‘Revelations' Director Yeon Sang-Ho Shares BTS Details On His Film

Forbes

23-03-2025

Ryu Jun-yeol as Pastor Sung Min-chan in 'Revelations'
If there's one throughline that ties together the works of Director Yeon Sang-ho—known for Train to Busan, Hellbound and Parasyte: The Grey, among other thrillers—it's that they make viewers think.
'I think the best thing about watching a movie is that the moment it ends, it starts again, because you start thinking about that movie,' Yeon says. 'I've always wanted to make films that get you to start thinking about the message the second the movie ends.'
Yeon's latest feature Revelations, which premiered on Netflix on March 21st, is no different. Based on the eponymous webtoon that Yeon himself created with writer and frequent collaborator Choi Gyu-seok, Revelations is a dark, twisted thriller that illustrates how a person's strong but misguided convictions can set them down a path of destruction.
Ryu Jun-yeol (The 8 Show, A Taxi Driver) delivers a mind-blowing performance as Sung Min-chan, a pastor who, after receiving what he believes to be divine revelations, becomes hellbent on tracking down and punishing the culprit in a missing person case. Detective Lee Yeon-hui (played by Shin Hyun-been of Hospital Playlist and Reborn Rich) is assigned to the case and also chases after the suspect, all the while being tormented by visions of her dead sister.
Over the course of two hours, the film raises plenty of questions about faith, morality and human fragility. It also serves as a chilling reminder that anyone—no matter how good their intentions might be—can cause substantial harm to themselves and to others if they become too entrenched in their beliefs. And at a time when ideological divides and religious and political extremism are at a fever pitch, viewers will certainly be able to draw many real-world parallels.
I spoke to Director Yeon over Zoom to hear his insights on some of the themes explored in Revelations and to learn more about how the webtoon was brought to screen.
Regina Kim: You've previously worked with writer Choi Gyu-seok on both the webcomic and the screen adaptation for Hellbound. How did you come to collaborate with him again on Revelations?
Yeon Sang-ho: After we released Hellbound season 1, writer Choi and I were brainstorming ideas for its second season. We just bounced around lots of ideas and, in the process, came up with the story for Revelations. We worked on the webcomic Revelations on the Kakao platform, and that actually came out before the webtoon for Hellbound season 2. Because it was a shorter story compared to season two of Hellbound, we were able to create the webtoon more quickly. We worked on the screen adaptation for Hellbound season 2 before we did it for Revelations, but for the webcomic, it was the other way around.
Kim: How do you know writer Choi? What's your relationship with him?
Yeon: We went to the same college. I majored in oil painting, and writer Choi majored in animation, and we knew each other while in college. We're still best buddies. We collaborated on Hellbound season 1 for the first time officially, but even before then, we always had lots of conversations about each other's works and helped each other out.
Shin Hyun-been as Lee Yeon-hui in 'Revelations'
Kim: What made you decide to create the webtoon for Revelations, and why did you want to bring it to screen?
Yeon: I think it stemmed from the character Sung Min-chan. Someone who sees only what he wants to see and believes only what he wants to believe. And there's this phenomenon called pareidolia where you see something the way you want to see it.
I thought of weaving this concept of pareidolia together with the character of Min-chan, and that's how our conversations started. Then this other character Lee Yeon-hui, who's like Min-chan in some ways but also the opposite of him at the same time, came up naturally in our conversations and was developed. That's how we got the outline for the story.
Kim: Ah, got it. Actually, before I watched Revelations, I didn't even know what terms like apophenia and pareidolia even meant. But now I know thanks to you!
Yeon: There was this current affairs TV show that talked about pareidolia, and that's when I first learned of the concept.
Revelations (L to R) Ryu Jun-yeol as Sung Min-chan, Shin Min-jae as Kwon Yang-rae in 'Revelations'
Kim: I see. How did Ryu Jun-yeol come to be cast for the role of Min-chan? His performance was so phenomenal, it left me stunned. Why did you decide to cast him?
Yeon: Jun-yeol's acting skills really stand out among peers in his age group. In portraying this character Min-chan, I think we were in desperate need of his acting abilities and his way of interpreting the film. As we were working on the film, Jun-yeol made Min-chan into an even more three-dimensional character. He was always proactively sharing his ideas, and that really helped flesh out the character of Min-chan.
