anyway it took them a few days or less for Yi Na to act "weirdly" and a few days later she went missing, so there was not much buildup.
I personally used to be a scardy cat and I don't know if I'm just older now or movies lost their fear factor, but this was heartbreaking rather than scary. especially with the background story of what started it all.
and speaking of how it all started it felt quite basic, plus it was resolved very simply and it didn't need the dramatic fight scenes.
and they only spent a few seconds on the other kids but I think that'd have been the breaking point for them, I honestly teared up on that subject but then it was suddenly over.
I also feel like they could've built a beautiful bromance and connection, tbh Kyung Hoon came in the picture, said 1 thing about why he's doing this and boom they were working and solving what took him 10 or so years to solve. there was no anticipation, no foundation.
overall the acting was great and I'm looking forward to what Yi Na comes out with next, that precious baby is really talented~
ps I never rewatch stuff ;)
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Not that Scary
Moviegoers should go into this film with minimum expectations. I might be of the minority who have seen the majority of veteran actor Ha Jung Woo's films since his early days of acting, but he does not disappoint in this outing. It is not his worst project. He teamed up with a well-rounded actor Kim Nam Gil and a relatively new director and screenwriter, Kim Kwang Bin directing his first motion picture film.Sometimes, I like to watch first-time directors see if they might have potential or exceeded my expectations. In my personal opinion, the special effects (CGI) was above par for a horror film that makes use of it put in motion. The birds (crows) scene shot and edited nicely to give the impression of the dreary, isolated area. The costume designs are nothing special as when you see over a hundred horror films, it becomes a blur.
The directing style was unique, which tried to be as original as possible, delving into the topic of strained relationships when it comes to losing a loved one, but it ends up falling flat. In the beginning, Ha Jung Woo and child actor Heo Yool's relationship generate white heat that the audience sensed the strong chemistry on-screen but it dissipated quickly. Some people might not like or understand Park Sung Woong's small appearance in the film, but I think his role is significant.
The first time Kim Nam Gil's character introduced to the audience, the viewer senses a connection with him, but as the film moves forward, the coldness between the two actors becomes apparent. Some people might disagree and find his character interactions with Ha Jung Woo's character are sufficient. A critic dissembling this film I observed abnormal friction between the two lead actors in some scenes.
It is an all-around enjoyable entertainment, the fun ride the director takes us on. It is a script with holes in it that will give you thrills, excitement, and poltergeist moments, but for me, it is not a classic horror film. In the end, I will not be afraid of my closet, but I will be wondering the script could be improved here and there. I will have to use my imagination while watching this very average to a good film.
Final Rating: 7.79/10
Final Rating for Story: 7.789/10
Rewatch value is 7, which I would watch this again next year or in the years to come. Maybe...
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Horror movie with a heartfelt plot
This movie is good enough but not on that splendid level yet.The cinematography is excellent and is able to create that eerie atmosphere giving tension and the sounds also helps in setting the overall mood of the film. The story is enriched with something relatable and easy to grasp however for horror enthusiasts, the horror factor isn't much of a thrill.
Ha JunWoo and Kim NamGil on a film is really a delight. These are the actors already proven their versatility in acting. Kim NamGil's role made a new perspective of an exorcist. It combined the old style of shamanism and the modern tech savvy kind of exorcism which is present in Western horror films.
HeoYool who potrayed YiNa and Shin Ah who portrayed MyungJin is also on a different level with their acting. Watching them is really heartbreaking. In reality, children may be young but they do have feelings.
If you want to watch a movie that is more than just a horror film you must watch this. For those people who doesn't like jump scare horror, this is a good pick as well.
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Moving message but lackluster execution
I came across The Closet while doing some digging up in Kim Namjoon Gil's filmography. When I read the blurb and saw that Han Jung Woo, another actor who has caught my interest, was in it, I became interested. I am a big fan of horror movies, especially if they involve children and familial relationships so I naturally decided to give it a try.I liked the setting and the gloom atmosphere that was established from early on. The cold and dark color palette gave me the impression that I was watching a horror film made in late 2000s-early 2010s. The cinematography was overall good, especially during the exorcism and ritual scenes. The soundtrack that accompanied the scenes added a more dramatic tone while in some cases, it highlighted the emotional impact of the story, especially towards the ending.
The story, albeit not groundbreaking, hold my attention forthe most part. The first half focused more on Sang Won's troubled relationship with his daughter, I Na and the events that occurred in their new house before I Na's disappearance. The writers tried to immerse us in their new life and while preparing the ground for the supernatural elements, the film wanted to highlight the father-daughter dynamic and how it contributed to I Na's disappearance.
