South Korea has a long tradition of horror films, most of which revolve around ghosts, but in recent years an alternative branch of the genre has started to develop. Films such as Memento Mori (1999) and Sorum (2001) could perhaps be termed “not-quite-horror” films, in the sense that their primary focus is to explore some cold and unfeeling aspect of modern society. Scaring moviegoers is only a secondary priority, usually done by invoking a creepy atmosphere rather than chopping up bodies or jumping out from behind doors.
The Uninvited, by debut director Lee Su-yeon, falls squarely into this category. Although there are a few jolts in the film, and some children get disposed of in particularly gruesome fashion, much of the film is dominated by a brooding and at times mystic atmosphere. The movie tells the story of Jung-won, a newly-engaged interior decorator. After seeing a creepy vision in his kitchen one night, he begins to doubt his own sanity, until he comes across a mysterious woman named Yeon who can see the same things that he can. Drawn to her, he discovers that she can tell him things about the past that he never even dreamed of.
When watching The Uninvited (the original title means “A Table for Four”) you get a clear sense of the director’s ambition to create a thematically and aesthetically challenging work. This can be seen in some unusual uses of sound and a multi-layered, complex narrative, not to mention an unusually long running time. Lee also succeeds in transforming her two lead actors. Park Shin-yang, known for playing gangsters or romantic leads, projects an entirely different image as the more ordinary Jung-won. Meanwhile the hugely popular actress Jeon Ji-hyun (My Sassy Girl) is almost unrecognizable as the soft-spoken, anxious Yeon.
Darcy Paquet