The Wailing (film)
| The Wailing | |
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| Directed by | Na Hong-jin |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Na Hong-jin |
| Starring |
Kwak Do-won Hwang Jung-min Chun Woo-hee |
| Music by | Jang Young-gyu |
| Cinematography | Hong Kyung-pyo |
| Edited by | Kim Sun-min |
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Production
company |
Side Mirror
Fox International Production Korea |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox Korea |
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Release date
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Running time
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156 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$51.3 million |
The Wailing (Hangul: 곡성; Hanja: 哭聲; RR: Gokseong) is a 2016 South Korean horror film directed by Na Hong-jin about a policeman who teams up with a shaman and a mysterious woman to investigate mysterious killings and illnesses. It was a commercial success at the box office.
"See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."
A Japanese man has recently arrived at a little village in the mountains of South Korea, living in a secluded house. A mysterious disease starts spreading among the villagers, causing a rash which precedes violent murderous outbreaks followed by stupor and eventually death.
Police officer Jong-goo, who is investigating the case, meets a mysterious young woman called Moo-myeong (“no name” in Korean), who tells him about the Japanese stranger, and later disappears. A local hunter tells Jong-goo that he saw the near-naked stranger eating a deer, with glowing red eyes. Jong-goo is unsettled, as he has had dreams about this stranger, which the hunter had described to him. He enlists the help of another police officer, and a Japanese-speaking priest to serve as translator, and they investigate the stranger's house while he is away. The other police officer finds pictures of the infected and murdered residents and their belongings. He is too shocked to say anything to the others. The stranger house's guard dog attacks the priest and Jong-goo. The stranger arrives and pacifies the dog, and the other three leave.
The police officer tells Jong-goo of what he saw, and hands over a shoe which belongs to Jong-goo's daughter, Hyo-jin. Soon, Hyo-jin becomes sick and displays similar symptoms as the other infected villagers. Jong-goo makes his way to the stranger’s house with the priest in anger, but finds that the pictures and evidence have been burned. Infuriated, he destroys the stranger's worship room and kills the dog when it attacks him, ordering the stranger to leave the village.
Distraught about Hyo-jin's condition, Jong-goo's mother-in-law seeks help from a shaman, Il-gwang. As Il-gwang performs a ritual to exorcise the demon, Jong-goo finds his daughter in pain and interrupts the ritual, taking her to a hospital instead. The following day, he gathers his friends to hunt down the stranger, believing that the stranger is responsible for the disease and murders. Jong-goo and his friends go after the stranger, and eventually end up hitting him with their vehicle. They dispose of his body as Moo-myeong watches from the hills. When Jong-goo returns home, he finds that Hyo-jin's condition has seemingly improved. Il-gwang suspects they killed the wrong person; he later encounters Moo-myeong, and starts vomiting blood. He calls Jong-goo, telling him that Moo-myeong is the demon.
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