Netflix sci-fi film 'The Great Flood' explores origin of love: director By Woo Jae-yeon, Yonhap All , World Director Kim Byung-woo (2nd from L) poses with cast members at a press conference for the Netflix original "The Great Flood" in Seoul on Dec. 16, 2025. (Yonhap) SEOUL — "The Great Flood" director Kim Byung-woo said the upcoming Netflix original film, beneath its disaster spectacle, explores an enduring question he's carried for years: the nature of love itself. "It is about a question that I've had for a long time. What is love and where does it come from?" the director said at a press conference for the sci-fi movie Tuesday. "I hope you all think about this as you watch." The film depicts the struggles of An-na, played by Kim Da-mi, a single mother of a 6-year-old son who suddenly wakes up in the middle of a devastating flood that engulfs her apartment complex and, by extension, the planet. She is informed by security agent Hee-jo (Park Hae-soo) that the world as they know it is coming to an end and that she is the only one who can save humanity as a crucial artificial intelligence researcher. Thus, Hee-jo's primary task is to get An-na and her son, Ja-in, to safety. "The aspect of maternal love made it hard to decide whether to take on this role," the 30-year-old actress said. "I kept thinking, 'Can I really understand what a mother feels? Can I convincingly portray that?'" Deciding to take on the challenge, she focused on her character's transformation and her discovery of how deeply she loves her son as the disaster plays out. "Squid Game" and "The Price of Confession" star Park Hae-soo said the screenplay was unlike that of "an ordinary disaster movie." "I've never seen a script like that before. I've never worked on a project that follows three protagonists at the same time, which really piqued my curiosity," he said. "As filming went on, my affection for the film grew," he added. Speaking about the film's genre, the director, whose previous works include "The Terror Live" (2013), "Take Point" (2018) and "Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy" (2025), said his latest project merges disaster and sci-fi to appeal to fans of both. "Disaster and sci-fi elements are woven together, so viewers can enjoy what both genres have to offer," he said. Another key point in making the film was portraying each character's emotions in such extreme circumstances, the director said. "What mattered the most was how the visuals and action could convey emotion, as I didn't want this to be just another disaster film," he said. "I prioritized the emotional aspects, so that's what I focused on while directing." "The Great Flood" premiered in the "Korean Cinema Today" section at the 30th Busan International Film Festival in September. It is set for release on Netflix on Friday. Related coverage: Source: https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/66927