57. Thirst (dir. Chan-wook Park, South Korea, 2009)
A priest (Kang-ho Song) volunteers for an experimental medical treatment, only to discover that he is transformed into a vampire.
I’ve seen several of Park’s films now, and I’ve not been able to love one unreservedly yet. Though Oldboy (2003) is probably his most famous, I didn’t like it particularly. I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK (2006) I liked more. Thirst starts off very well indeed, and gets better. After about an hour, it stops its upwards ascent, and spends the rest of the running time pinging back and forth between sublime and ridiculous. Partly this makes me wonder if the problem I have with Park is his tonal shifts. There are many moments of Thirst which I can see being intended as black comedy, but I did not find them funny. I’m not sure I could pin down why. Maybe because Park’s visual style is such a melange anyway it’s difficult to tell when he wants the audience to see something differently. Oldboy was his most tonally consistent, but Cyborg felt far more sincere. Thirst contains my favourite moment from any of his films that I’ve seen, but also some of the worst. Confusing.
(Also, there are sequences in this film which almost directly mirror scenes from Twilight. Coincidence, I’m sure, but interesting to note.)
Verdict: engrossing - variable quality
p.s. I’ve been unable to form a solid opinion on whether or not Park’s films are misogynist. His female characters are well-written, but they almost all seem be mentally unstable and/or receptive to painful sex out because they feel duty-bound.
