The Wailing (곡성)

classics
Md1821 (토론 | 기여) 사용자의 2022년 12월 22일 (목) 15:55 판 (Zombie)

이동: 둘러보기, 검색
The Wailing
THEATRICAL RELEASE POSTER
Title (English) The Wailing
Title (Korean) 곡성
Title (Hanja) 哭聲
Directed by Na Hong-jin
Written by Na Hong-jin
Produced by Suh Dong-hyun
Kim Ho-sung
Starring Kwak Do-won
Hwang Jung-min
Chun Woo-hee
Jun Kunimura
Release date May 12, 20216 (South Korea)
Running time 156 minutes
Country South Korea
Language Korean
Japanese



This Wikipedia entry will focus on key elements of the film The Wailing/곡성 and analyze their importance in the film.

  • 고성 VS 곡성
  • Possession VS Zombie
  • Spirituality
  • Colonial Trauma


Plot

For the people of the quaint little town of Goksong, life as they know it is about to change. Things begin to stray from normal when a Japanese man moves into town and a series of unexplainable occurrences transpire. The film begins when Jong-goo, a police officer by trade, is called to the site of a murder. A man killed his family in cold blood with no inherent reason to do so. Though a murder is not a common occurrence that Jong-goo and other police officers come across often, the subsequent events lead to a darker future.


While Jong-goo was at the police station with his partner, they are frightened by a crazy woman at the main door, illuminated by lightning, who then becomes the next perpetrator in a family murder. Jong-goo makes his way to the scene of the crime and is brutally attacked by the crazy woman. The crazy woman is then found hung from a tree after committing suicide.


These current events have the people of Goksong in a panic and leaves them to believe the perpetrator is the Japanese man. Jong-goo, his partner, as well as a local deacon head to the Japanese man’s residence. They stumble upon a horrid site. Countless pictures of the victims as well as other residents of the town. These findings only further grow their suspicion of the Japanese man as the culprit. Worst of all, Jong-goo find his daughter’s shoe among the collection of photos and occult items.


Jong-goo’s daughter Hyo-jin begins to act aggressively and out of character, that her grandmother recommends calling for the local shaman in hope of help. The local shaman Il-gwang confirms that Hyo-jin is possessed by an evil spirit and performs a ritual to free her of the evil. This is unsuccessful since Jong-goo and his wife cannot bare to see their daughter in pain and abruptly put an end to the ritual.


Jong-goo then gathers men from the village, and they make their way to the home of the Japanese man to kill him in hopes of saving Hyo-jin. They are then attacked by the animated corpse of a local man and are gravely injured. Once subdued, they locate the Japanese man and chase him ultimately leading to his death. To dispose of the body, Jong-goo and the others dump the Japanese man’s body off of the cliff. Following these events, Hyo-jin’s health has suddenly improved.


Il-gwang makes his way to Jong-goo’s house and meet Moo-myeong, a ghost, where she causes him to vomit blood forcing him to leave immediately. On his way out of town, Il-gwang’s car is attacked by a swarm of locusts. He calls Jong-goo to tell him that Moo-myeong is the bad spirit, not the Japanese man. Jong-goo returns to town to check on his daughter but runs into Moo-myeong. She tries her best to convince him that she is not the evil spirit but is indeed trying to protect the people of the town and kill the evil spirit. Confused on who to believe, Jong-goo ultimately returns to home against Moo-myeong’s warning and finds his wife and mother-in-law dead and then is ultimately attacked and killed by his daughter Hyo-jin who is still under the influence of the evil spirit. Il-gwang returns to their home and takes pictures of the bodies.


The young deacon I-sam receives a call that his uncle had murdered his family similar to the other cases. He believes that the Japanese man is behind it and returns to his house weapons in hand. He finds the Japanese man alive and well inside a cave and adamantly declares that the Japanese man is indeed the demon. The Japanese man then takes a picture of I-sam and reveals his true form.

Cast

Release and Reception

Release

The Wailing was released on May 12, 2016 in South Korea. It was then viewed and the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2016. The US release was on May 27, 2016 and following was released on various streaming platforms, such as Netflix, on later dates.

