Director: Park Hoon-jung
Notable Cast: Kim Da-mi, Jo Min-su, Choi Woo-shik, Park
Hee-soon, Go Min-si, Choi Jung-woo, Oh Mi-hee, Daeun, Kim Byeong-ok
At this point, it might be safe to say that after Parasite
swept its Oscar categories that we will – at least for a short time – be living
in a post-Parasite world. A world where South Korean cinema will finally
be getting some attention from more casual cinephiles and where the mainstream
will keep a meandering eye on the big films from the SK industry. For our
writers here at Blood Brothers and thus, our readers too, it’s an exciting time
to see all of the new fans discover just how wild and awesome SK cinema has
been for quite some time. Even films like The Witch: Subversion or The
Witch Part 1: Subversion if you go by the original English title for the
film, showcases just how dark and twisty the films can be. It’s a film with a
ton of heart and mainstream appeal but does not hesitate to take its concept
into the incredibly dark and violent recesses of its own psyche – particularly in
a brutal and shocking third act. It’s a film that takes such a solid and
impressively genre-favored turn that even its mundane narrative of the first
two acts is saved. Yes, it’s a twist like this that makes me very excited for
new people to discover SK cinema in more depth.
In almost any other area of the world, a film like The Witch
would have been a mainstream sell. It has fantasy and science fiction elements
of a superhero film, grounded on the emotional core of a young woman looking to
hide her talents and save her adopted parents from an evil group looking to
find the little girl that escaped their facility. Honestly, it even feels like
a mainstream flick for most of its run time. The audience is introduced Ko Ja-yoon,
a young girl who is suddenly finding fame when she starts moving up the ranks
on a televised singing competition. Her adopted parents and best friend are
incredibly supportive, particularly since she comes from a small rural
community. She’s a lovable and charming character, aptly portrayed by Kim
Da-mi, and the film really digs into her relationship with her parents along
with their familial troubles with a mom suffering from dementia. The Witch
really digs into laying out the groundwork here, introducing a slew of
secondary characters, and introducing a ton of backstory via flashback.
Then the baddies show up and there are plenty of them. From
a mysterious evil doctor to a man with a scarred face and a duo of Americans with
their own powers, the film still takes its time to set up a lot of
character work and plotting. Seeing as the original title features a ‘Part 1’
in it, the fact that it spends so much time establishing a slew of characters
isn’t all that surprising. What is surprising through the first two acts is
that this is a film directed and co-written by Park Hoon-jung, the gentleman
who wrote films like I Saw the Devil and directed really intense and
layered crime flicks like New World and V.I.P. Compared to his previous
films, the first two acts of The Witch feel like his pitch to make a
huge mainstream blockbuster and not something in his usual flair. His talent is
still on display here, particularly has he starts to layer in some darker
elements as the film progresses. The visuals are sharp, the performances
layered and heartfelt, and he loves to use the gimmicks of its characters and
plot to nuance the narrative. It feels more mainstream, but the execution is
still incredible.
While the film firmly roots itself as an origin story,
leaving its audience on a cliffhanger and rarely wrapping up all of its
subplots, The Witch: Subversion is still one of the best action films of
the year thus far. The performances are top-notch, the world-building is layered,
and the action in the final act is stunning in its blood-spattered insanity. It
takes a bit of time to get there, but once the film starts cooking it’s a
boiling pot that delivers on all of the tasty action goods.
Written By Matt Reifschneider
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