YONHAP NEWS

(Movie Review) Blood-soaked and morbid, "Thirst" likely to polarize reaction

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- Using the most unappealing of human desires as a cinematic subject clearly has its pros and cons. A common thread in us is touched, even if it is one of revulsion, and heartstrings may be tugged in viewers.

Some, however, may be disgusted enough by Park Chan-wook's latest vehicle to shun the film and its maker altogether, although this is a risk the director has been taking for the past decade.

   Befitting his reputation as a filmmaker who dealt head on with the most uncomfortable subjects -- incest, revenge, insanity and brutality -- in the past, Park's newest release "Thirst (Bakjwi)" again covers territory that may be unbearable for some.

   A secret vaccine project involving a Catholic priest named Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho), sparks a series of shocking events when the priest is given a strange blood transfusion that turns him into a vampire.

   While torn between his new desire for human blood and his religious faith, Sang-hyeon meets Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin), a friend's wife and a femme fatale who appears "thirstier" than he is for blood and something much more.

Facing desires he has never dreamed of exploring before, Sang-hyeon begins to question the moral boundaries he had once locked himself in as the illicit relationship turns deadly.

   Park says the vampire story, a rare genre to be explored by South Korean directors, has taken preparation of nearly 10 years to make it to the screens.

   "Thirst" has already been sending waves across the global film society, being nominated as one of the 20 films competing for the top prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, which opens on May 13.

   This is the second time Park has aimed for the top honor at the influential French contest, after his 2004 win with "Oldboy," which is currently being remade in Hollywood. "Thirst" is also the first South Korean film to be co-produced and distributed by major Hollywood studio Universal Pictures.

   "I am happy just to be nominated among the admirable filmmakers," Park said after the film's preview Friday. Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodovar, Xavier Giannoli and Ang Lee are among his competitors at the upcoming Cannes.

   "Vampirism wasn't something I really wanted to talk about. It was merely a tool," Park added. "I wanted to delve into the dilemma a Catholic priest faces when he comes across an inescapable desire and his faith."

   Teaming up with Park for the third time after pulling off a superb duo in "JSA (1999)," Song Gang-ho again proves himself to be one of the most compelling actors in South Korea. But it would be fair to say he is this time outshone by Kim Ok-vin, a rising starlet with a relatively brief acting career.

   With the littlest change of expression -- an eyebrow arching or pout of the lips -- Kim manages to convey the bored housewife's hidden sexual and deadly desires. And in a sense, the film's main character is not the priest, but his temptress who transforms into something altogether more dangerous.

Park's brilliant cinematography appears to shine at its best in "Thirst" with the vivid contrast of white and red -- a splash of blood on the eye-watering white walls and blood oozing from pale bodies -- a visual symbol of sin and morality.

   Although director Park has long been in a class by himself with his name recognized internationally, his fame has not always brought him an automatic success.

   "I'm a Cyborg, but That's Ok," his most recent release in 2006, was slammed by critics as "too cute to be a creation of Park's" and was somewhat of an embarrassment for the director, failing miserably in the local box office.
For this reason, it remains to be seen how "Thirst" -- perhaps not the most startling of Park's creations thematically, but still every bit shocking in visual terms -- will be received by local film buffs and the judges of the Cannes film fest.

   One thing moviegoers must remember: a movie can be good, but still severely uncomfortable at the same time.

   "Thirst," with a running time of 133 minutes, will hit the local cinemas on April 30.

   hayney@yna.co.kr
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