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IMDbPro

The Wailing

Original title: Gokseong
  • 20162016
  • TV-MATV-MA
  • 2h 36m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
67K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,845
49
The Wailing (2016)
A foreigner's mysterious appearance in a quiet, rural village causes suspicion among the locals -- suspicion which quickly turns to hysteria as the townspeople begin killing each other in brutal outbursts for seemingly no reason.  As the investigating officer watches his daughter fall under the same savage spell, he agrees to consult a shaman for answers - unknowingly escalating the situation into something far more dangerous.
Play trailer1:51
3 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaHorrorMystery
Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
67K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,845
49
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Na Hong-jin
    • Writer
      • Na Hong-jin(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Jun Kunimura
      • Jung-min Hwang
      • Kwak Do-won
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Na Hong-jin
    • Writer
      • Na Hong-jin(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Jun Kunimura
      • Jung-min Hwang
      • Kwak Do-won
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 327User reviews
    • 237Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
    • Awards
      • 34 wins & 57 nominations

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:51
    Official Trailer
    THE WAILING - Official US Trailer
    Trailer 1:51
    THE WAILING - Official US Trailer
    The Wailing Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:43
    The Wailing Official Trailer

    Photos134

    Jung-min Hwang in The Wailing (2016)
    Jun Kunimura in The Wailing (2016)
    Jung-min Hwang in The Wailing (2016)
    Kwak Do-won in The Wailing (2016)
    Kwak Do-won in The Wailing (2016)
    Jung-min Hwang in The Wailing (2016)
    Woo-hee Chun in The Wailing (2016)
    Jung-min Hwang in The Wailing (2016)
    Kwak Do-won and Jo Han-chul in The Wailing (2016)
    Kwak Do-won in The Wailing (2016)
    Kwak Do-won in The Wailing (2016)
    The Wailing (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jun Kunimura
    Jun Kunimura
    • Japanese Man
    Jung-min Hwang
    Jung-min Hwang
    • Il-gwang
    • (as Jeong-min Hwang)
    Kwak Do-won
    Kwak Do-won
    • Jong-goo
    Woo-hee Chun
    Woo-hee Chun
    • The Mysterious Woman
    Hwan-hee Kim
    Hwan-hee Kim
    • Hyo-jin
    Jin Heo
    • Mother-in-Law
    Jang So-yeon
    Jang So-yeon
    • Wife
    Do-yoon Kim
    Do-yoon Kim
    • Yang Yi-sam
    Kang-gook Son
    Kang-gook Son
    • Oh Sung-bok
    Seong-yeon Park
    Seong-yeon Park
    • Kwon Myung-joo
    Chang-gyu Kil
    Chang-gyu Kil
    • Park Choon-bae
    Jeon Bae-soo
    Jeon Bae-soo
    • Deok-gi
    Mi-nam Jeong
    Mi-nam Jeong
    • Heung-gook
    Gwi-hwa Choi
    Gwi-hwa Choi
    • Byeong-gyoo
    Baek Seung-chul
    Baek Seung-chul
    • Friend
    Hyeok-Joon Kwon
    • Friend
    Chae-ik Park
    Chae-ik Park
    • Friend
    Ki-chun Kim
    • Dispatch Captain
    • (as Gi-Cheon Kim)
    • Director
      • Na Hong-jin
    • Writer
      • Na Hong-jin(screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For his ceremony scene, actor Jung-min Hwang filmed for 15 minutes without break. It was one long-take scene.
    • Quotes

      Il-Gwang: Even among other demons, he's a master of evil.

      Jong-Goo: If that's true, why did it have to be...

      Il-Gwang: ...your daughter? What sin did that young girl ever commit?

      Jong-Goo: Yes.

      Il-Gwang: If you go fishing, do you know what you'll catch?

      Jong-Goo: No.

      Il-Gwang: He's just fishing. Not even he knows what he'll catch. He just threw out the bait, and your daughter took it.

    • Connections
      Featured in Renegade Cut: The Wailing (2017)

    User reviews327

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    A movie that almost makes sense, but not quite, and this may be the whole point
    Some movies have a coherent plot that is told in a non-straightforward fashion, or that is open to several interpretations, or that leaves out some parts requiring the audience to fill-in (e.g. an open end), and possibly this filling-in can be done in more than one way. These movies require several viewings and considerable thought to make sense.

    After watching The Wailing for the first time, I had the impression that it was this kind of movie. However, after watching it again, pondering it, and then reading and watching attempts by various people to interpret/explain it, I have come to a different conclusion. Namely, this movie does not have a coherent underlying plot. No matter how you shift the pieces of the puzzle in an attempt to recreate a coherent narrative, some pieces will never fit together, and not due to your incompetence, but because the underlying story is - possibly intentionally, possibly not - fundamentally inconsistent. It's like one of those optical illusions or Escher drawings that appear to describe a physical object, but in fact don't make physical sense.

    Accordingly, whether one enjoys this movie or not boils down to whether one can be content with a movie that is technically well-made (cinematography, acting, costumes, etc.), but (a) its plot makes no sense, and (b) it is told in a deceptive way as to lure you into thinking that the plot would make sense if only you gave the matter sufficient thought, thus leaving you with a lingering, irritating feeling of dissatisfaction and confusion.

    And maybe this is precisely the point of the movie: rather than telling a story, its purpose is to instill in the audience a feeling of confusion in the face of a sequence of events that almost, but not quite, makes sense. Much like life at times, no?
    helpful•190
    45
    • oddeveneven
    • Jan 10, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 3, 2016 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • South Korea
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • Korean
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Tiếng Than
    • Filming locations
      • South Korea
    • Production companies
      • 20th Century Fox
      • Fox International Production
      • Ivanhoe Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $6,420,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $786,633
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $77,892
      • May 22, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $49,851,770
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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