Kim: Did you, from the beginning, want Ryu Jun-yeol to portray Min-chan?
Yeon: I did. Because Jun-yeol actually looks a bit like the character in the comic, and as I just mentioned, he's an amazing actor, especially considering his age, so I hoped he'd take on this role.
Sung Min-chan in 'Revelations' webtoon
Kim: Well, I think he was a perfect choice. Also, I noticed that Alfonso Cuarón is an executive producer of this film. How did that happen?
Yeon: His production company, which co-produced this film, reached out to me and said he wanted to collaborate with me. They said it didn't have to be in English and that it could be a Korean-language film. So I proposed working on Revelations together, since Director Cuarón seems to be interested in [those kinds of works]. I think it was during the height of the pandemic, and my whole family had COVID, so I remember having my first meeting with him via a video call. I shared the outline of the story I had in mind, and he was intrigued and happy to develop it further together with me.
Shin Min-jae in Episode 1 of Netflix's 'The Bequeathed'
Kim: I read some Korean news articles saying that the name of the actor who plays Kwon Yang-rae is Shin Min-jae, whom you've collaborated with before. Is this your third or fourth time collaborating with him?
Yeon: I think the fourth, yeah. He had a small part in JUNG_E and also made a brief appearance in The Bequeathed, which I wrote the script for, and also in Parasyte: The Grey. Min-jae used to be bigger and had an adorable image when he appeared in indie films. He lost a lot of weight to play Yang-rae, so you may not recognize him. If you saw Parasyte: The Grey, there's a scene where Koo Kyo-hwan's character Seol Kang-woo steals a motorcycle from a motorcycle shop. Min-jae played the owner of that shop.
Kim: Really? I should rewatch that scene!
Yeon: Yeah, he probably seems like a different person there. (laughs)
Shin Min-jae (left) and Koo Kyo-hwan (right) in 'Parasyte: The Grey'
Kim: After the trailer for Revelations dropped, I read that a lot of Korean fans were like, 'He looks a lot like Director Yeon.'
Yeon: In the past, when we were filming other projects, a lot of people said the same thing on set. It was like our little inside joke, but now that he's got a bigger role, I guess the secret's out. (laughs)
Kim: Yeah, I feel like you two share a similar vibe.
Yeon: We look even more alike after he lost weight. I don't think non-Korean fans will be able to tell us apart!
Kim: I thought the same thing for a split second! Like, why is Director Yeon also acting in this movie? Anyway, the title of the film is Revelations, but I don't think it ever mentions the Book of Revelation. Is the title referring to the Book of Revelation in the Bible, or is it more generally referring to divine revelations given by God?
Yeon: The whole story is basically about events that arise from a series of divine revelations taking place. I wanted the title to give the impression of a chain of revelations happening, so I came up with 'Revelations.' It doesn't necessarily have to do with the Book of Revelation.
Ryu Jun-yeol as Sung Min-chan in 'Revelations'
Kim: There's one scene in the movie that really stayed with me. It's when Min-chan and his congregation are praying for [the missing girl] A-yeong, and A-yeong's mom looks around at the churchgoers and seems shocked and scared when she sees them praying loudly and shouting. What was going on in her head at that moment?
Yeon: A-yeong's mother fears that her daughter could already be dead. But also, Min-chan, in his prayer, assumes that A-yeong is dead, and the church members are all agreeing with him as they pray for her soul to be saved. And that scares her too. I think she's scared because her daughter could be alive, but everyone around her is acting like she's dead.
There were actually scenes in the early cuts of the movie where A-yeong is shown to be alive and waiting for someone to come to her rescue, but I took all those scenes out because I wanted the audience to also be unsure of whether A-yeong was alive or not. I think it worked as a good device to heighten the tension in the movie and test the belief of the audience.
Kim: Ah, I thought A-yeong's mother was shocked and scared because the church members seemed overly fervent in their prayers, as if they'd gone a bit mad, but I guess that wasn't the case. As for Min-chan, he seems like an ordinary person in the beginning of the film but slowly descends into madness. Would you say that his church becomes a cult as he becomes increasingly delusional?
