Exhuma Review: Choi Min-Sik Digs Up Demons In Riveting Paranormal Thriller
Plus: A review of the Oscar-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger.
Exhuma (NC16)
Starring Choi Min-Sik, Kim Go-Eun, Yoo Hae-Jin, Lee Do-Hyun
Directed by Jang Jae-Hyun
Jang’s follow-up to his 2019 cult-themed Svaha: The Sixth Finger sees regular K-cinema roughneck Choi (Oldboy) ditching his belligerent side to play an avuncular geomancer who’s hired — alongside a shaman duo (Kim and Lee) and an undertaker (Yoo) — to exhume a rich family’s ancestral tomb. The money is good but there’s just one problem: the coffin is buried in the “vilest” plot of land, the fengshui master says ominously, on a mountain near the North Korean border. As the foursome dig deeper (pun unintended), they dredge up contentious topics about class, history, religion, mythology and superstition. The riveting paranormal thriller doesn’t rely on scares (rest assured, there’s a few solid ones) to deliver the goods; what really gets under your skin is its slow-burning eeriness all through to the bonkers third act. (4/5 stars) Out in cinemas
Photos: Purple Plan
To Kill a Tiger (NC16)
Directed by Nisha Pahuja
This recent Oscar-nominated documentary tells the courageous story about Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India, fighting to bring three men who raped his 13-year-old daughter to justice. But it’s a battle fraught with obstacles as Ranjit faces ridicule and pushback — even death threats — from his community (the mukhiya suggests one of the perps marry the daughter). From the victim recalling the night of the crime to Ranjit looking downtrodden when all hope seems lost, Pahuja’s film isn’t easy to sit through. But it’s all worthwhile just to see his frown turn into a smile when the court reaches its verdict.(4/5 stars) On Netflix
Photo: NFB