Saturday 8 October 2011

The Quiet Family [1998]


Kim Jee-Woon, one of the most exciting Korean filmmakers working today alongside the likes of Park Chan-Wook, Bong Joon-Ho and Kim Ki-Duk, made his debut as a director with this delicious ensemble black comedy. The Kang family is one hell-of-a dysfunctional family, and when they move to a godforsaken locality far from the madding crowds having opened a lodge there – their lives become the perfect exemplification of the famous “Murphy’s Law”. Initially they find it difficult to find boarders, and once they finally manage to break that cycle of bad luck things go even more downhill as nearly every guest visiting their place face one horrible end after another. The family is filled with a series of idiosyncratic characters, brought forth through great acting by the cast. The movie’s premise is hilariously over-the-top, and is filled with tar-black humour, crazy plot developments, and a plethora of ironies, yet what could have soon turned into clichéd and empty at lesser hands, managed to remain compact and even retain a curiously affecting core courtesy Kim. It’s always a darn difficult task to induce belly laughter despite such unfortunate and morbid chain of events. The movie’s atmosphere and mood too have been well created and maintained, and the brisk pacing ensured my attention never wavered even for a moment.








Director: Kim Jee-Woon
Genre: Comedy/Black Comedy/Family Drama/Ensemble Film
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

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