Namgeuk-ilgi

I was impressed with this one. Sure, I've seen some saying it's effective but not quite, not flawless but not perfect, well, maybe it's because mostly were expecting the standard Asian horror.

A ghost in Antarctica? Another girl with long black hair, covering her face, but she has no place to hang over from, no ceilings to walk on, except their small tents of course. Anyway, if you are open for something maybe not new, but a plot not worn out, Antactic Journal is quite the pleasant surprise. It's more of a mystery movie, will let you guessing, hard to predict the end (which is NOT a twist this time) but easy to realize where its heading. So just sit back, grab some popcorn, a beer or two and enjoy it, cause it has around 2 hours if I remember correctly.

The view is beautiful, all white, all silent, you can almost feel the cold. Shivers, shivers and an ocean of snow. I rated it 6, indeed not perfect, but nice to see something a tad bit different from time to time.

Bleak, beautiful, frozen landscapes and Kenji Kawai's commanding score capture our attention right away and portend dire events to come amidst a creeping atmosphere. The screenplay devised between director Yim Pil-sung and co-writers Bong Joon-ho(!) and Lee Hae-jun wastes no time with exposition, instead filling out character details piecemeal while focusing on plot progression. With these things in mind, it's the patient viewer who will get the most out of this movie: while there are sparing instances of acutely unsettling imagery or loud sound, 'Antarctic journal' is happy to tread at a measured pace and let tension and suspense quietly build along with pervasive, chilling ambience and ambiguous mystery.

I think the approach to storytelling and film-making here is somewhat daring simply because of how very restrained and subdued the production is. For all the growing intensity, that darkness is dispensed in the screenplay like a trail of breadcrumbs leading to the conclusion, whether considering the personal and interpersonal struggles, or the suggestion of unnatural happenings. Where there isn't a conscious lack of eventfulness in 'Antarctic journal,' instead there's an effort to downplay the incidents that do transpire, and this intention makes it all the more intriguing - though also somewhat difficult to engage with. This is a tale with strong themes of determination, stubbornness, desperation, and madness - a slow-burn psychological thriller that keeps its duality of horror and heartache at a very low, simmering boil. In that bent, it's both captivating and arduous for the viewer.

I think the technical craft is fine, and the performances of the cast quite good. Yet even the acting of skilled veteran Song Kang-ho is rendered secondary to maintaining the overall bent toward looming unease and disquieting fatefulness. Like the thrust of the narrative and the journey of its expedition, the story marches on regardless of details, and consumes those details in its wake. All told, I don't think this is a movie that would be an easy sell to a wide general audience, as I think the tack it takes requires a certain receptiveness to varied film styles. This is a picture created largely of great nuance in every regard. But any viewer open to hushed, subtle plot development may surely find this a boon.

If my words seem a little vague, consider that an extension of the air the feature puts forth. To be clear, however - if not entirely fulfilling, 'Antarctic journal' is a solid, rewarding viewing experience, and a swell first foray into feature film-making for director Yim. It's not an easily digestible, dramatic thriller, but nor is it intended to be. This isn't going to be to everyone's tastes, but it's well worth checking out wherever you can watch it.

Simple, Straightforward, and Creepy. I highly recommend.

This movie begins with a party of 6 South Korean explorers slowly trekking their way to a point in Antarctica called the "pole of inaccessibility" which owes its name due to the fact that is so far from any shoreline and extremely difficult to reach by foot. Along the way they find a strange marker which happens to have a box buried directly underneath it. Upon opening the box they find a journal written by an ill-fated British team over 80 years earlier. However, they soon find that their destinies begin to mirror each other as one by one the members of their team begin to die. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an interesting film which certainly contains some beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, as the movie progressed I found it more and more difficult to fully comprehend. The ending was especially perplexing. That's not to say that it was necessarily bad by any means but I believe it was unnecessarily convoluted. That being the case, I have rated this movie accordingly. Average.

Slow burning horror with the venerable Song Kang-ho (Thirst, Memories of Murder) as the leader of an expedition to the farthest inland point of the Antarctic. As the weeks of marching across the harsh floes begin to take their psychological toll on the explorers, they start to have doubts about their journey when they find the remains of long dead Norwegian adventurer. In spite of the sameness of the exteriors, shots are framed artfully and establish a creeping dread and isolation that builds to a terrifying, eldritch conclusion. Reminiscent of Gus Van Sant's 2002 desert trek Gerry, by way of Lovecraft.

Director Yim Pil-Sung went on to make an unconventional folk horror film in 2007's Hansel and Gretel, also worth seeing.