I just had a couple minor questions if someone who really got this movie could help me out.
1. why does Tae-ju start to miss her sick husband and renounce her love from the "Father"? Is he just haunting her or can she not deal with the vampire inside her new man?
2. Why does Sang-hyeon rape that girl in the tent towards the end? I thought represented the more sane and moral vampire?
Thanks for any help
I'll try my best to answer the questions based upon my opinion. It's probably a bit late now, but I'm going to say that you shouldn't read on if you don't want spoilers. So yeah, SPOILER ALERT!
1.) I think she's gone partially (if not fully) insane by this point and is also consumed by guilt. She knows she played an important part in the death of her husband and that she lied so that he would be killed. This is eating her up inside, as it would any person, so she's in conflict. The unblinking gaze of her mother-in-law is also key to her going mad. Tae-Ju owes this woman her life, even if she didn't treat her perfectly, at least she had a home, food and stability. The mother-in-law also told the priest about her leaving the shop to Tae-Ju because she's "good deep down". If after all that murdering her son and being very, very ungrateful isn't a little saddening, then you must have very thick skin! She is also probably scared of death, knowing that the priest is capable of tearing her apart and is most likely very angry that she lied to him. When she eventually drank from the father, this showed her becoming the psychopathic killer that she later became. The last shreds of her dignity and sanity are gone, she is no longer the woman she used to be and now has no remorse. She may harbour a grudge against him for bringing her back to life, killing her in the first place, or just because he's weak. That's all I can say on that matter.
2.) The only explanation I can give is that the whole film is about him betraying his morals and religious belief. He's killed, traumatised, stolen, broken his vow of chastity and committed a host of other sins. He fully believes that he's going to hell, thus he might as well go out with a "bang"...If you'll excuse the pun!
You say that he is the more sane and moral vampire, but he's not much better than Tae-Ju. After all, he's still a murderer. He's helped people commit suicide after telling them at the start of the film that suicide is even WORSE than murder. He's damned, he knows he's damned, he can do what he wants at this point and hope that the act of stopping the killing and rampage by (oh woah, ultimate sin overload) killing himself and Tae-Ju redeems him slightly...
Hopefully at least one of these ideas has helped you out. If not then I'm stumped!
In regards to the second question, I don't think he even raped the girl. At that point he already knew that the life he currently lived was not what he really wanted and he wants to (in a way) return to his Catholic morals - This line of thought is first seen when you realise he didn't kill the Filipino wife. He could have obviously, but purposely left her enough blood to survive and protect her from Tae-ju by covering her face (At his own sacrifice, you see the boil on his face despite apparently drinking heavy doses of blood). I mean, lets be honest, it wouldn't have made much sense for him to have gone easy on the girl, even harming her minimally and then to turn around and attempt to rape another female in the middle of a camp.
Continuing that vein of thought, I am confident that the rape was closer to an 'attempted' rape. He never committed the act, but he wanted these people to stop holding him in reverance for what became a curse that would send him to Hell. His goal is achieved when they cast him out, throwing rocks at him. It is a nice round-about connection to his prayer which is repeated through the movie.
'Let all avoid me'
'Have me live in shame'
'Let no one pray for me'
'Only the grace of Jesus Christ have mercy on me'
Thank you both for your speedy replies
shareYep I thought the same when I watched the movie for a second time. Which explains his little tired smile as he walks past the camera. He wanted to close all his worldly accounts before clearing the world of himself and his breed. Also, It is a nice round-about connection to his prayer which is repeated through the movie. - that's a great observation.
As to the first question (about the girl changing her behaviour after the murder), I agree with the previous poster, and add that what happened to the two after they killed the husband reminded me a little of Cortazar's short story "Letters from Mother". Here's a decent short film of the Cortazar story, apparently somebody's school project, but it catches the basics of the story pretty well:
http://vimeo.com/22298507
there's a highway that is curling up like smoke above her shoulder
Second question... i thought he was making an alibi for himself. If people thought he was with that girl in the tent that he wouldn't be part of the killings of the house.
Plus he didnt suck any blood from the filipino girl... just pretended to have done so. That why he still had boils.
I thought the same as Jose, but have only seen the movie once, so will pay attention to this if / when I see if the next time
shareHe wasnt trying to rape the woman.
Those people were camping there hoping to see him and get a blessing or healing for their own illness.
He knew he was going to kill himself, so he made it seemed like he was trying to rape the one woman to tarnish the respect or admiration the people there had for him.
He was going to die... he didnt want them waiting around for a cure that didnt exist and wasnt going to possibly come after he was gone.
Movie Review Blog:
http://cruizd.blogspot.com
Yeah, interesting interpretation. Now, i'm not saying it is wrong but it appears to me that the difference between "seem like rape" and "rape" is a tricky one. Actually, from the young woman's perspective in the tent, that difference is pretty much nonexistent, with or without penetration. She was sexually assaulted, period.
My point is, by trying to fall into disgrace by looking like a rapist, for all intents and purposes, he actually became one. And if his aim was indeed to fall into disgrace, surely there are better ways to do that that don't involve scarring a young woman for life. So i have a hard time swallowing he only pretended to rape her, because what's the difference? But you might be right, i dunno.
The other explanation whereby he knew he was going to hell so decided to "go out with a bang" as some other poster put it also kinda makes sense, even if seems to violate ever so slightly this "good vampire"-image the movie constructed.
As for me, i don't have any better explanation for that scene unfortunately and it has bothered me for quite a while. I didn't like the scene itself and even less the fact that i can't explain it.
Quite decent and refreshing movie otherwise. A bit tedious at times, not to mention rather silly some other times. I don't understand why the scenes where they both had visions of the dead husband were in the movie and for so long. I found that it distracted from an otherwise very compelling story, but that's the Asian way i suppose.
On the plus side, very impressive visuals, subtle but spot-on special effects, inspired cinematography, beautiful shots, vivid dialog and a refreshing take on a tired sub-genre story-wise. Love the scene where he runs after her, pulls her up and puts her down in his own shoes! Genius. Add to that 2 breathtaking performances by the 2 leads and you got yourself a nice little movie.
7/10.
People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefsī²
the rape scene was fake.
share