Thirst (2009) Bakjwi (original title)

Director:

Chan-wook Park

Writers:

Chan-wook Park (screenplay)
Émile Zola (inspired by the book "Thérèse Raquin")
(more)

Release Date:

30 April 2009 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Through a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Priest | Virus | Vampire | Lust

Awards:

6 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Kang-ho Song	...	Priest Sang-hyeon
Ok-bin Kim	...	Tae-ju
Hae-suk Kim	...	Lady Ra
Ha-kyun Shin	...	Kang-woo
In-hwan Park	...	Priest Noh
Dal-su Oh	...	Yeong-doo
Young-chang Song	...	Seung-dae
Mercedes Cabral	...	Evelyn
Eriq Ebouaney	...	Immanuel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hee-jin Choi	...	Nurse
Woo-seul-hye Hwang	...	Girl with a whistle
Hwa-ryong Lee	...	Professor Ku
Mi-ran Ra	...	Nurse Yu

Directed by
Chan-wook Park

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Seo-Gyeong Jeong		screenplay
Chan-wook Park		screenplay
Émile Zola		inspired by the book "Thérèse Raquin"

Produced by
Soo-hyun Ahn	....	producer
Joon H. Choi	....	associate producer
Hak-beom Kim	....	co-associate producer
Katharine Kim	....	co-executive producer
Miky Lee	....	executive producer
Ki-moon Nam	....	co-associate producer
Chan-wook Park	....	producer
Bob Seh	....	co-associate producer

Original Music by
Yeong-wook Jo

Cinematography by
Chung-hoon Chung

Film Editing by
Jae-beom Kim
Sang-beom Kim

Production Design by
Seong-hie Ryu

Set Decoration by
Jiyeon Song

Costume Design by
Sang-gyeong Jo

Makeup Department
Hee Eun Lee	....	special makeup effects artist
Jong-hee Song	....	hair designer
Jong-hee Song	....	make-up designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Seung Koo Kwon	....	second unit director: action

Sound Department
Jeng Gun	....	sound recordist
Chang-seop Kim	....	sound designer
Suk-won Kim	....	sound designer

Visual Effects by
Sunghun Cha	....	visual effects artist
Kang Chang-bae	....	visual effects artist
Kang Changbae	....	visual effects
Hyun-Cheol Chung	....	visual effects
Yuseop Ham	....	visual effects
Changbae Kang	....	visual effects
Jeon-hyeong Lee	....	visual effects supervisor
Jihyun Nam	....	head of effects
Kwang-Ha Ryu	....	visual effects
Jeong Hun Seong	....	digital effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Hyun-won Park	....	lighting technician

Music Department
Stefan Karrer	....	soundtrack album producer

Other crew
Jeongeun Choi	....	script supervisor
Sean Lee	....	investment executive

Thanks
June Lee	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• CJ Entertainment (presents)
• Focus Features International (FFI) (presents)
• Moho Films
• Benex Movie Expert Fund (in association with)
• Company K Movie Asset Fund No. 1 (in association with)
• Green Non-Life Insurance Company (in association with)
• MVP Capital Culture Investment Fund (in association with)

Distributors

• Mediatres Estudio (2011) (Spain) (all media) (Distributor)
• Mediatres Estudio (2011) (Andorra) (all media) (Distributor)
• Alliance Films (2009) (Canada) (theatrical)
• AmaFilms (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• CJ Entertainment (2008) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Focus Features (2009) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Independenta Film (2009) (Romania) (theatrical)
• Le Pacte (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Maywin Media (2009) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Phantom Film (2010) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Tour de Force (2009) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Wild Side Films (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Alliance (2009) (Canada) (DVD)
• Avsar Film (2009) (Turkey) (all media)
• Canana Films (2010) (Mexico) (all media)
• Discovery Channel International (DCI) (2009) (Yugoslavia) (all media)
• EDKO Film (2009) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• EcoFilmes (2009) (Portugal) (all media)
• First Look International (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• MFA Filmdistribution (2009) (Germany) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2009) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (all media)
• Metrodome Distribution (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• NonStop Entertainment (2009) (Sweden) (all media)
• Palisades Tartan (2009) (UK) (all media)
• Paris Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Prisvídeo - Edições Videográficas (2010) (Portugal) (all media)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• CJ Powercast

Other Companies

• AZ Works  post-production
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Focus Features  funding
• HFR  dailies
• HFR  digital intermediate
• Milan Records  soundtrack
• Universal Pictures  funding

Also Known As:

"Bakjwi" - South Korea (original title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic bloody violence, disturbing images, strong sexual content, nudity and language

Runtime:

133 min | South Korea:145 min (director's cut) | Canada:148 min (Blu-ray Disc)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean | English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 | USA:R (certificate #45440) | Australia:MA (2009) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:R21 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | UK:18 | France:-12 | Ireland:18 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Finland:K-18 | Japan:R15+ | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Denmark:15 | Brazil:16 | Sweden:15

Company:

CJ Entertainment

Quotes:

Priest Sang-hyeon:I don't kill anyone, you know. Hoy-sung... He loved helping the hungry. He'd offer me his blood if he wasn't in a coma. If you only heard the sponge cake story.

Movie Connections:

References Three... Extremes (2004)

Soundtrack:

Ich habe genug

Every bit as good as the Vengeance trilogy

From the director of Oldboy comes this slick vampire flick. Kang-ho Song stars as a priest who is accidentally changed into a vampire while being cured of a deadly, mysterious virus. His vampirism and priesthood are quite at conflict, but he is able to survive by robbing the hospital's blood bank and unconscious patients who might not mind some siphoned blood. Because of his supposedly miraculous survival, he comes into the lives of Ha-kyun Shin's family. Shin has cancer, and his mother believes that Song can cure it. Unfortunately, Song's vampirism raises his levels of lust to a height where he can't help but fall for Shin's young wife, OK-vin Kim. Kim is intensely interested in the world of vampirism, and the two become lovers. The film from there goes in weird directions that I think one should experience for themselves. What really should be mentioned is Chan-wook Park's mastery of the medium of cinema. My God, I've rarely seen such a masterful visual artist at the peak of his powers. The major flaw of the film is that it's a little incoherent, especially near the beginning. Park is interested in telling his stories mostly in the visuals, which can be difficult to follow at times. But when it works, man, does it fly. The film is also perversely hilarious. The final sequence, easily one of the best of the decade, is simultaneously heartbreaking and delightfully ridiculous. OK-vin Kim should become a worldwide star after this film. She gives one of the best performances of the year.