This South Korean horror film with 99% on Rotten Tomatoes is a must for fans of the genre

The first films of the Korean author Na Hong -Jin – “The Chaser” and “The Yellow Sea” – brilliantly highlight his propensity to a dynamic cinema. After all, Na’s artistic brand has always been intense and visceral, combining an explosive emotion with an impertinent narration that does not believe in subtlety or restraint. While such a chaotic approach would end up feeling disjointed in the hands of a less director, the ability to balance the method and madness leads to wonderfully rich stories oozing with life and personality.

Thus, when Na decided to lead an atmospheric rural horror in 2016, his impulses were perfectly suited to a fascinating history which mixes an unconventional police procedure with an even more strange supernatural thriller. It is “the groans”, the astonishing representation of na of the evil which constantly oscillates between authentic and incredible, embracing a frantic energy which can be overwhelming to follow. The premiere of Cannes in the film had already established “the groans” like a critical darling, but it also did quite well at the exit, while collecting a series of distinctions just after.

Although Na’s horror film is clearly distinct from standard gender tone (like Kim Jee-Woon’s blood, depraved “I Saw the Devil” or the kinetic zombie drama of Yeon Sang-Ho “Train To Busan”), it engages in the shared emotion of a carefully controlled excess. Na’s film is less and less like a linear drama as it progresses, turning into a disturbing omen that triggers the horrible events that occur in the first place. Innumerable horror films have tried to imitate this approach to better market, in particular “incantation” of Netflix, which tries to induce the feeling of being cursed as an interacting spectator with the tale. “The Lamenty” simply succeeds by existing, making us feel as if we have witnessed a tragedy that we were not supposed to. It’s like looking in the abyss and having the misfortune to have your gaze on us.

Spoilers For “moans” to follow.

In Gokseong’s wet mountain village, a cop named Jong-goo (Kwak Do-Won) is disconcerted by a series of violent homicide cases, which seem to have been triggered by a mysterious disease. As this kind of brutality is not common in a quiet village like Gokseong, Jong-goo feels unstable, but his clumsy ways prevent him from immediately embarking on action. Even when he sees the darkened eyes of the killer and the covered skin bubbling, he does not consider the unfair game, but the fact to death with a violent explosion where a man struck his wife and children to death. While conspiracy theories are flying, the villagers find someone to blame them: a Japanese foreigner (Jun Kunimura), whose recent move to the periphery of the village coincides perfectly with horrible cases.

While Jong-Goo is struggling with these developments, he is in the grip of terrible omens, but all hell stands out when his daughter Hyo-Jin (Kim Hwan-Hee) falls ill and begins to have serious crises. What is happening next is a disorienting mixture of terror and superstition, but it is also a story about the way Jong-goo is badly adapted as a cop that has no idea how to manage this climbing situation. This presents the ideal opportunity for black humor, which Na uses at times when you expect something deeply disturbing. Just when you start to find our attractive well -intentioned protagonist, you realize that it is unable to make sure that things will not end with a tragedy. In a sense, “groans” concerns the involuntary failures of a father who could not protect those he loved because of the choices he made.

I will not spoil anything else about the plot, because “groans” is supposed to be experienced in all its strange and enchanting glory without the knowledge of the finest details. In addition, horror does not reside in the details of an action or its consequences, but in the thematic line of human prejudices that makes us lose sight of which we are. Like any horror film as a metaphor that is worth its salt, “groans” spends a piece of its execution time by trying to rationalize its events scary the spine, but understands the inexplicable reality of the occult (and associated folk traditions) a little too late. It is at this moment that despair strikes the square, as the last moments of the film reflects.

“The Wineing” is currently available to broadcast on Prime Video, and you can also rent the film on Apple TV.