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| Rated: 5.00/5 | Votes: 1 | Views: 236 |Submitted: 07/21/09 |
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THIRST Review
by Heather Wixson Directed by acclaimed Korean director Park Chan-Wook (OLDBOY), THIRST in simple terms a story of a priest who becomes a vampire through a medical mishap and as a result, he starts to explore a sinful existence that he never knew as a man of the cloth. Amongst those sins is a tawdry relationship with a long-time friend's wife, who longs for a life different than the oppressive one she's lived ever since she was a young girl. However, THIRST is not a simple movie, as one would expect when you are discussing the work of Chan-Wook, who is a master of weaving together compelling stories and character studies of the complexities of human (and in this case inhuman nature). THIRST stars Song Kang-Ho (THE HOST) as Father Sang-hyun and Kim Ok-Vin (THE ACCIDENTAL GANGSTER) as Tae-ju, the woman who Sang-hyun begins to desire almost as much as the blood he needs to stay alive. At the start of THIRST, Sang-hyun is just a typical priest, working at the hospital visiting the seriously ill. He desires to do more for humanity so he volunteers his body for science in order to find a vaccine for a deadly virus. During the study, Sang-hyun almost dies but due to a miraculous blood transfusion, he survives the virus. However, once he returns home, he begins to realize that the blood that saved his life wasn't normal. He realizes that his recovery was due to the blood having vampiric qualities and he now has to struggle with the idea that he craves blood to survive but still wants to be a humanitarian and uphold his holy vows that he took to serve the church. Amidst Sang-hyun's struggle against his new inhuman nature, he also begins to crave much more from life, including Tae-ju, the wife of a childhood friend who struggled against the oppressive family that took her in as a child. Forced into a loveless marriage with an imbecile man, Tae-ju senses a deep connection with Sang-hyun almost immediately. Their connection starts off carnally but evolves into something much deeper as the two get mixed up in a deadly love triangle. Overall, THIRST is Chan-wook at his finest as a storyteller even if the movie runs about 20 minutes too long. The beginning of the film struggles to find its pace but by the second act, THIRST moves along swiftly and ferociously. The film looks great as I would expect from cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon (who also worked on OLDBOY) and both leads give revelatory performances that range from tragic to funny to surreal to downright chilling. THIRST also recently won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Canes International Film Festival and I understand why. It's the antidote for the TWILIGHT plague these days. You'll be hard pressed to find another vampire film this year that will both intoxicate and terrify you at the same time. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars |
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