The Wailing

Set in a rural Korean village, "The Wailing" is a thought-provoking and unsettling horror mystery that weaves a complex web of cultural misunderstandings, ancient traditions, and the blurring of reality. The film, directed by Na Hong-jin, masterfully crafts a narrative that is both captivating and unnerving, transporting the viewer into a world where the past and present coexist in a dance of chaos. The story commences with the arrival in the village of Jong-goo, a struggling detective from the city who is trying to solve a series of gruesome, ritualistic murders. Upon his arrival, Jong-goo is met with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion by the villagers, who are initially wary of this outsider. As the days unfold, a mysterious illness starts to spread among the villagers, and Jong-goo is called upon to investigate the strange occurrences. Jong-goo's involvement in the affair takes a turn for the personal when his own daughter, Hyo-jin, becomes infected with the sickness. Horrified and desperate to save his daughter, Jong-goo becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the mysterious affliction. His investigation leads him to a local shaman, Il-woo, who is accused of being the primary suspect behind the series of murders and the worsening epidemic. Il-woo, played by Kwak Do-won, is a folkloric shaman who practices the Old Believer's customs and holds a deep understanding of the ancestral traditions. As the villagers begin to accuse Il-woo of being a demonic spirit, Jong-goo realizes that the suspect is, in fact, a devout man who has sworn to preserve the old-fashioned ways of the village. Desperate to clear Il-woo's name and find a cure for his daughter, Jong-goo embarks on a perilous investigation. The Wailing masterfully takes the viewer on a journey through the convoluted world of Korean folklore and the Christian faith, skillfully referencing the tenets of the Old Believers. As Jong-goo's investigation deepens, the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur, and the viewer is swept away by the inexplicable events unfolding before their eyes. Unafraid to delve into the depths of pure darkness and bloodiness, "The Wailing" defies conventional expectations and lures the audience with the thrill of an unseen terror lurking just beneath the surface. Through its intricate narrative, the film skillfully subverts expectations, oscillating between disparate genres: horror mystery, folk-horror, and family drama. Throughout the narrative, Jong-goo's fixation on solving the mystery becomes its only driving force. His plight mirrors that of his father's earlier struggle, wherein he suffered from unrelenting guilt after a tragic accident had occurred when Jong-goo's mother had perished and left him stricken when they were once caught driving. A central theme embodied by Jong-goo's unyielding quest for the truth is the dissonance between tradition and modern progress. On one hand, Jong-goo, the would-be city-dweller detective, forms an uneasy alliance with the village elder and Il-woo himself. This partnership might have contributed to the tragic loss they are trying against in this attempt. This intermixing speaks strongly of cultural intersectionism.