BAKJWI/THIRST (Park Chan-wook, 2009)

date watched: May 25, 2009
location: Apgujung Cinecity, Seoul, Korea

I found out that this received the Jury prize at Cannes this year--go Korean cinema!

It really is a tough one, though. To watch, I mean. Park's violence probably reached its peak in his previous films, such as in Lady Vengeance (2005) and Oldboy (2003). So, no surprise there. But he definitely calmed down in the editing department and the film has less cuts than former works, and it's not as hectic. I don't know if this is such a good thing, but just something I noticed.


It is definitely one of the better vampire movies I've seen this year, along with the Swedish vampire flick, Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008). You have the give Park some credit for giving a priest vampiric qualities, yes?

Park is known to be a closeted Catholic, hence, the theme of original sin is evident in all his films. In this one, it is made even more blatant with the presence of a priest-turned-vampire, and his self-mutilating tendencies in the face of temptation. I think whoever came up with the English title did a good job, since this really is about insatiable desires and unending greed.

One of my favorite elements is the visual significance of the shoes. The relationship between the priest (played by Park's veteran actor, Song Kang-ho) and Taejoo (played by newcomer Kim Ok-bin) begins with the shoes, and it ends with them. It began with the unselfish need to protect Taejoo, and even after a strain of their repulsive behavior, they die holding each other.


The interesting thing though, is that Taejoo didn't need the shoes to begin with. She ran barefoot in the dark for many nights before she met the priest, and the only thing it did was add callous skin on her feet. She could've continued to live her life as a "dog," and have remained perpetually bored. Likewise, the priest could have shut himself away in the hospital, and lived off a comatose patient's blood. He changed her once, and then again when she joined his one-man vampire league. They could have lived together forever, but they chose to burn to death. This is where Guilt comes in. Taejoo continued to wheel her mother-in-law around, even though the only movement she was capable of was blinking and rolling her eyes, and tapping her fingers. The once drowned "oppa" (played by Shin Ha-kyun) continues to torment the new couple in their sleep, dripping water everywhere. I have a strong conviction, by the way, that Park must be terrified of drowning; I spotted it from his first "vengeance" film, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), and it continues to haunt his films today. Alas, it is this guilt that eventually consumes the couple. Perhaps we don't deserve such tremendous power in the first place.