Image © 20th Century Fox Korea
THE WAILING
The Wailing has a brutal, naked approach to horror: the blundering confusion & fright in supernatural circumstances lends a realism to each actor’s performance. Hwan-hee Kim spookily portrays Hyu-jin, a sick child whose ominous illness drives her father, a detective named Jong-goo, to desperation. Kwak shakes, scrambles, cries, & fumes as Jong-goo, whose increasingly reckless bumbles felt relatable as I grasped at theories, not knowing who to trust. The Wailing has just enough gore, tingly suspense, & and an ending that left me guessing how slight the edge is between safety & grizzly death.
Joey Gould, Poetry Editor
The Wailing
Starring Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee
Written and Directed by Na Hong-Jin
Now Streaming on Netflix