Review of The Wailing (2016) by Mark M — 14 Jul 2016

Possibly one of the most convoluted horror films ever made - especially for a film from Asia -, The Wailing is writer-director Na Hong-jin's third feature length film, and it follows the same storytelling extremities of his previous films, whilst at the same time proves to be a departure from its predecessors as Hong-jin continues experimenting with his directorial sensibilities. Clocking in at over 150 minutes of running time, The Wailing isn't exactly well-paced, and with its complex narrative, the film is a doozy to sit through, but that isn't to say it's unwatchable.

It's not unwatchable; The Wailing, once it truly gets going after everything comes together, is a compelling watch, even if the experience as the credits roll leaves more questions than it answers. Dragging somewhat at the beginning, and sparingly in the middle, Hong-jin takes his own sweet time setting up elements that would eventually pay off - or clue viewers in - at the end, because there is a lot at work within the film's story. Where The Chaser (2008) had Hong-jin delivering a boilerplate slasher thriller - albeit an extremely good one - that was inspired from events surrounding a real life South Korean serial killer, and The Yellow Sea being a rather above average crime thriller, The Wailing is a departure from the tight storytelling of the former, and a successor to Hong-jin's style of overlapping story elements that was seen in the latter.

This becomes a a dual-edged sword in The Wailing. On one hand, the film's intentional incoherence with how the story transpires works to Hong-jin's advantage, allowing him to directly place the viewer in the lead character's shoes, being utterly baffled consistently as everything slowly descends madness in the fishing hamlet of Goksung, and on the other hand, this could easily turn viewers off at any point in the film, especially with the running time that is half-an-hour shy of being three hours. With how it additionally draws heavily upon South Korean folktale, The Wailing is a hard sell, even for genre fans.

If anything from the above failed to demonstrate how abstract the film becomes, perhaps this would; there are multiple interpretations of the story online, particularly the entry on the film's plot on Wikipedia, and another on Youtube. But none of these should scare potential viewers away, especially genre fans seeking a horror film that oozes creativity from a director known for taking liberties with how he approaches filmmaking. From its complex storytelling, performances steeped in Asian film idiosyncrasies, graphic subject matter, impeccable direction, vivid cinematography, and the grim, bleak view of the world (shared with The Chaser and The Yellow Sea), The Wailing easily displays Na Hong-jin's talents as one of South Korea's leading film auteurs.