Actress Kim Hye-soo, who played an impressive police officer in the hit TV series “Signal,” is returning to the big screen as a cop in “The Day I Died.”

“At first, I was aware of the fact that Hyun-soo is a police officer character (like Soo-hyun in Signal.) But for Hyun-soo, I could naturally focus more on portraying her emotions and less on her occupation,” Kim said during an online press briefing on Thursday. “I expect audiences will feel the same way when they watch the movie.”

“The Day I Die” depicts the story of Hyun-soo, a police officer who is investigating the case of a girl named Se-jin, played by Roh Jeong-eui, who disappeared off the edge of the cliff and left only a short note about ending her life behind. The story develops further after Hyun-soo meets a witness of the girl’s death, played by Lee Jeong-eun, who is mute.

Director Park Ji-wan of “The Day I Died” explained that while the movie includes a character that has disappeared, it is not a mystery film, and even though a police officer is the main character, the movie is not a crime investigation film either.

“Our movie is more about looking into the hidden sides and emotions of different characters. It is more focused on people and why they act in certain way rather than the case itself,” the director said.

“The Day I Died” is Park’s debut feature.

Since it is unusual to see Korean movies led solely by three female characters and directed by a female director, Kim found herself working in a new environment.

“When choosing films, I do not focus on whether there are lots of characters of a certain gender. But I know that it is meaningful to see more and more well-described female characters,” Kim said. “Also, it is meaningful to see a growing number of female directors. I hope this movie can provide an opportunity for more female directors to speak out not just as a female director but as a well-prepared member of the film industry.”

Since depicting an in-depth character was crucial for the movie, Lee shared how she focused on making the character believable.

“It is easy to think that someone who is mute would exaggerate to communicate. The director provided me with some documentary films that I could refer to. I found out through them that those who are mute can still communicate without any exaggeration,” Lee said. “One of the ways that my character communicated was through writing. So, I discussed different handwriting styles with the director.”

“She is like a master of details. I was honored to work with her,” Kim added.

“The Day I Died” will hit local theaters on Nov. 12.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)