Yeon: Well, a church is not just about its pastor. I don't think you can say for sure that just because Min-chan's faith becomes increasingly twisted, his congregation's faith becomes twisted too. What I wanted to show with this film is that Min-chan isn't a crazy or abnormal person in the beginning—he starts off being a normal person who has sincere faith. I thought it was important to show how an ordinary person can be driven to madness by certain events and the choices they make to believe in certain things.
Director Yeon Sang-ho and Shin Hyun-been as Lee Yeon-hui in 'Revelations'
Kim: What is the core message that you hope viewers will take away from this film?
Yeon: I guess the core message of the film is conveyed by the two characters Yeon-hui and Min-chan. I wanted to show the downfall and redemption of people who see only what they want to see and believe only what they want to believe.
Kim: As I was watching this movie, I wondered if Min-chan was a villain. Like, how at fault is he when he becomes mentally unstable and truly believes that he's carrying out God's will?
Yeon: I actually thought Min-chan and Yeon-hui were two quite similar people. Yeon-hui is driven by vengeance, and Min-chan uses divine revelations to justify his actions. But when he justifies his actions with his faith, he lacks objectivity. So this story could be about what the consequences are when you try to justify your actions with your beliefs while lacking objectivity.
Kim: Some directors don't really like giving away too much about their movies in interviews, so I really appreciate you sharing these details. I think I'll have a deeper understanding of the film when I watch it again. I have one more question about Min-chan. Exactly how and why is he driven to insanity?
Yeon: There's a saying in Korea, 'a-jeon-in-su' (아전인수), and that means interpreting everything in one's own favor. I think we all do that to some extent as human beings—we all want to interpret things in a way that suits our own interests.
But Min-chan is someone who goes overboard with that. And you could say that it's materialistic greed that drives him to believe that he can become the pastor of this big church. But because he's a pious person, he just can't come to terms with his materialistic greed, so he tries to sugarcoat it and justify it through other means. And that's what shapes his character in this film.
Sung Min-chan (Ryu Jun-yeol) realizes he finally has the opportunity to lead a big church in ... More 'Revelations'
Kim: When I look at your previous works, I feel like you like to explore the theme of religion, and Revelations also deals a lot with religion. Is there a reason why you keep coming back to this theme?
Yeon: I think I'm interested in human fragility and faith. And to convey those themes clearly in a [thriller], I tend to use religion or crime, like I did with Revelations. We have this religious character Min-chan and this detective Yeon-hui who wants personal revenge, and these characters serve as devices to dramatically showcase human fragility, guilt and faith.
Kim: Towards the end of the movie, Yeon-hui's father sends her a photo of an oculus, or a 'one-eyed window.' That's when Yeon-hui realizes that the 'one-eyed monster' is referring to the oculus. Why doesn't she just call her father back and ask him to find A-yeong?
Yeon: The place in the picture is not where A-yeong is locked up. It's just a window with the same architectural design. What's important is the moment that Yeon-hui realizes that Yang-rae is traumatized by oculus windows. Yeon-hui has always thought of him as a devil, so she doesn't acknowledge the fact that he's got his own trauma and feelings. At the end of the movie though, she decides to acknowledge this and goes to meet with the psychology professor to learn more about Yang-rae's trauma. And that's when she realizes that the 'one-eyed monster' is actually the style of a window that traumatized him.
Revelations Shin Min-jae as Kwon Yang-rae in 'Revelations'
Kim: In the film's final scene, we see a stain on the wall in Min-chan's cell. It first looks like the face of Jesus, but as he scrubs it, it seems to turn into the face of a demon. What's the symbolism behind that scene?
Yeon: In the scene just before that, Yeon-hui asks Min-chan who gave him those revelations. I think the final scene is the answer to her question. Min-chan is unsure at the end whether it was God who gave him those revelations, or a demon, or whether it was nothing and just a stain. So that symbolizes the internal confusion that Min-chan is experiencing. That's how I wanted to end this film.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Many thanks to Director Yeon Sang-ho for taking the time to chat about his latest film Revelations!
Revelations is currently streaming on Netflix.