. That qualifies him as a consummate artist.

In a recent interview with The Korea Herald, Song revealed that he always meant to explore the noir genre and had only by chance read the script for Hopeless. He was asked if taking on a supporting role would be acceptable to him. “I wanted to bring this rough story to the screen without changing its charms,” he added, so he flung himself into the film for free while also participating in its production.

Hopeless lacks hope and happiness. The neo-noir thriller features characters marked by despair, apathy, and perhaps a lack of morality. Yeon-gyu (Hong Xa-bin), 18, and his younger sister, Ha-yan (Bibi), are living with dire consequences. When he is struggling to navigate his way out of a precarious situation, Chi-geon (Song) aids him. Thereafter, Yeon-gyu joins a crime gang with Chi-geon as its mid-level boss, jeopardizing himself while striving to survive in the underworld.

This year, the 76th Cannes Film Festival enlisted five Korean films to be shown under different titles, with Hopeless, Kim Chang-hoon’s directorial debut, drawing interest under the festival’s main presentation, Un Certain Regard, focused mostly on works by emerging filmmakers and those featuring ingenious narrative styles. Hopeless also served as Song’s Cannes debut and was a selection for the 28th Busan International Film Festival’s “Korean Cinema Today—Special Premiere” segment.

Hopeless is due to hit theaters on October 11, 2023, and despite its gore, I await its seedy context, more specifically Song’s portrayal, knowing how precisely he paints his depictions.