Bedevilled (2010)

Summary:

A woman in an isolated village whom is constantly subject to abuse seeks help from a friend from Seoul. 

My Thoughts:

Trigger Warning: This film features several scenes of realistic depictions of domestic abuse. These scenes are brutal, but also intricate to the story and the themes that the director is trying to convey. If you as a viewer feel like some of these scenes might offend or cause you grief, I urge you to steer clear of this film. This is a very good movie, and it has a very strong message, but those whom have suffered through domestic abuse need not relive their suffering.

Whew… this movie is the definition of harrowing.

I had first heard about this film last year, when I was looking for films to review for our 31 Nights of Thrills Series, but it was impossible to find this movie here in America (I couldn’t even find it through less than legal ways). I was incredibly surprised, then, when I was scrolling through Amazon Prime and found that this was streaming; thus, my search for what I would watch last night concluded, and I watched this. I was not quite prepared for how harrowing of a journey I would be taken on, which is why I included the trigger warning at the top. While the violence depicted in this film is extreme, and the abuse that Bok-nam (Yeong-hie Seo, “The Chaser”) faces is both realistic and horrific, the message that Cheol-soo Jang conveys is impossible to ignore.

“I stared at the sun for so long that it spoke to me.”

Hae-won (Seong-Won Ji) is a no-nonsense businesswoman from Seoul, who, after an incident at her workplace, decides to take a vacation to visit a place she used to go as a child. While there, she reconnects with Bok-nam (Yeong-hi Seo), a girl with whom she was a friend as a child. It soon becomes obvious that Bok-nam and possibly even her daughter Yeon-hee (Ji-eun Lee) are suffering abuse at the hands of Bok-nam’s husband and his family, but Hae-won seems resistant to help. But after a horrific tragedy, Bok-nam snaps and takes matters into her own hands.

The thing that I like most about this film is a major theme that asks the viewer to take action. This is a movie that really wants to stick with you, the viewer, and wants to change your heart. It’s all about how abuse can be stopped by those who see that abuse going on. If you see someone in your life that is showing signs of abuse, you are responsible to do something about it; the people who are suffering abuse might feel trapped and isolated, as if they have no other options or ways of escape. This movie really forces you to take a long look at yourself and realize that, though you might turn an eye to avoid looking at something uncomfortable, that avoidance might cost someone else his or her life. The themes in this film and the message it sends are far and away the best part of this movie, and honestly it’s the reason I gave it such a high rating.

This is not an unfamiliar storyline (abused woman finally gets her due), but the perspective through which the story is told makes it unique. Our main character Hae-won, is an outside observer to the abuse that is happening. Bok-nam, the one suffering the abuse, sends up plenty of signs that she is suffering, including writing letters to Hae-won asking her for help in moving to the mainland, but Hae-won seems unwilling to listen or pay attention. After Hae-won goes to the island where Bok-nam lives, she sees some of the abuse and neglect Bok-nam suffers, which is barely hidden behind closed doors. There is a tragedy that happens halfway through the film, and after that happens Hae-won is given a choice to act, to give testimony that might help Bok-nam, but instead of helping her old friend, she remains silent, and Bok-nam is forced to suffer on.

The scene where Hae-won is able to give testimony but refuses to do so feels like the director is forcing us to take a look at ourselves. If we see signs of abuse, are we any better than Bok-nam if we remain silent? The actress that plays Bok-nam is absolutely amazing as she endures the hardships, as she wails in torment, and finally, when she breaks.

I do feel like this movie is slightly predictable. Have you seen movies like “Revenge (2017)” or “The Last House on the Left”, where a woman suffers abuse and then gets a chance to exact vengeance on her abusers? Well, then you know where this is heading.

After Bok-nam snaps, the slaughter starts. This movie is brutal. While the first half of the film unfolds like the slow burn South Korean horror flick, “Tale of Two Sisters”, the latter half of the film explodes into frenetic violence that rivals the visceral content of the South Korean horror/action/thriller “I Saw the Devil”. I feel like in many films like this, the first half of the movie is an attempt to justify the violence that is to come. In the first half of “Revenge” and “Last House on the Left” our protagonist is raped, and the second half they kill their rapists. This film, while it does sort of work to justify the violence in the end, it also continuously shows that there was another way; there were dozens of ways the slaughter at the end of this film could’ve been avoided if anyone would’ve listened to Bok-nam and did something to help her. This movie begs you to see the tragedy, where many other films using similar storylines would’ve opted for ramping up the more exploitative parts of the film.

Verdict:

I was darned impressed with this film. It is brutal; it is slower paced; it is messed up in some parts, but this film has a message and one that is worth hearing. This is one of the better South Korean horror films I’ve seen, and I’ve watched a lot of South Korean films… It might not be as well done or intricate as “The Wailing”, but this movie is certainly one that I think many people should see.  

Review Written By:

Seth Steele