Thirst

Director : Chan Wook Park
Starring : Kang Ho Song, Ok Bin Kim, Hae Sook Kim
2009

Chan Wook Park has made three of my favorite movies so I was really excited to see his latest work. Thirst is the story of a Catholic Priest who does a lot of volunteering at the local hospital. Everyone he visits and prays for seems to be dying of the disease EV. Unable to deal with all of the suffering surrounding him, Sang-hyeon travels abroad to take part in an experiment that involves giving men the terminable EV in hopes that one of the cures they try works. Sang gets the EV, grows some very grotesque blisters all over, loses fingernails and then dies. Only problem though is he starts praying again in front off all the docters while his heart remains dormant.

Sang returns back to Korea and is declared a living Saint by some of his followers for being the only one of 500 to survive the experiment. Back at the hospital, a woman rushes to him asking if he could pray for her son who has cancer. Sang does and then accompanies them home for dinner. It is revealed that Sang used to be friends with the family in his youth and they rehash their friendly relationship. Everything is getting back to normal for Sang but he still seems a little off. Since the experiment, something just hasn't been right with him. Maybe it's that sunlight burns him and he drinks blood. That's right, Sang is a Vampire.

Along with the usual vampire attributes, Sang gets urges to do things he would never do before. One of these urges is bang the wife of the dude who had cancer. That's had cancer because he was miraculously healed soon after Sang's prayers. Sang was a celibate through the church for his entire life so I guess he decided to get out all his humpin during the duration of this movie. Seriously from about the 45 minute mark to the 1 hour 20 minute mark its just the two of them getting freaky. Eventually they come up with a plan to kill the husband which they carry out, this sends the mom into shock and she almost dies, then the now former wife, Tae-Ju starts going crazy and wants to die. Sang kills her but brings her back as a vampire like that was the plan all along. From here out Tae-Ju goes crazy/mad with vampy powers and Sang begins to regret everything. I'll cut it off here and leave the rest for you to see.

Rating : 3 stars. There are some things I liked but this movie didn't live up to the hype at all. I definitely recommend watching the movie alone or with someone you are really comfortable with because it could get really awkward watching all the sex with your parents or siblings. The chick is pretty hot though when she isn't looking crazy. There are some things I would've liked the movie to either explain or go into deeper. One is the ghost of the husband randomly haunting them and then not showing up anymore. Another is how they lose their morals once becoming vamprized. Is the fact that Sang used to be a priest and on a higher moral level than Tae Ju explain why he doesn't become completely swelled with evil like her? The ending of this movie is really predictable too. As soon as they both became vampires you can tell whats happening. Recommendation : if you have seen a lot of movies similar to this (im talking about foreign not vampire movies) then you might want to watch this. If not, don't make this your introduction.

Best Scene : Everything involving the ghost haunting them. When Sang runs up the stairs completely soaked, you don't know whats real and what isn't. That was kind of cool

Quotes : "Grant me the following in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Like a leper rotting in flesh, let all avoid me. Like a cripple without limbs, let me not move freely. Remove my cheeks, tht tears may not roll down them. Crush my lips and tongue, that I may not sin with them. Pull out my nails, that I may not grasp nothing. Let my shoulders and back be bent, that I may carry nothing. Like a man with tumor in the head let me lack judgment. Ravage my body sworn to chastity leave me with no pride, and have me live in shame. Let no one pray for me. But only the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me."

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Trailer