Thirst: A Deep Dive into Desire and Depravity
A cinematic experience riddled with both moments of breathtaking artistry and stretches of frustrating inertia.
“Thirst” plunges us into a world grappling with a lethal virus. At its center is a selfless priest, driven by compassion, who volunteers for a risky medical experiment in a desperate bid to discover a cure. While he survives the ordeal, he emerges forever changed – a vampire, blessed with the power to heal, yet cursed with an unquenchable thirst for blood. This newfound vampiric nature doesn’t just ignite a primal hunger; it also awakens a powerful, forbidden sexual desire for his closest friend’s wife.
To attempt to categorize “Thirst” amongst other vampire movies is as productive as comparing apples to oranges. Much like trying to find parallels between “Oldboy” and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” or dissecting “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK” through the framework of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” it misses the point. Director Park Chan-wook uses grand themes—revenge, or the absurdity of psychosis causing society to fall apart—as springboards into something else. His main creative focus lies in the provocative consequences that follow, disrupting the world’s balance. A priest’s failed attempt to save the world through blood donation has disproportionate results: the man is now obsessed with literally taking all the blood from those around him.
Thematic Complexity Meets Visual Spectacle
The director seems to bridge seemingly disparate Western philosophies: Christian redemption and Nietzschean affirmation of life. Even though this direction offers intrigue, the film gravitates toward exploring vampirism. While coming from comic themes, Park mines the concept for visual storytelling. Park Chan-wook finds his stride here as he pulls from unlimited ways in which the hero, played by Kang-ho Song, finds ways to drink – and have others drink – blood. Then the scenes showing this become a lot to experience.
A Questionable Approach?
Without a doubt, a priest who bleeds his mentor until he becomes totally dry is thought provoking, which is what makes the visual so powerful. Then again, if director focuses more on details instead of the meaning or broader themes of the story (such as how a corkscrew is straightened before getting plunged in a priests robe), then the director has a bit of a creative issue. However, these lead to interesting results.