[HanCinema's Film Review] "The Hut" + Full Movie

Although internationally celebrated for the first time in "The Wailing", the concept of exorcism has been a recurring one in Korean cinema for decades, with "The Hut" a film that won the I.S.D.A.P., equivalent to Special Directing Award, at the Venice Film Festival, being another prominent sample, although this time, the concept is connected to eroticism, in a rather interesting approach that also deals with the blights of seclusion and disidemony.

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When Seong-min, the oldest son of the Kang family of Suri village, falls ill for unknown reasons, his mother, Mrs. Seok, calls a number of shamans from all over the area, in order to help him. The only one who manages to have an impact, however, is Ok-hwa, a very beautiful woman, who seems to be the only one who knows what she is doing. However, her efforts eventually bring her to a vase buried in the ground, which seems to be containing a kind of spirit, but also revealing a rather dangerous secret, the whole village seems to be involved in.

Through extensive flashbacks, we learn of a "law" of the area, where the widows were to remain chaste until their death, a rule that posed particular issues for a number of them, but most of all, for Mrs. Lee, oldest daughter-in-law of the family, who even retorted in injuring herself intently in order to escape her desire. The village council decided to take her to a hut in the outskirts of the village, where the simpleton that lived there, Sam-dol, managed to bring her back to health. Eventually, their relationship became romantic, but Mrs. Seok and her husband, official Kang, were not about to let the events proceed, or even becoming common knowledge.

Lee Doo-yong directs a film that thrives on both his direction, but also Yoon Sam-yook's script, with their combined efforts resulting in a very entertaining story, that is also filled with social and philosophical commentary, and exceptionally presented in cinematic terms. To begin with, the secret the family harbors and the way its story is revealed through flashbacks is greatly implemented in the narrative, with each question answered resulting in a new mystery, thus retaining the interest from beginning to end of the film. The placement of the flashbacks is also ideal, highlighting Ree Kyoung-ja' editing, who additionally induced the movie with a fast pace that suits its aesthetics to perfection, while having it almost completely stripped of unnecessary scenes, thus resulting in a duration that barely exceeds 90 minutes, despite the contextual depth and the amount of events presented.

The social commentary, furthermore, truly permeates the narrative from beginning to end. The place of women, as depicted by both the ostracized and the "new kid on the block" shaman, is among the most central ones, with the torments the latter has to face eventually in the hands of men, adding even more to this approach. The way female sexuality is dealt with also moves in the same path, with this comment also extended to the way widows were treated at the time, in a series of rules that could well be defined as a sort of imprisonment, a fact that is heightened even more by their placement in the hut, outside the village, which essentially, deemed them as some kind of miasma. Again in connection with the aforementioned, the concept of revenge also arises, which, in this case, is presented not as the solution, but as the sole path for redemption. Both Yoo Ji-in as Ok-hwa and Kim Yoon-kyung-I as Mrs. Lee are the embodiment of the aforementioned comments, with their acting as "cursed" women being among the best traits of the movie.

At the same time, the film is also on a very high level visually, as DP Son Hyun-chae manages to capture the plethora of lengthy rituals in the most impressive way, with the same applying to the rural setting, which, despite its beauty, is depicted as a truly hellish setting. The scene which will definitely stay in mind, however, is the final one where the images of the fire are combined with a great score, for an audiovisual extravaganza that definitely deserves more than one watching.

"The Hut" is a great movie that manages to work on a number of levels, and is probably among the best titles the Korean Film Archive has to offer at the moment.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"The Hut" is directed by Lee Doo-yong, and features Yoo Ji-in, Namkoong Won, Hwang Jung-soon, Choi Sung-ho-II, Kim Yoon-kyung-I, Hyun Kill-soo. Release date in Korea: 1981/06/13.