Nothing personal against Korean cinema (quite the contrary), but when I think Korean movies, my mind immediately goes to titles such as The Classic (along the lines of The Notebook, but more memorable, in my humble opinion) and the smash-hit rom-com My Sassy Girl (whose American adaptation, predictably enough, failed to achieve the same success).
Yes, they do horror as well (A Tale of Two Sisters ring a bell?), but with about 80% of my female friends (and a couple male) having seen at least one Korean drama, I can’t help but associate ‘love story’ with most Korean entertainment.
So imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that one of Korea’s most talented directors (albeit not for love stories), Chan-wook Park, has a new film out – featuring none other than a priest who becomes a vampire. A Korean vampire flick that’s about as far from the Twilight saga as you can get — how could I possibly resist?
Thirst, Park’s latest cinematic thrill ride, seems to have the same creepy vibe as his previous masterpieces Oldboy (please stay away from this as well, Hollywood) and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, but promises to be unique as well. Knowing the director’s not-so-opaque style, it’s bound to have some bone-chilling moments coupled with humorous intent.
The synopsis, borrowed from ropeofsilicon.com:
Sang-hyun, a priest who believes that life is precious, volunteers for a secret vaccine development project to help save lives from a deadly virus. But during the experiment, he is infected by the virus and dies. When some unidentified blood is transfused into him, he miraculously comes back to life, but the blood has turned him into a vampire. Sang-hyun is now conflicted between the carnal desire for blood and his faith, which forbids him to kill. But if he cannot survive without feasting on human blood, how can he get it without resorting to murder?
I for one can’t wait until it’s released in the U.S.
Watch the trailer
-posted by Shirley Mak
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