The relationship between Sang Won and I Na was very complex to say the least and it was one of the aspects I was the most curious about. After the death of his wife, Sang Won and I Na were clearly traumatized and they were still grieving her. Due to his hectic work schedule, Sang Won wasn't able to spend too much time with I Na, leaving his wife looking after her for the most part. As a result, I Na had formed a close bond with her mother, a bond that came to an end after her passing. Due to their limited time together, the father and the daughter are unable to communicate with each other. Sang Won continued to prioritize his work and he tried to win over I Na by gifting her dolls. But even though his intentions were good, it was clear that he wasn't doing enough.
I must say that even though I came for the horror element, I didn't expect the movie to dive deeper into some themes regarding parenthood and child abuse. The second half was heavy in that aspect, especially towards the ending. There was a scene with a montage of the mistreatment some of the dead children had endured from their families that put some tears in my eyes. The mere thought of defenseless creatures like them being abused by the people who are supposed to care for them made my blood boil. While I was obviously rooting for Sang Won to save I Na, I began questioning the motives of the ghosts and I felt for them once the story progressed more.
As much as I overall liked the movie, I must say that compared to what was promised, it was underwhelming and poorly developed. First and foremost, the horror was little to nonexistent. Yes, the atmosphere was there and there were some jumpscares here and there but overall, I wouldn't say that I felt particularly scared. Granted, not every horror movie will be able to cause fear but I expect it to elicit some type of reaction. For the most part, I was quite indifferent. Moreover, I don't mean to insult the filmmakers by saying this but the usage of CGI in order to create the ghosts was...questionable to say the least. It would have been better if they had relied on something more simple because for me, the effects did nothing.
The story and the writing in general felt lackluster. The intentions of the writers were clear but the execution left much to be desired. I appreciate the attempt to add more depth in the story instead of making it a mere horror movie but the film's length didn't leave much room for proper development. The events were rushed and Sang Won's tainted relationship with his daughter was handled in a superficial way. I wish we had seen more of them trying to deal with their trauma and emotional distance. If the film had highlighted more their relationship, the second act would have been more impactful.
The characterisation was also quite poor. Sang Won's character had so much potential but the movie didn't utilize him. It was interesting to see how guilty he felt for his wife's death and how it impacted him but the story didn't elaborate any further. Additionally, as much as I appreciated Han Jung Woo as an actor, I couldn't help but feel that something felt off with his acting in this film. In his previous film, Hijack 1971, he delivered a powerful and emotional performance but in The Closet, his portrayal felt rather flat. Sang Won barely expressed any strong emotions, even when I Na got missing, I barely got the impression that he was worried. I think that the director is mostly at fault for this but nevertheless, Sang Won's character felt shallow for the most part.
I had a blast watching Kim Namjoon Gil as Kyung Hoon, the enigmatic and eccentric exorcist who assisted Sang Won in his search for his daughter. His character immediately caught my attention after his introduction but alas, I'm afraid that like the rest of the movie, the writing fell short pretty quickly. I expected more from this character, especially regarding his connection with the ghost but the movie didn't delve deeper into that part. As for his relationship with Sang Won, while their interactions were fun to watch, their dynamic was criminally underutilized. I wish we had gotten to see more of them bonding and working as a team, there was so much wasted potential.
As for the child actors, I enjoyed both Heo Yool as I Na and Kim Shi Ah as Myung Jin. I was already familiar with the latter one after having watched her in Kill Bok Soon and Walking On Thin Ice but her acting in The Closet impressed me. She pulled off her role very well and her performance in the final act deeply moved me and made me connect with the character more. As for Heo Yool, she was phenomenal. She perfectly portrayed I Na's complex feelings and she switched her emotions once I Na got possessed masterfully!
All in all, The Closet was by no means a bad movie. It just was lackluster due to its short length and poor writing. I would recommend it to someone who's looking for a simple horror movie but do not expect a lot.
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Came for the creepy kids. Stayed for the emo drama.
I love creepy kids and emo drama, so this movie has a lot of elements that I loved. The downside is that the story is pretty standard for a supernatural mystery, and drags unnecessarily at times. I never even heard of this movie before it popped up on Shudder, but based on good reviews on that site I was immediately intrigued. Although I didn't love "The Closet" as much as I thought I would I can see why others may have liked it more. I've seen so many creepy kids and haunted house movies that the tropes in this were at times way too familiar and predictable. I still appreciated the themes around how we treat and see children and Heo Yool was phenomenal as Yi Na, which kept me engaged from the start.Heo Yool is the standout but the entire cast is good, including Ha Jung Won as Sang Won, the depressed and overwhelmed dad of Yi Na. I definitely empathized with his character but he was so low-key at times that certain situations didn't feel as heightened as they could have been. Despite many good performances, not many seemed memorable, but there is a great cameo from Park Sung Woong who I thought was perfectly disturbing. I think maybe trying to play things more real and subtly just made the pace feel slower. Also, some of the lightly comedic moments didn't help the mood and felt pretty "meh".
