“Webbed feet are a kind of metaphor for the growing pains of being unable to adapt to secondary sexual characteristics”

Intimate and tender, ‘Boy in the Pool’ describes the arrival of first love with its fullness and disappointments. A simple story, built around its teenage protagonists, based on those small emotions that the camera reveals with the pool as a setting for their awakening to the world.

– ‘Boy in the Pool’ portrays the universal struggles of teenagers grappling with their identities but with a physical rare deformity as an addition, how much were you trying to tackle adolescence dismorphia through its main character webbed toes?

– Webbed feet are a kind of metaphor for the growing pains of being unable to adapt to secondary sexual characteristics, leading to confusion and aimlessness. I believe puberty is a major, unavoidable change that comes to everyone. I still remember the shame and confusion I felt when I first noticed physical changes in my upper elementary school years. At the same time, I think my personality also began to change.”

In fact, figure skaters often struggle to perform the jump skills they once mastered when transitioning from junior to senior levels due to physical changes. I’ve heard that quite a few skaters even quit the sport during that time. In sports, puberty and physical changes seem to be interpreted more directly and tangibly. Through Webbed Feet, I wanted to metaphorically express those struggles within the genre of a sports coming-of-age drama.

– What did you know about webbed toes before?

– In fact, it was so rare that I began my research by looking into whether there was even a medical term for such a deformity. I can’t remember the exact term now. But after deciding to use webbed feet as a metaphor, I chose not to portray the condition in the film as a disease. Instead, I wanted it to be seen as a hidden superpower or latent potential—something that must be kept secret, yet could have unpredictable consequences if discovered by others.

I intended to depict it like a cursed power.”

– The girl and the boy form a strong connection, cemented by a childhood promise to swim together always. How much do childhood expectations become adult remorses and rebukes?

– I believe that growing older means constantly facing moments where we come to understand reality, make compromises, and yet find gratitude in what has been given to us. I still remember all the countless dreams I had when I was in lower elementary school: a kind friend who would approach me first, a neighbor with a garden out front and a pet by their side, and by then—surely—we’d have a wonderful husband. I was going to be a singer-songwriter. No, the president.
Or maybe an interior designer. It all seems so fanciful now, yet those bright, whimsical dreams of that time feel precious to me. The friendships that didn’t turn out the way I had hoped still sting.
And the anger from the deep betrayal by a friend I once felt I could give everything to—that still lingers. Some of it remains like a kind of trauma. But because I went through it, it’s become a story. And I believe it’s become nourishment for another kind of growth.”

– The film takes place both in 2007 and 2013, how did you underline the subtle differences in terms of fashion, music, culture, social and politics between the time axes?

– Due to budget constraints, much of it couldn’t be included, but in fact, there was a deleted scene before filming that used an MP3 player as a period-specific object to express the protagonist’s loneliness. A small device that could only play music—no YouTube, no internet, no calls. It reflected the atmosphere of 2007, when using such a device was completely normal, just before smartphones became mainstream around 2013. I wanted to highlight the contrast between an era when staying in touch with someone wasn’t taken for granted, and the era when it became almost too easy.”

– The film emphasizes the complex emotions that arise while growing up, why was it important not to develop a typical teenage romance?

– I didn’t want to create a typical coming-of-age drama. Instead, I wanted to add a touch of teenage romance within the everyday moments of a growth story. The main theme was to portray the precarious, overflowing tension of adolescence—like water trembling on the edge of spilling over.

– What does Hyo-woo experience at the renowned dance crew HOOK bring to her performance?

– Having gone through the famous Korean survival show Street Woman Fighter, Hyo-woo had already experienced the full spectrum of complex emotions that come with competition. That’s why I believe she had a wide emotional range to express—even though this was her first time acting on screen. And because dancers are trained to control intensity and nuance through movement, I think she was able to deliver exactly the level of emotion I was looking for.

– How did your work the depiction of water with your DP Ryu Yeon-su?

– With virtually no budget, we desperately needed a smart solution for underwater filming. So, early on, I had discussions with the cinematographer about how we could approach underwater scenes as an independent film. While I was developing the script, he was already researching and exploring underwater filming techniques. After much thought, he simply declared that he would shoot it himself. He explained that the moment we bring in a specialized underwater team, the cost and time would double—so he committed to handling it personally. Naturally, that meant underwater tests were essential during pre-production. We ordered two different underwater camera housing kits from international gear suppliers that were compatible with the Canon model we had—since they were custom-made, delivery took anywhere from two weeks to a month. I don’t remember the exact product names… One kit came from Germany, the other from the U.S. The German kit was the most convenient to use, but that ease made us skeptical about its waterproof reliability. When we first placed the sponsored Canon camera into a water-filled bathtub inside the housing, my heart was pounding. We were so nervous that water might leak into the loaned camera, but the waterproof case performed amazingly well. Two weeks before the actual shoot, we ran our final underwater test at a swimming pool with the child actors—and everything went smoothly. Visibility was great too. At least for pool-based scenes, there were no issues. From that point on, equipment was no longer a concern. The only variable left in underwater filming was our physical stamina.