Competitive swimming film shows young people how to stay afloat in life

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 19-year-old Park Tae-hwan became the first South Korean to win a gold medal in swimming when he touched the finish line in the 400-metre freestyle event. His triumph sparked a new interest in competitive swimming in his country.

The teen swimmer also opened the door for the production of No Breathing. Although it's not a biopic, the film is inspired by Park's early career, with its two main characters embodying elements of his story.

Director-scriptwriter Cho Yong-sun had been following Park for several years before his win in Beijing. "As a screenwriter you're always on the lookout for something that can serve as the motive for a story," says Cho, who shares scripting credits with Yoo Young-a. "I remember watching the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Australia, and Park looked tiny compared to the other swimmers. In the middle of the 400-metre freestyle he was in fifth place or something, and I thought, 'Asian swimmers can't really compete at this level.' But then he swam the last 50 metres without coming up for air, and passed everyone to win it."

Park's unusual technique of keeping his head underwater gives the film its title, and Cho considers it a good metaphor for the high spirits and determination of youth.

No Breathing features rising star Lee Jong-suk as Woo-sang, a moody top-ranked high school swimmer who is struggling under the weight of expectations on his shoulders. When Won-il (Seo In-guk), a gifted and free-spirited swimmer who has been away from the sport for several years, transfers to Woo-sang's school, their personalities clash; both boys also fall in love with Jung-eun, their childhood friend, played by K-pop idol singer Kwon Yuri.

Cho, whose directorial debut comes after a decade working on various film crews, says he sees No Breathing primarily as a coming-of-age story, or a family film. But it is also South Korea's first swimming movie and proved challenging.

"It's hard to shoot in the water. On a technical level, we tried out a huge number of different tests and techniques, because there weren't any good models we could follow from past films," Cho says.