The Uninvited

Directed by: Lee Su-Yeon

Starring: Shin-Yan Park, Gianna Jun, Seon Yu

Synopsis:

Jung Won, a quiet, hardworking building renovations company boss, has not much happening in his life aside from doing a job he likes and preparing to marry his girlfriend. Until, that is, he witnesses an infanticide on the subway and begins to be pursued in his dreams by the murdered children. Yeon is a Narcoleptic with a deeply painful and troubled past whose path crosses with Jung’s so often it simply cannot be ignored. As Jung’s nightmares become more intense and begin to bleed into his waking life, it becomes obvious that she is seeing the same dark visions as him. They are pulled into a dark odyssey of discovery.

Review:

From the outset this film sets impressive standards in direction and cinematography. The scene setting piece on the Subway is one of precision and skill. Jung shines as he portrays a quiet introverted real man in the real world of night and day, work and home. When otherworldly things happen to him he reacts as any of us really would (Not how we would like to think we would, I’m addressing those who share my secret feeling that a Zombie Apocalypse might be well…. You know kind of fun.).

As his visions increase in intensity and frequency he just keeps his head down and deals with it while inside he is quaking in fear. And when he realises his new acquaintance shares the visions he grasps at her like a drowning man would grab a life belt.

As for Gianna Jun , she also skilfully portrays a woman whose past misfortunes have destroyed her future, and believe me they would have the same effect on anyone.

Jun’s panic and frustration in the early stages of their meeting is drawn from a need to explore and understand what he is seeing and why, and her inability to face it at all. When it becomes clear that she can help but at expense to her fragile sanity she is gradually drawn into his life. The exposure of ancient secrets and the uneasy meeting of supernatural mysticism mixed with devout Christianity (Jun’s Father’s struggling church) pulls you into this exploration of loss and regret. It’s a Ghost movie with a strong emotional intellect, or a thoughtful drama with a glimpse of the supernatural. It is most definitely not a chiller or thriller.

The court room sequences detailing the tragedy of Yeon’s early life play out next to the every day story of Jun’s crisis and exploration of his own past all segments gradually fitting together like a jigsaw until the ending which weirdly provides closure despite not taking us through what and why in easy to read pieces.

Sound plays an incredibly important role in The Uninvited and really deserves a special mention. Scenes of macabre creepiness are well served by gradually swelling indefinable tones, some not even ‘notes’ as such but seeming to be more a deepening of certain acoustics of the on screen location. These hollow notes become a warning of impending menace and shock.

A particular favourite in terms of sound for me was a peculiar rattling which seemed to emanate from Yeon and her ex’s car after a nasty argument. In the back of your mind you felt the car was about to breakdown like the relationship, but then the sound evolved neatly into a strange piece of soundtrack dominated by rattling percussion.

Believe me, all of this is so subtle and doesn’t jump out at you at all. I just couldn’t resist mentioning it as it all complements a very well made, well acted movie perfectly by bringing an extra dimension to the suspense and drama.

The locations also are superb. Jung’s kitchen is tagged early on as the stage on which the majority of the high drama will be played out, but the houses he is working on are pristine white spaces of plaster and light. Initially a perfect real world antidote to the darkness of his visions.

Verdict:

I cannot recommend this film highly enough, but as previously mentioned, High Octane terror it is not. It will keep you thinking for a good long while though.

8 out of 10 (Sulaco)

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