Thirst is a film out of South Korea released in 2009 and helmed by director Park Chan-wook, who also made the films Oldboy and The Handmaiden. This film captures a variety of genres such as horror, drama, and romance while exploring elements of desire, ethics, and humanity, among others.
Plot Overview
The priest Sang-hyun is played by Song Kang-ho who enrolled in a medical trial to test a cure for a fatal disease. The doctor who got him into the experimental treatment apprehends a lot personally for some reason and he ends up becoming a vampire. After this, he suffers an identity crisis along with a fierce hunger for blood and for some reason, cannot come to terms with himself and the fact that he just wants to live a normal life.
While coping with this change, he meets and falls in love with Tae-ju, an attractive woman played by Kim Ok-bin, who is stuck in an unhappy marriage. After some time, their relationship begins spiraling out of control and becomes violent and sad to the audience.
Themes and Style
Thirst raises very interesting questions, some of them are:
- Desire and Temptation: The film takes on Sang-hyun’s vampirism in the most ethical sense, questioning the many things that he goes through.
- Religious Symbolism: The metamorphosis of the character can be understood as a form of sin, suffering, and faith, which ultimately gives rise to more desire.
- Identity and Humanity: Sang-hyun’s quest brings attention to his struggles concerning the basic human emotions of love suffused with violence.
Critical Reception
For its unique narrative structure, impressive camera work and noteworthy acting, especially from Song Kang-ho and Kim Ok-bin, the film earned favorable assessment. It was praised for its original interpretation of the vampire genre and won multiple awards including the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival.