‘The Wailing’, a new film currently wowing audiences in Korea, proved its overseas box office hit potential at the Cannes Film Festival in France. (Image Courtesy of Yonhap News)
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) – ‘The Wailing‘, a new film currently wowing audiences in Korea, proved its overseas box office hit potential at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
On May 18 at an hour way past midnight, the crowd at the Cannes Film Festival roared into a standing ovation as ‘The Wailing’ ended and credits rolled. The movie, one of the three Korean films officially invited to the famous French film festival, provided the proper finish to the fervor stirred up by the other two Korean flicks – ‘Train to Busan’ and ‘The Handmaiden’ – which preceded it at Théâtre Lumière.
Directed by director Hong Jin Nah, ‘The Wailing’ led the audience through 2 hours and 36 minutes of suspense and the supernatural, until finally erupting into chaos in the last 20 minutes. With comic elements interspersed throughout, the audience responded with laugher despite cultural differences, and the relational tension among the characters left the audience breathless and unable to look away from the screen.
Actor Do Won Kwak became slightly teary-eyed as the applause lasted near seven minutes, and even reached behind him to hug his girlfriend So Yeon Jang, an actress who plays the wife his character in the film.
When Japanese actor Kunimura Jun, who played the role of ‘Stranger’, and for whom “The Wailing” was his first Korean film, posed the significant gesture of taking a photo within the film, the applause grew even louder. As the official English title for ‘The Wailing’ is ‘Stranger’, Jun’s role in the film was pivotal to the plot.
This was his first visit to the Cannes Film Festival. When the applause continued even as director Nah was leaving the theatre, he shouted in joy, and actor Kwak likewise loudly said “Thank-you” as an answer to the clapping audience.
Film Critic Vincent of Cahiers du Cinéma praised ‘The Wailing’ with high esteem on his Facebook page, acclaiming ‘The Wailing’ as “the film of the Year”. Critic Felix Devrient added to the praise, saying, ‘It is scandalous that this film did not receive a place as a contestant in the competitive area, and only in the noncompetitive area. This movie has everything, including great humor.”
“I watched one of the most beautiful movies I have ever watched in my life,” said critic Bastian Mersone. “It is the most politically courageous film in the current Korean movie world.”
However, an audience member named Victor expressed an unfavorable opinion. “All the characters displayed the most extreme level of hysteria as if the actors were chosen based on how well they can screen for fifteen minutes,” he said.
By Esther J. Kim (esther.jiyoung@koreabizwire.com)