Reception

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2016 25th Buil Film Awards Best Film The Wailing Nominated
Best Director Na Hong-jin Nominated
Best Actor Kwak Do-won Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Hwang Jung-min Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Jun Jun Kunimura Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best New Actress Kim Hwan-hee Nominated
Best Cinematography Hong Kyong-pyo Nominated
Best Art Direction Lee Hoo-kyeong Nominated
Best Music Jang Young-gyu & Dalpalan Nominated
37th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film The Wailing Nominated
Best Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best Actor Kwak Do-won Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Jun Kunimura Won
Best Supporting Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best New Actress Kim Hwan-hee Nominated
Popularity Award Jun Kunimura Won
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin Nominated
Best Cinematography Hong Kyong-pyo Nominated
Best Editing Kim Sun-min Won
Best Art Direction Lee Hoo-kyeong Nominated
Best Lighting Kim Chang-ho Nominated
Best Music Jang Yeong-gyoo and Dalpalan Won
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival Audience Award The Wailing Won
Best of Bucheon Award Na Hong-jin Won
Fantasia International Film Festival Prix AQCC Na Hong-jin Won
Audience Award for Best Asian Feature Na Hong-jin 3rd Place
53rd Grand Bell Awards Best Film The Wailing Nominated
Best Director Na Hong-jin Nominated
Best Actor Kwak Do-won Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Hwang Jung-min Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best New Actress Kim Hwan-hee Won
Best Cinematography Hong Kyung-pyo Won
Best Recording Kim Shin-yong Won
Best Lighting Kim Chang-ho Won
Best Editing Kim Sun-min Won
36th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Top Films of the year The Wailing Won
Korean Film Actor's Association Awards Top Director Award Na Hong-jin Won
Top Star Award Kwak Do-won Won
Korean Film Producers Association Awards Best Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best Cinematography Hong Kyung-pyo Won
Best Lighting Kim Chang-ho Won
Phoenix Critics Circle Best International Film The Wailing Nominated
Sitges Film Festival Focus Asia Award Na Hong-jin Won
Best Cinematography Hong Kyung-pyo Won
BloodGuts UK Horror Awards Best International Film The Wailing Nominated
Best Director Na Hong-jin Nominated
Best Actor in an International Film Kwak Do-won Won
Best Actor in an International Film Hwang Jung-min Nominated
Best Actress in an International Film Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival Special Mention Hong Kyung-pyo Won
Best Film The Wailing Nominated
Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival Honorable Mention The Wailing Won
CPH:PIX Politiken's Audience Award The Wailing Nominated
2017 11th Asian Film Awards Best Film The Wailing Nominated
Best Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best Supporting Actor Jun Kunimura Nominated
Best Sound Kim Dong-han Nominated
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards Best Foreign Language Film The Wailing Nominated
KOFRA Film Awards Best Film The Wailing Won
Best Director Na Hong-jin Won
Seattle Film Critics Award Best Foreign Language Film The Wailing Nominated
Korea Cable TV Awards Cable VOD Grand Prize The Wailing Won
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Foreign Language Film The Wailing Nominated
53rd Baeksang Arts Awards Best Film The Wailing Won
Best Director Na Hong-jin Nominated
Best Actor Kwak Do-won Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best New Actress Kim Hwan-hee Nominated
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin Nominated
22nd Chunsa Film Awards Best Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best Actor Kwak Do-won Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Hwang Jung-min Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin Nominated
Technical Award Jang Yeong-gyoo and Dalapan Nominated
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Best DVD/Blu-Ray Release The Wailing Nominated
iHorror Awards Best Foreign Film The Wailing Nominated

Academic Analysis

곡성 vs 곡성

The Korean title of The Wailing, 곡성, is an important element in setting the appropriate ambiance for the film, as well as bringing the director Na Hong-jin’s lived experience to the film. [Gokseong] is a county situated in the southern part of the Korean peninsula in Jeollanam-do where, till this day, has been free of industrial influence. Na Hong-jin spent a large part of his childhood visiting Gokseong where his grandmother resided. During personal interviews, Hong-jin referenced his memory of the serene landscape that portrayed a feeling of living nature and high spirituality. Hong-jin explained that he vividly remembers how the land felt alive and that it could come to life at any moment.

The second meaning of Gokseong [哭聲] is "to wail" or the sound of crying. Na Hong-jin's strategically used this double meaning to create a somber town name that creates feelings of apprehension and dread.

Possession VS Zombie

According to Hisup Shin, author of “Monstrous National Allegory: The Making of Monstrous Otherness in Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing” the film differs from the popularized genre we see today. He states, “In contrast to the genre convention of mass contagion and apocalyptic narrative, the zombie sequence in the film from symptoms of infection/possession to zombification is a supernatural mystery that resonates with the spiritual or physical effects of horror. There is also no indication of establishing the social or symbolic meaning of zombification by linking it to any type of man-made errors.” The distinction Hisup Shin makes here is accurate, however, he continues to group The Wailing into the zombie genre. There is a distinct difference between zombies and those who are possessed, and the film should be categorized in the occult genre. To understand why, it is important to analyze the differences between a zombie and one who is possessed.

Zombie

The current trend in Zombie films is to challenge humanity in a time of distress and portray the state of current society. Hisup Shin states, “At the time when the relentless drive of neoliberalism whetted by ‘increasing volatility withing global capitalism’ continues to weaken the traditional barriers of security, the zombie trope captures the sum of all fears and anxieties dwarfing our capacity for reasoning and problem solving.” Capitalism is also the factor in the method of the zombie virus outbreak. In the current genre, the outbreak or release of a contagion is not localized but will affect the world on a global scale. The spread of the zombie virus is through either a bite or exposure to the source, however, in The Wailing this was not the case. There is not virus at large and the affected are not always in that state, it comes and goes similar to spiritual possession. Therefore, the only reason that this film can be considered a zombie film is solely due to the animation of a corpse.

Possession

Spirituality

Colonial Trauma

Bibliography

References

External Links