La famille tranquille

Years ago, I saw the Japanese horror-comedy THE HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS at a college screening, so color me shocked to learn all these years later that that movie was a remake of an earlier Korean picture called THE QUIET FAMILY. Compared to the remake, this is a far more sedate movie, though that is not to say it isn't odd. There is a great deal of comedy here, only it's played with a more comparatively deadpan style.

By and large, this movie feels quite episodic. I did think it started floundering a bit pacing-wise at the hour-mark, but never to the point where I was bored. The whole thing was funny and suspenseful, and I would highly recommend it to those who liked the premise of KATAKURIS but found the manic high energy a bit too much to handle.

A very amusing and very black comedy, that plays on the failings of different family members, all trying to run a lodge in the middle of nowhere. A good amount of suspense is combined with the laughs, the film mixing a comedy of errors with slapstick and (many) bloody corpses. Wicked fun definitely not for the whole family.

The storyline: A Korean family bought a lodging hotel for bargain basement prices in a desolated location. Hotel guests were hard to come by but when the first guest finally arrived, he committed suicide. More guests started to show up... but things did not turn out the way they were hoping... A classic case of be careful what you wish for, because it may actually come true in unexpected ways...

Think of this as Korean version of the "Addams Family". This movie is a showcase of dark humor while several parallel subplots are going on. I especially like the acting of the youngest daughter Mi-na, her looks and mannerism epitomize the dark humor of the entire movie.

Not the funniest movie to come out from the Korea movie industry in recent years, but nonetheless quite enjoyable for those who like dark humor movies like Beetlejuice or Addams Family.

A genuinely impressive start to director Kim Jee-woon's filmmaking career and featuring both Choi Min-sik & Song Kang-ho before their stardom, The Quiet Family is a morbidly humoured horror comedy that comes jam-packed with plenty of thrills & laughs, and remains one of the funniest films to come out of South Korea.

This film is incredibly dynamic. There are multiple concepts at once. It's a horror film yet it's a tragic-comedy. It's a drama yet it's almost a documentary. It's a great film concept and the cinematography is second to none.

It's very slow yet instantly jerks into action. It's got great casting. The actors are flawless. Even down to 5minute appearances. The score is first class and diverse. Rock-glam from the Stray Cats to hip hop. The setting is also a little interesting.

It's based in a remote area outside some woods. There is scheduled yet delayed construction for a "road" which will provide transportation for guests to the inn. However during the film the inn guests are mainly hikers and scenic people.

The opening of the film involves this new family moving into a little run down house. They prepare the house and botch it up ready for guests. They have minimum advertising which is a sign. Literally. They wait for the guests to arrive. This opening scene is lighthearted and slow.

Then the guests eventually arrive. All hell breaks loose. There is a moment of continuous bad luck from the moment the first guest arrives. This is when the film turns to film noir. All in all the film goes from an easy melodrama to something completely insane. It's a marvelous script and the slowness is rewarded by great tense sequences and various dilemmas for the unfortunate home owners.

The film is superb. The casting spot on. The cinematography is awesome. A lot of different shots and slow camera movement to mimic the pace of the film. Then the unfortunate sequences occur the camera shots become more rapid and quick snappy close ups. I'm a big fan of this director and this film has to be his benchmark with the diverse range on offer.

All in all a great film worth tracking down. Comedy; film noir, suspense, horror, isolation and deprivation. Superb acting and direction to match. I recommend it fully. 8 out of 10.