Film: Thirst A.K.A. Bakjwi (South Korea)🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

About Thirst:

Thirst also called Bakjwi is a 2009 South Korean film. Thirst‘s screenplay is written by Seo-Gyeong Jeong and Chan-Wook Park. Directed by Chan-wook Park. Thirst is based on the book Therese Raquin by Emile Zola.

Sang-Hyun (played by Song Kang-Ho) is a Catholic Priest who volunteers at a hospital ministering patients. He has unwavering faith and is truly dedicated to the service of the church. But he wishes to do more to save the sick. Sang-Hyun volunteers to participiate in an experiment to find a vaccine for the deadly Emmanuel Virus (EV). This virus is also known as the widow maker, effecting only men. Although the experiment seemed at first to fail, as Sang-Hyun is infected with the fatal disease he is pronounced dead during a blood transfusion. Two minutes later Sang-Hyun starts to recite a pray and comes back to life.

News of Sang-Hyun’s recovery spreads quickly among devote parishioners, believing that he has a gift for curing the ill. But Sang-Hyun quickly realises that he needs blood to keep the EV blisters at bay. Starting to drink blood from a comatose patient as the irresistible urge was to much. Finding this horrifing Sang-Hyun throws himself from the hospital window.

During a children’s party, Lady Ra (played by Kim Hae-Sook) starts to knock at a window begging him to pray over her cancer patient son Kang-Woo (played by Shin Ha-Kyun). Sang-Hyun obliged and they soon realise that they all grew up together. Kang-Woo makes a “full recovery” and invites Sang-Hyun to join the weekly mahjong night at his house. There Sang-Hyun starts to become attracted to Tae-Ju (played by Kim Ok-Bin), Kang-Woo’s wife. Sang-Hyun relapses into EV and starts to burn in the daylight so hides in the wardrope having become a full vampire.

Sang-Hyun starts to steal blood from the hospital as well as from the comatose patient. Tae-Ju realises after she was out running and Sang-Hyun gives her his shoes, she was attracted to Sang-Hyun and push’s the Priest in to an affair. Sang-Hyun who has never even kissed a girl, is immediatly in love with her and shows Tae-Ju what he is. She of course runs in fear. Then after a few days suggests that he kills Kang-Woo and change her in to a vampire as well, after he shows her what he can do.

Will Sang-Hyun keep hold of his humanty? Will he change Tae-Ju? Will he kill for love? What type of vampire would Tae-Ju be? You need to watch to find out.

My Review

Thirst is not a typical vampire film allowing for the fact that Father Sang- Hyun contracted the vampire virus through a blood transfusion or so he believes. There is no other proof offered. This leads the question as to wither he became a vampire through the pray he said day in day out. Or what other things EV effects, as he stated later in the film, he had never even kissed a girl, leading to the assumption that he was a completly clean person that the EV could effect in different way. Leading vampirism to become a new symptom and/or a mutation of the virus. There is no other vampires jumping around accept the one he make’s.

Chan-Wook Park really make’s you think as he explores the aspect of humanity within Thirst using the two main characters to do this. Leaving you questioning how far you would go for love and life. We see Sang-Hyun trying to hold on to his humanity, just taking what he needs to survive. Sang-Hyun try’s desperatly not to kill but ends up killing for a woman he is in love with in the believe that she is being abused. Tae-Ju on the other hand finds that she can manipulate the world around her. Getting what she wants in the end, in an almost child like way. She gives up completely on humanity seeing them as food and enjoying the want to kill. Sang-Hyun never gives up on his faith through out the film holding like a comfort blanket even when Tae-Ju shows lack of emotion and uses it as a manipulation tactic.

Chan-Wook Park really excelled himself when choosing the talent in this film from Song Kang-Ho to Kim Hae-Sook. They all put heart and soul into this film. Its easy to see why Song Kang-Ho is one of the best South Korean actor’s. Once he is in a role, he is the role. There is no other person it’s like watching  Johnny Depp for me. He really knows how to get under your skin and stay there.

The gore in this film is so real. No Hollywood glamour to it what you see has been reasearched and looks authentic.

Therefore I’m given Thirst A.K.A. Bakjwi 5 stars out of 5. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