Would I watch this again? I think I would. I'm curious about what details I may have missed. The story gets super explanatory in the middle, which wasn't very engaging the first time watching, but maybe knowing the ending would make some of those parts more interesting.
Overall, "The Closet" is way more haunting and tragic than scary, The ending and its message are what make this movie memorable. In a lot of ways, this is a very basic creepy-kid-haunted-house-ghost-with-a-grudge-story that delivers what is expected. It has a few clever and intense scenes and some great disturbing imagery, but it was never intense enough to actually make me scared. If you think of it more as a supernatural melodrama about a father and daughter's relationship after a tragedy you may be able to enjoy this drama more than if you expect a true horror movie. Yes, the story could have been more concise and I didn't feel as emotionally connected as I could have, but it is still a movie worth watching for fans of this genre. I'm glad I found out about this movie. I wasn't moved to tears but I was moved.
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Parents take care of your children
The Closet (2020)Since it's October, though I'd watch a few horror or suspense movies this month. And this is my 5th HJW movie this year.
The Closet is about a father and daughter who moves to a new house after a traumatic accident. Yup moving to an old abandoned house in the middle of nowhere is always a good idea. LOL.
So one day the child disappeared while the father was out in Seoul working. While searching for her daughter he meets a modern exorcist who tells him that a lot of kids who lived in the house have disappeared for years and he will help find his daughter.
The movie is only 1 hour and 39 mins and I think that's why the movie felt emotionally incomplete. We know what happened during the accident but we didn't see enough reasons why there was a strained relationship between the father and daughter, enough for the ghost to take her to her special world. It just felt like both were grieving and the father didn't know how to cope and raise his child alone. The daughter seemed sad but i didn't think she hated her father.
There weren't a lot of scary scenes, the ghost of the darkness are probably the scariest but the rest were just enough creepiness. We also didn't get enough background of the exorcist and his shaman mother. So far i've seen KNG play a fiery priest, now an exorcist and i think his new drama is also about exorcism.
The reason for the ghost was heartbreaking and it felt like they could have explored the main social message in the epilogue better to have a deeper impact to the people watching.
Rating: 8/10
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Quite a nice ghost flick that didn't quite know what it wanted to be.
The movie has two leading aspects to it, that just don't quite match. On one hand, it's a psychological drama about child abuse and the deteriorating relationship between father and daughter. On the other hand, it's a ghost investigation with comedy bits. Sadly none of these two themes are used to their full potential.It would be better if they commited to either of these: focus mostly on the relationship and how it affects the family and then surround it with the stories of abandonment presented in the supernatural aspects or cut short the relationship between dad and his daughter and jump to the ghost investigation with Kyung Hoon faster to truly give that Scooby Doo fun and entertaining story.
The highlight of the movie was the acting and visuals. Heo Yool as Yi Na was a masterpiece of child acting. Especially liked the scene when she was watching a video of her mother.
The design for the supernatural elements was spot on and pleasing to the eye (is that weird to say about some evil beings?). The set design was quite well constructed. Visually speaking the movie was amazing, but that was also the reason I did not find it scary at all. The scene that should terrify or at least give me chills just made me think "wow, that's so pretty/cool".
Overall, I would recommend it as a fun, short movie for a Friday evening after work/school, when you ran out of all brain power and just want to be mildly entertained.
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This review may contain spoilers
Um terror que não assusta, mas é ótimo em ser racional
Um filme que não é de assustar em si, a história da família é meio 'fraca' para nós ocidentais, mas há a relação de amor sim, só que de um jeito diferente do que estamos acostumados. Confesso que parecia que o pai não amava realmente a filha, mas se considerar que após perder a esposa/mãe, ele não quis se livrar da filha e ainda insistia em mudar para um lugar novo para ambos se recuperar do luto, dava presentes (como forma de desculpas por ser ausente). Não tornando ele bom, ele era ausente, mas é o tipo de pai que acha que trabalhar e dar o melhor a filha é uma forma de mostrar que a ama. Se comparar aos casos das outras crianças, foi um dos únicos que tinha condição de vida $ boa.O que realmente gostei no filme, não foi a história ou atuação. Mas sim as explicações racionais para os eventos sobrenaturais, nada fica sem explicação, tudo tem uma causa e uma solução. Só senti que faltou explicar mesmo da exorcista, ela ficou/foi para onde?
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