Maybe I’m slowly starting to sound like a broken record, but South Korean cinema has been offering the most interesting and unpredictable movies in years. An action movie can contain humour or the hero turns out not to be exactly who he seems to be. The director of The Wailing, Na Hong-jin, previously made the tense and dark The Chaser and The Yellow Sea, in which a cab driver with a debt gets an opportunity to get rid of it by committing a murder. It managed to get the adrenaline pumping. The Wailing is no exception and is a true rollercoaster ride of emotions (and genres).
The story is set in a small village where a horrible murder is committed. The person who’s responsible is known, but he doesn’t seem to be himself anymore. It is up to police officer Jong-goo to investigate the murder and when another murder takes place again, rumours are that people have been taking mushrooms making them commit the crime. Another reason is the presence of a mysterious Japanese man in the vicinity. When he own daughter starts to behave strangely as well he’s willing to anything in order to solve the mystery, even though he often uses his emotions instead of logic.
Don’t be mistaken though, this isn’t a simple police procedural. It’s a mix of comedy, horror (with both zombies and supernatural events), religion and tense situations which, despite its 130 minute running time, grabs you attention and keeps shocking you more. In the end it’s all up to the viewer to interpret the experience. A great film which you’ll want to discuss and where characters can be interpreted as both good or evil as you understand their motivations. Had I seen this movie last year, I’m sure it would have ended up in my top 10. A movie not to be missed.
