Taking place in a small village located deep in the South Korean mountains, Hong-jin Na's The Wailing sees the filmmaker try his hand at the supernatural horror genre, delivering a memorable, atmospheric experience that sees the filmmakers penchant for engrossing and complex crime thrillers translate beautifully in this supernatural tale of Good vs. Evil. The story is centered around Jong-gu, a police sergeant and family man, who finds himself in the center of chaos when a mysterious, deadly disease begins to engulf this small, quiet community. The arrival of this disease perfectly coincides with the arrival of a mysterious outsider, a Japanese man, which creates whispers among the small community that he may be responsible. When Jong-gu's young daughter begins to show the symptoms of this deadly, mysterious phenomenon, the generally timid policeman is emotionally drawn into the action, intent solving the mystery and saving his daughter no matter what type of supernatural force he must face. The Wailing is another incredibly creative, complex genre-bender, that's narrative leaves the viewer constantly conflicted about what exactly is going on. Hong-jin Na takes advantage of the films supernatural elements, with a narrative that feels constantly in flux, and to be honest I can't think of a film that left me so in the dark about its outcome throughout. Twists and turns abound the narratice itself is fantastic, but the film is also full of interesting thematic ideals that subverts theology and faith, being a one of a kind take on the theology based subgenre of horror. The Wailing explores the concept of faith in such unique ways, commenting on the overwhelming importance of personal belief and conviction while also exposing humanities desire and need for rational explanations, with this small town routinely looking to man-made tonics, and xenophobia in an attempt to rationalize the horror they are experiencing. Tense, intelligent, unpredictable, and atmospheric, Hong-jin Na's The Wailing is motivated, in part, by man's fear of being unable to logically define their environment, tapping into the horror of that as Hong-jin Na delivers another singular vision.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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