After unsuccessfully trying to have a baby of their own, Dr. Kim Do-il and his father convince his wife Choi Mi-sook to adopt a child in an orphanage. Mi-sook is connected to arts and choose... Read allAfter unsuccessfully trying to have a baby of their own, Dr. Kim Do-il and his father convince his wife Choi Mi-sook to adopt a child in an orphanage. Mi-sook is connected to arts and chooses the six years Kim Jin-sung that loves to draw trees. The boy becomes close to the eight ... Read allAfter unsuccessfully trying to have a baby of their own, Dr. Kim Do-il and his father convince his wife Choi Mi-sook to adopt a child in an orphanage. Mi-sook is connected to arts and chooses the six years Kim Jin-sung that loves to draw trees. The boy becomes close to the eight years old next door neighbor Min-jee and is attracted to an old Acacia tree in their lawn.... Read all
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
On one level this is a story of loneliness, jealousy, and extreme guilt. It's also about insanity, revenge, and death. The psychological and supernatural elements merge into a well-told, subtle, yet emotionally charged ghost story. Watch it and allow it to creep up on you...
The story tells about a young couple who wish to have a child. Since they have been unsuccessful in making one, they decide to adopt. They take into their home a 10 year old boy with an obsession for trees. Once home, he immediately comes to love their dying Acacia tree in the backyard. However, almost immediately after he is brought home, strange things start to happen. And when the family does have a child of their own, it only gets worse.
Yes, the movie is a bit slow, but there are enough familiar elements, and the story is interesting enough to warrant a complete viewing. Both the camera-work and the acting is excellent, as well as the direction. Some of the shots are noteworthy and the sense of horror here is both subdued and in the cheese arena. You might find yourself giggling at some of the scenes, but the by the end, you should find yourself with something that you have enjoyed. One other positive note is that this film isn't complicated. There may be a bit of confusion throughout, but by the end, it is a pretty clear story, something that seems to be a bit rare in Asian cinema. So, if you don't mind your Asian horror straight up, then you might wanna give this a try.
This is a movie comparable to a film by David Lynch where everything starts very slowly but at a certain point, most people are losing it and it's very difficult to follow the movie in the end. Every detail is important in this movie even if some scenes might seem weird or useless at first sight. The difference in here between Daviud Lynch and Park Ki-hyeong is that the ending of the movie offers us a disturbing conclusion that explains everything that really happened once again in a very detailed way.
This movie is surely nothing for the masses and addresses to a public that is at ease with exotic and slow paced psycho thrillers that ask to use the brain and not only relax and watch. The movie convinces me because of its numerous details and artistic roots. Anyone that is into weird Asian horror movies should give this a try and might adore the movie.
Did you know
- Crazy creditsThe first several seconds of the end credits roll over an additional flashback.
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $2,200,000 (estimated)
- Runtime
- 1h 43m(103 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1