Gok-seong (The wailing) : South Korean movie review
The wailing. I watched this movie based on continuing a streak of watching Korean movies. Needless to say, I am in complete awe of the creativity and level of thought that has been put in (to create the chaos?).
The movie begins with these verses from the bible. The reason it is shown will be clear towards the end of the movie.You may also use the verses to ground you to a logical reference point, when everything goes awry and nothing follows the norm. Get ready for a wild ride.
In the first half, tense moments are interspersed with comical ones, mostly courtesy the bungling policemen. In the second half, things get much more serious. Myth, fiction, fact, folklore and nightmare mingle in the storyline, to create a heady cinematic experience. What is the dream? What is the reality? You will question everything here. I feel the movie is intentionally narrated in a way to include multiple points up for discussion. Instead of having only the ending ambiguous so that the viewer begins to interpret the story in his own way (thus becoming a part of the narrative), this movie has many portions left ambiguous and open for interpretation.
I do not watch horror movies usually, as I do not prefer the jumpy scenes used just for shock effect. But here, your definition of a horror movie will change. Things operate on a more psychological level, elevating the thrill while you try to make sense of what the hell is going on. Aficionados of this genre will get a big kick out of this one. After watching this movie, I thought a lot about how conditioned we are, to expect certain aspects for this genre, and how refreshing it is, to witness something wildly different.
Multiple sections in the movie actually gave me the chills - a slow, creeping feeling of the foreboding doom that is tantalizingly held out in this long, slow burning but satiating movie. The camerawork is stunning, utilizing fluid, well crafted shots so we can soak in the details. There is always a menacing feeling around. The interplay between light and dark is masterful - you may observe from the details such as clothes, too. In here, I saw flashes of "memories of murder" in the hinterland, and in the bungling cops. And " Memoir of a murderer ", in the forests. A dark tone lingers through the movie. As seen in movies such as " peppermint candy", and " Memoir of a murderer ", there are recurring motifs, and objects that float through the fabric of the movie.
The acting is top - notch. Don- won Kwak is the detective and the father, who displays equal parts of the bungling policeman, the protective father, resilient against evil and looking for an explanation. Jun - min Hwang is extremely convincing as the shaman. Jun Kunimura is the Japanese man. Is he a man? Is he the devil? Woo- hee Chun is the mysterious woman, who you will spot at various critical points. Hwan- hee Kim is the daughter, who has a major role, and deserves heaps of praise.
Brief scenes which seem to make absolute no sense during the movie coalesce into a somewhat meaningful distillation of an exceedingly rare elixir, towards the end. Flashes are expertly included in the narrative. Needless to say, the editing is very effective. The background music is at its utmost effectiveness, elevating the paranoia by brooding, haunting and eerie notes. There are serene shots of the overlapping mountains stretching onto when they meet the horizon and beyond. Into the distance, a ribbon of black. These provide the much needed time to reflect and absorb what we're witnessing.
The last 45 minutes felt like one big roller coaster ride, as many things may be revealed in a forceful manner. Throughout the movie, I was choosing sides, and this was amplified, in the last 45 minutes. My only comment in making the movie better than it already is, is to exclude/ shorten some sections which didn't seem to add much to the otherwise tight narrative. Around 15 minutes could have been shaved off.
I have a feeling that if you're a Christian, you may observe the finer points (which were kind of lost on me - hordes of locusts, perhaps?) and appreciate this masterpiece on a different level altogether. After watching the movie, you may be left with more questions than answers and that is when the multiple discussions will be spawned. At the end, when you're confused beyond your mind, please head to this post, read it completely and watch the movie once again, to bolster your thinking, interpretation and your own take on what you just experienced. It offered me one of the best explanations and I watched the movie again, with newfound reverence to the makers of this brilliant story. This is a movie that will remain with you a long time after you watch it, as you will try to piece together the the different strands, in an attempt to create a tapestry of your liking.
