LAND OF NEW MOVIES

A children's beloved fairy tale takes a bizarre and frightening twist in Hansel and Gretel, a blood-spatting fantasy horror from award-winning director Im Pil Seong (Antarctic Journal). In the classic Grimm Brothers' folk tale of the same name, the two young protagonists happily find their way back home after pushing the evil witch into the burning furnace. But beneath its happy telling lies the disturbing truth that traces roots back to one of history's darkest times when poverty forced many parents to abandon their kids. Drawing from such historical tragedy, the film stretches the audience's imagination by asking, "what would have happened if Hansel and Gretel were forever trapped in the dark woods?" Breaking all the rules typical of a fairy tale fantasy, director Im deftly weaves the elements of horror into a psychological tale surrounding the misfortunes of abandoned kids who often end up spending the rest of their lives searching for the love that they never had. The film has recently garnered international acclaim and competed at several international film festivals such as the 41st Sitges International Fantasy Film Festival and the 27th Vancouver International Film Festival.

In his last film before heading out to military service, Chun Jeong Myung (The Aggressives) stars as Eun Soo, who was abandoned by his mother at an early age. While on his way to reunite with his long-lost mother, Eun Soo runs into an accident and loses consciousness. Waking up in the middle of a dark forest, he meets a red-cloaked girl who guides him to her eerie-looking house where he meets her strange family. Though it's quite obvious that there are no contacts with the outside world, the house is somehow always filled with toys, sweets, and other unimaginable goodies. Eun Soo soon learns there is no way out of the forest and a few days later, he notices that the children are bringing in more grown-ups from the woods.. ~yesasia~