Friday, November 27, 2009

Review - Thirst

A devoted priest volunteers for a medical experiment trying to eradicate a deadly virus from a small village. The virus quickly takes hold of him and after a faulty blood transfusion of infected blood, the priest is turned into something he never expected, a vampire. Struggling with his new carnal lust for blood and his dissent of faith, the priest begins to question his humanity. The priest is tested further when he falls for an old friend's wife, who is lost in her marriage and seeking a way out.

Let's be straight, Vampires are becoming a tired genre. Too may of the released vampire films are just a dime a dozen. Retreading a tired story over and over, but Park Chan-Wook's "Thirst," is a break in the mold and a excellent spin on the lore of vampires.

Written and directed by Park Chan-Wook, "Thirst" is very much a slow burn. The film trickles along slowly building the story of a priest who is turned into a vampire. That doesn't mean however, than Park Chan-Wook takes along time turning Priest Sang-Hyeon. Instead he weaves the priest's plight as a vampire into a wonderfully engaging story. The thriller drama focuses between Sang-Hyeon's carnal desire for blood and his longing to help people. The human and priest within him still have a desire to help, while the vampire and virus within compels him to feed. A result of which is absolutely enthralling to watch unfold on screen.

The film also follows Tae-Ju and her desire to be unbound from her mundane life and husband. Drawn in by Tae-Ju's longing and sexual appetite, Sang-Hyeon begins to abandon his vows of celibacy and minstrel ways. Both Tae-Ju and Sang-Hyeon's character development is astonishing. They are polar opposites. One hates the virus within himself, while the other longs for the carnal desire. Their combined thirst and how each one copes with the vampire virus is just as engaging as the initial concept scripted by Park Chan-Wook, if not more so.

Park Chan-Wook deserves a ton of credit in creating such amazing characters within his script, but Song Kang-Ho and Kim Ok-Vin are phenomenal in their roles. What is so impressive in their performances, is their vast differences in dealing with the virus. Both actors undergo huge transitions in their performances, but Kim Ok-Vin as Tae-Ju is staggering. She goes form an individual who is lost to becoming empowered. I was awestruck by her performance and transitions. That is not to say Song Kang-Ho is not powerful as Priest Sang-Hyeon. Kang-Ho most definitely carries the film, he is just out shined by moments of genius by Kim Ok-Vin.

"Thirst" by any means has a very offbeat tone to it. The family of Tae-Ju is quite comical, especially her husband Kang-Woo and mother Lady Ra. Despite a quirky overtone, "Thirst" remains very much an unsettling and serious film. It becomes very clear that Park Chan-Wook is not toying with the mythology of vampires, but instead divulging his well thought out ideas on the genre. I really connected with the thoughtful and intricate script and characters he created, as I would wager most vampires fans would.

Park Chan-Wook took the idea of vampires and very much made it his own, which is a wonderful change compared to the typical films in the genre. The film is erotic, eerie, thought-provoking and most of all a wonderfully executed. I felt that each act moved as it's own entity, while at the same time, being connected to the overall story. Truthfully, I was uncertain where Chan-Wook's story would lead, but was endlessly compelled by the intense finish. Ultimately, the combination of Park Chan-Wook's unsettling tone and exhilarating spin of the mythos of vampires makes "Thirst" a film not to be missed in 2009.