Think Agatha Christie plotline with a truth-is-more-shocking-than-
Sohyeon is the king’s direct heir as well as his grandson. Joseon has a history of invasion from Japan and the Manchus, and the king wants to protect his kingdom at all costs. When the king reluctantly welcomes his son back, he becomes sceptical when the prince speaks of a peaceful compromise between Qing and Joseon. Mistrusting Westerners, the king is even more dismayed that the prince has been adapting to Western customs. These are the facts behind the Korean legend, which is the basis of this engaging narrative.
And for those intrigued with acupuncture, who would have thought that needles into the body could be more powerful than just relieving pains and headaches? Gyeong-su uses his acupuncture skills as a weapon at the heart of his confrontation with the perpetrators of the murder. He tries to save his life to support his 10-year-old brother Kyung-Jae (Kim Do-wan), who has a medical condition requiring a costly herbal medicine.
Nearly two hours in length, this debut film from South Korean writer-director Ahn Tae-jin is fast-paced, with its suspenseful plot twists and turns. It explores themes of determination and survival through humility and wit as the partially blind witness of a royal crime conflicts with royalty. With co-writers Soo-in Bang and Gyu-Ri Hyun, Ahn has moulded an intriguing story that is as dark as the legend it was based on. The audience witnesses who killed the prince, but how Gyeong-su proves this as a blind man who is also being framed as the murderer is the film’s exhilarating roller coaster ride.
With good direction and excellent performances, THE NIGHT OWL is a fitting opening night film after that excellent reception at Event Gold Class in Sydney George Street.
The Korean Film Festival is back in 2023 from 24-29 August at Event Cinema George Street, Sydney. Its opening night film is that grand historical murder mystery thriller, THE NIGHT OWL, amidst familial jealousy and political intrigue of Korea’s bygone kingdom.
You know you are watching a film from a master perfectionist when everything is seamlessly interconnected and plausible no matter how improbable and far-fetched it could have been. In PARASITE, South Korean auteur filmmaker Bong Joon-ho has just done that.
