Sonnim

I recall watching the American movie Willard more than thirty years ago. Roddy McDowell was the star. He befriended a bunch of rats who obeyed him like trained dogs. This time around, a man travelling with his ten year-old son through the Korean countryside, stops at a remote village where the people are hiding from the war. They have a major rat infestation and the stranger agrees to rid them of the rodents for the price of a pig. He uses an ingenious method to extract the vermin. Betrayal follows soon after and that is when the fun begins. Revenge is sweet and I will leave it at that. The film is a bit too long but it is a fun ride nonetheless.

This supernatural thriller is surely one of the best Korean indies from last year. It's very dark, poetic, yet sometimes funny too, although the humour is mostly limited to the film's first half.

There is a relaxed atmosphere to the film's first act, which is bathed in vivid, bright colors and followed by a quality soundtrack that matches the theme and setting. Here and there director Kim Gwang-tae inserts a foreboding scene that serves to build up a sense of dread, and this slow-burning technique can work wonders in a genre film. Such is the case here - even though this is Kim's directorial debut, he proves himself very adept at creating suspense while mostly avoiding the usual melodrama (so often seen in Korean cinema).

The second act caught me off guard because it suddenly turns the film upside down and throws you in a very uncomfortable situation along with the film's protagonist. If you know the legend of the Pied Piper, you will probably guess what happens next, but everyone else will likely be shocked and thrilled every minute that follows. There are a couple of gruesome twists thrown in for the viewer's pleasure, and while many scenes will be familiar to the Korean cinema afficionados, they're skilfully executed and beautifully shot. The ending kinda had me thinking at first because it felt strange and somehow logically inconsistent, but it's actually faithful to the legend and is fantastic in it's own right. It's definitely appropriate to the film's overall tone and will stay with you for a long time.

The more I think about the movie, the more I like it; there's really so much to praise here and so little to criticize. The acting and characters are mostly fine, the mood is pitch perfect and every dialogue is well written at the very least. OK, maybe some characters could have been more fleshed out, and a few scenes may feel out of place, but you have to be aware of the fact that this is an indie effort probably made on a tiny budget, so these complaints can be easily overlooked.

In short, check this out if you love Asian thrillers and/or dark fables for adults. The Piper is an intense, emotional, often dreamlike experience, and it's definitely worthy of your precious time.

A terrific film that, along with Train to Busan the following year, shows how far Korean horror has developed since The Host. Starting slowly, the story develops its characters and the sense of post-war suspicion well. Subtle clues, and some less subtle, gradually add to the sense of unease as the father earns the villagers' trust and friendship before they turn against him. The last third builds mercilessly towards its tragic conclusion. Despite nods to the Piper of Hamelin and The Fog, the film never feels derivative and the viewer is pulled along with the dripfeed of revelations. Well worth a watch.

At first I thought this movie is horror, but almost half of the movie is period drama. I enjoy most of them, although I am not expecting that the movie really doesn't adding some hints/mystery until the last half. Luckily, all's worth to wait and the climax is really good. I guess it's the uniqueness of many Korean movies/dramas, which able to put climax/super important scene in the middle, then keep the tense until the end. Same thing happens here. Sonnim (literally, The Guest), brings all drama sequence into a twisting climax that I've never encounter it before in my watching experience.

What's discourage me to give this movie Perfect 10 is its prolonged drama sequence that ruins the pace for me. I don't know, the mass characters in odd town/village always strange to me, but due to the different nature between the first and last half of the movie, it makes their action seems can't be justified easily. Still, it's a great film and for those who love twisted side of a classic lore turns into a live action, surely it's one of the magnum opus(es) you want to see.

So I cant say much more than what's been written before because others are much more eloquent than I... however, I just have to say that I really enjoyed this movie. It tugged at the feels at times, had some great dark sections that gave some chills and others made me want to get up and yell at the screen ask why couldnt they see the injustice here?! Lol. Overall, it was very worthy and I actually watched it twice..