Thirst (2009)

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

Director:

Chan-wook Park (as Park Chan-wook)

Writers:

Émile Zola (inspired by "Thérèse Raquin"), Chan-wook Park (screenplay by) (as Park Chan-wook)

Stars:

Kang-ho Song, Kim Ok-bin, Hee-jin Choi

17 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kang-ho Song	...	Sang-hyun (as Song Kang-ho)
Hee-jin Choi	...	Nurse Sa
Dong-soo Seo	...	Hyo-sung
Hwa-ryong Lee	...	Doctor Ku
Mi-ran Ra	...	Nurse Yu
In-hwan Park	...	Priest Roh (as Park In-hwan)
Eriq Ebouaney	...	Emmanuel Research Director (as Eriq Ebouney)
Thati Pele	...	Emmanuel Research Nun (as Onthatile Peele)
Jong-ryol Choi	...	Grandfather
Yong-wan Goo	...	Devotee
Hwang Woo-seul-hye	...	Whistle Girl
Kim Hae-sook	...	Mrs. Ra
Shin Ha-kyun	...	Kang-woo
Kim Ok-bin	...	Tae-ju (as Kim Ok-vin)
Dal-su Oh	...	Young-du (as Oh Dal-su)

Storyline

Sang-hyun, a priest working for a hospital, selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project intended to eradicate a deadly virus. However, the virus eventually takes over the priest. He nearly dies, but makes a miraculous recovery by an accidental transfusion of vampire blood. He realizes his sole reason for living: the pleasures of the flesh.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | death by sunrise | 2000s | wheelchair | south korea | 

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Taglines:

Lusting after sinful pleasures.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a seemingly random brief shot at around 1:20:25 of a blood red ceiling with a single lightbulb. It's an intentional homage to one of William Eggleston's most famous photographs, entitled The Red Ceiling.

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Quotes

Tae-ju: [asking if Sang-hyun fed on Evelyn's blood] I thought you had your fill with Evelyn.

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Alternate Versions

On the South Korean and French Blu-ray editions, there is a director's cut featuring 13 minutes of new footage, including extended versions of many scenes.

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Connections

References Three... Extremes (2004)

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Soundtracks

Ich habe genug
(Cantata BWV 82)
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Different kind of Beast

No pun intended. I'm not going to spoil anything about the story, but it's safe to assume that you already know, what kind of character the main actor portrays. And of course being a priest while being "naughty" exaggerates all that. Plus this is the most erotic movie from Park Chan Wook yet.

If you have seen Wook's previous works/movies you know he is very visual (in a good way) and it shows again here. While it strays away from the vengeance theme of his prior movies on the surface, it still has quite some heat hidden underneath. And when that boils, quite a few bad things start to happen. But through all that dark, there also moments of light (fun) to be had too. A very stylistic and though provoking movie, that lives outside the mainstream and does a very good job ...

Details

Official Sites:

Official site (en) Official site [Japan]

Country:

South Korea USA

Language:

Korean English French

Release Date:

30 April 2009 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Thirst

Filming Locations:

Seoul, South Korea

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$55,889, 2 August 2009

Gross USA:

$318,574

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,085,023

Company Credits

Production Co:

CJ Entertainment, Focus Features International, Benex Movie Expert Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min 148 min (director's cut) 148 min (Blu-ray)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1