ID :
73953
Thu, 08/06/2009 - 11:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/73953
The shortlink copeid
Fresh idea gets lost on its way in horror movie 'Faith'
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Yonhap) -- Shamanism and evangelical Christianity may appear to be diametrically opposed as systems of faith, but to non-believers, ardent advocates of any such belief system share more than they would like to admit, not least their propensity to succumb to powers invisible to ordinary onlookers.
With this axiom as the film's cornerstone, horror movie "Faith (Bulsinjiok)"
takes a stab at the unique mixture of indigenous and westernized beliefs in
Korea, where Christians -- who account for nearly 30 percent of the population --
rub shoulders with practitioners of shamanistic customs.
Hee-jin (Nam Sang-mi), a college student studying in Seoul, receives a call that
her younger sibling So-jin (Shim Eun-kyeong) has disappeared. Returning to her
regional hometown to look for her missing sister, Hee-jin is frustrated to find
her mother praying obsessively, turning to the Bible instead of police for
guidance.
Veteran detective Tae-hwan (Ryu Seung-ryong), taking charge of the case, thinks
of it as another teenage runaway. But he begins to think otherwise when So-jin's
neighbors begin to take their own lives in the most gruesome way after telling
him the teenage girl was possessed by ghosts and had supernatural powers.
As the case takes an even darker twist, Hee-jin starts to see dead people and
strange visions in her dreams, a sign, a female shaman claims, her sister is
trying to connect with her.
Telling her eldest daughter "distrust is hell," which is the film's Korean title,
the obsessed mother begins to shun the church and lock herself up in her own
personal "faith" that praying alone will bring back her younger daughter and
happiness to the family.
While calling themselves Christians, So-jin's neighbors believe the girl has
special powers and begin to turn greedier and abusive.
Yet, despite beginning as a crisp and even refreshing horror film, "Faith" loses
its footing, becoming increasingly predictable and formulaic around the mid-way
mark. Deserving two and a half out of five for its fresh take on belief, the film
stumbles owing to its essential absence of style or grace, losing belief in
itself along the way.
"Faith" portrays some fairly unappealing aspects of Christianity, an issue
director Lee Yong-ju says he had no intention of making the center of the film.
"I did worry about what Christians may think because religion is a sensitive
issue in Korea," he said after the movie's press preview Tuesday. "But I tried my
best not to be too concerned as I had no intention whatsoever to criticize or
portray the religion negatively. The movie is more about a religion a woman
creates by herself with only its roots based on Christianity."
"I always wanted to make a horror movie that focuses more on the story rather
than visual or sound effects," Lee added. "I am curious what audience will
think."
"Faith," a debut feature by Lee who worked under Bong Joon-ho in "Memories of
Murder (2003)," will hit the local theaters beginning Aug. 13.
SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Yonhap) -- Shamanism and evangelical Christianity may appear to be diametrically opposed as systems of faith, but to non-believers, ardent advocates of any such belief system share more than they would like to admit, not least their propensity to succumb to powers invisible to ordinary onlookers.
With this axiom as the film's cornerstone, horror movie "Faith (Bulsinjiok)"
takes a stab at the unique mixture of indigenous and westernized beliefs in
Korea, where Christians -- who account for nearly 30 percent of the population --
rub shoulders with practitioners of shamanistic customs.
Hee-jin (Nam Sang-mi), a college student studying in Seoul, receives a call that
her younger sibling So-jin (Shim Eun-kyeong) has disappeared. Returning to her
regional hometown to look for her missing sister, Hee-jin is frustrated to find
her mother praying obsessively, turning to the Bible instead of police for
guidance.
Veteran detective Tae-hwan (Ryu Seung-ryong), taking charge of the case, thinks
of it as another teenage runaway. But he begins to think otherwise when So-jin's
neighbors begin to take their own lives in the most gruesome way after telling
him the teenage girl was possessed by ghosts and had supernatural powers.
As the case takes an even darker twist, Hee-jin starts to see dead people and
strange visions in her dreams, a sign, a female shaman claims, her sister is
trying to connect with her.
Telling her eldest daughter "distrust is hell," which is the film's Korean title,
the obsessed mother begins to shun the church and lock herself up in her own
personal "faith" that praying alone will bring back her younger daughter and
happiness to the family.
While calling themselves Christians, So-jin's neighbors believe the girl has
special powers and begin to turn greedier and abusive.
Yet, despite beginning as a crisp and even refreshing horror film, "Faith" loses
its footing, becoming increasingly predictable and formulaic around the mid-way
mark. Deserving two and a half out of five for its fresh take on belief, the film
stumbles owing to its essential absence of style or grace, losing belief in
itself along the way.
"Faith" portrays some fairly unappealing aspects of Christianity, an issue
director Lee Yong-ju says he had no intention of making the center of the film.
"I did worry about what Christians may think because religion is a sensitive
issue in Korea," he said after the movie's press preview Tuesday. "But I tried my
best not to be too concerned as I had no intention whatsoever to criticize or
portray the religion negatively. The movie is more about a religion a woman
creates by herself with only its roots based on Christianity."
"I always wanted to make a horror movie that focuses more on the story rather
than visual or sound effects," Lee added. "I am curious what audience will
think."
"Faith," a debut feature by Lee who worked under Bong Joon-ho in "Memories of
Murder (2003)," will hit the local theaters beginning Aug. 13.