Next, I'm waiting eagerly to watch "Chugyeogja - The chaser" and "Hwanghae - The yellow sea " (by the same director). This movie is not something you can just "watch". It is something you "experience". Are you experienced?
*All images copyright of their respective owners*
In the first half, tense moments are interspersed with comical ones, mostly courtesy the bungling policemen. In the second half, things get much more serious. Myth, fiction, fact, folklore and nightmare mingle in the storyline, to create a heady cinematic experience. What is the dream? What is the reality? You will question everything here. I feel the movie is intentionally narrated in a way to include multiple points up for discussion. Instead of having only the ending ambiguous so that the viewer begins to interpret the story in his own way (thus becoming a part of the narrative), this movie has many portions left ambiguous and open for interpretation.
I do not watch horror movies usually, as I do not prefer the jumpy scenes used just for shock effect. But here, your definition of a horror movie will change. Things operate on a more psychological level, elevating the thrill while you try to make sense of what the hell is going on. Aficionados of this genre will get a big kick out of this one. After watching this movie, I thought a lot about how conditioned we are, to expect certain aspects for this genre, and how refreshing it is, to witness something wildly different.
Multiple sections in the movie actually gave me the chills - a slow, creeping feeling of the foreboding doom that is tantalizingly held out in this long, slow burning but satiating movie. The camerawork is stunning, utilizing fluid, well crafted shots so we can soak in the details. There is always a menacing feeling around. The interplay between light and dark is masterful - you may observe from the details such as clothes, too. In here, I saw flashes of "memories of murder" in the hinterland, and in the bungling cops. And " Memoir of a murderer ", in the forests. A dark tone lingers through the movie. As seen in movies such as " peppermint candy", and " Memoir of a murderer ", there are recurring motifs, and objects that float through the fabric of the movie.
The acting is top - notch. Don- won Kwak is the detective and the father, who displays equal parts of the bungling policeman, the protective father, resilient against evil and looking for an explanation. Jun - min Hwang is extremely convincing as the shaman. Jun Kunimura is the Japanese man. Is he a man? Is he the devil? Woo- hee Chun is the mysterious woman, who you will spot at various critical points. Hwan- hee Kim is the daughter, who has a major role, and deserves heaps of praise.
Brief scenes which seem to make absolute no sense during the movie coalesce into a somewhat meaningful distillation of an exceedingly rare elixir, towards the end. Flashes are expertly included in the narrative. Needless to say, the editing is very effective. The background music is at its utmost effectiveness, elevating the paranoia by brooding, haunting and eerie notes. There are serene shots of the overlapping mountains stretching onto when they meet the horizon and beyond. Into the distance, a ribbon of black. These provide the much needed time to reflect and absorb what we're witnessing.
The last 45 minutes felt like one big roller coaster ride, as many things may be revealed in a forceful manner. Throughout the movie, I was choosing sides, and this was amplified, in the last 45 minutes. My only comment in making the movie better than it already is, is to exclude/ shorten some sections which didn't seem to add much to the otherwise tight narrative. Around 15 minutes could have been shaved off.
I have a feeling that if you're a Christian, you may observe the finer points (which were kind of lost on me - hordes of locusts, perhaps?) and appreciate this masterpiece on a different level altogether. After watching the movie, you may be left with more questions than answers and that is when the multiple discussions will be spawned. At the end, when you're confused beyond your mind, please head to this post, read it completely and watch the movie once again, to bolster your thinking, interpretation and your own take on what you just experienced. It offered me one of the best explanations and I watched the movie again, with newfound reverence to the makers of this brilliant story. This is a movie that will remain with you a long time after you watch it, as you will try to piece together the the different strands, in an attempt to create a tapestry of your liking.
Next, I'm waiting eagerly to watch "Chugyeogja - The chaser" and "Hwanghae - The yellow sea " (by the same director). This movie is not something you can just "watch". It is something you "experience". Are you experienced?
*All images copyright of their respective owners*
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