It’s hard to tell if religion is being praised or slapped down in the Korean language film “Thirst.”
It focuses on the Roman Catholic priest Sang Hyun (Song Kang-ho) who, wanting only to do good for mankind, volunteers in an experimental study of a killer virus. Among his thanks, after a series of supposedly life-saving blood transfusions, are that he’s the only survivor among 50 volunteers, he’s covered with horrifically ugly blisters, he coughs up blood, he’s gained an acute sense of smell, and, oh yeah, he’s become a vampire.
Writer-director Park Chan-wook (“Old Boy”) sticks with most of the standard rules of vampire lore, but conveniently leaves out the fear of crosses – living death would have been pretty difficult for a priest if crosses got in the way. And he adds a stronger than usual sexuality along with a pretty bizarre and very dark sense of humor to it all.
The complex plot, filled with all kinds of back story, brings the priest together with the family of an old school friend, Kang-woo (Shin Ha-kyun) who has recently married Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin), who years ago was taken in by Kang-woo’s family as an orphan.
Complications set in. Tae-ju tells the priest how unhappy she is in her marriage; the priest feels a first flicker of attraction toward her; she makes it clear that she’s long had feelings of desire toward him; and after a steamy scene of kissing, licking, biting and love-making, he tries to tell her that he’s a vampire. Things don’t go very well from there.
Read more about this fascinating movie here.
WOW, this sounds like a complex and deep Vamp movie. I am really into seeing it.
What do you think of the issues in this movie?
Will you see this movie?
