Wailing, The (Blu-ray / DVD)
Padraig Cotter
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Starring Kwak Do-wan, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee, Jun Kunimura
Directed by Na Hong-jin
Distributed by Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment Limited
South Korea has been killing it with genre cinema the last few years, producing numerous gems like I Saw the Devil, Snowpiercer, No Tears for the Dead and Train to Busan. These movies offer the glossy thrills of big budget American cinema, but filtered through a uniquely Asian perspective.
The Wailing is another distinctive offering from the country, and is a great big potpourri of genres; it’s a detective thriller, a dark comedy, a family drama, a religious chiller and even – briefly – a zombie movie. The movie arrives with a lot of hype and acclaim, though it initially takes some getting used to.
For the first half hour The Wailing feels like a bizarre mash-up of Seven and a Kevin James comedy, where a bumbling local cop is investigating a spate of murders in his isolated, rain swept village. Some of the locals suspect a mysterious Japanese visitor might be behind the madness, with some even claiming to have seen him feasting on animals and having glowing red eyes; which is suspicious if true.
The film is oddly reliant on wacky comedy in the first act, with the lead character wildly overreacting to events and even soiling himself when attacked by a suspect. This can be a little wearing depending on your mileage, but once his daughter seemingly becomes possessed, the film takes a much darker turn. The horror elements get dialled up and a suffocating air of tension and paranoia sink in, with the village blaming their woes on this outsider.
In this regard, it feels like the first section was easing viewers into the coming horror, and taking the time to develop the characters before events spiral ever downward. At two and a half hours The Wailing is a hefty experience, which may turn some viewers off. If you invest in it completely the movie will more than rewards your patience, providing a deft mix of thrills, gorgeous visuals and chilling horror.
The Wailing is also rich with subtext and religious symbolism, and the ending will surely inspire viewers to re-examine the whole story. Director Na Hong-jin appears to have had a blast tossing all these different genres into the pot, even if the mixture doesn’t always sit well. It could easily have lost a few moments, such as the silly zombie fight and a bizarre scene where a man is struck by lightning.
Yet even those moments add to the strange texture of the movie, and it’s genuinely hard to know what will happen next. The acting is also terrific, from Kwak Do-wan’s dim but well-meaning lead, to Jun Kunimura’s icy turn as the Japanese stranger inspiring so much division. Special mention should also be made of Kim Hwan-hee as the possessed daughter, who delivers one of the best child actor turns of recent memory.
The Blu-ray/DVD release of The Wailing isn’t exactly bursting with bonus features, coming with two featurettes that total about six minutes altogether, and a trailer. The movie has a bulky runtime and tonal issues, but if you give it a chance it’s one of the creepiest, most rewarding horror experiences of recent times.
Special Features:
• The Beginning of The Wailing
• Making Of The Wailing
• Trailer
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Film
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Special Features
Categorized:Reviews
