Honglou Meng
Erehwon
Fox Hunting: An Explanatory Review
For those who want a capsule review of the movie, here it is: the first act is genuinely scary, and makes for a very good horror film; the second act is less scary, but is full of complex political and historical allegories; and the final act is disappointing, both as a story and as a horror film.
Is the film still worth watching? Absolutely. Do you want to know why? Read on.
I won’t speak much about the horror element of the film. It is of course the binding thread of the whole story, and is, for the most part, enjoyable. There are some genuinely scary moments in the first half of the film, and I shall leave the readers to taste it for themselves. What I will speak about, below, is what makes the film interesting beyond that, and what seems to escape the notice of most people.
In my view, the backbone of the film is the history of the relationship between Japan and Korea. In particular, it involves the progressive colonisation and annexation of the Korean Empire into the Japanese Empire from around 1905 till 1945, and the Korean collaborators who enabled it. Hence all the references to the backbone of the peninsula, the view of North Korea from the grave site, and the Japanese Empire. Remember the very first line of the film? Hwa-rim tells the stewardess that she was Korean, not Japanese, but says so in Japanese. It sets out the whole theme of the film. (Japanese was imposed on Korea during colonisation, and became the national language.)
The most obvious visual metaphor of the film is this: if you dig up the past, be prepared to face the consequences. The first family which performs the exhumation is that of a collabarator: probably an Iljinhoe who sold out Korea to Japan for material gain. (Before coming under Japanese protectorate, Korea struggled to gain access to international markets.) The family got rich by it, but surrendering to an evil power has a cost, which will be exacted.
The film is not always subtle in its political and historical allegories. I almost laughed when one of the shamans said Japanese ghosts have no pity and will kill anything in its way. But it also speaks to a truth: Japan still does not acknowledge any of its war crimes, or the ruthlessness of its torture and killings in its colonies. At the same time, the idea of a fox severing the tiger’s belly, and the references to Gisune (cf. Japanese kitsune, meaning fox), can only refer to Japan’s role in tearing Korea apart. The shape of the Korean peninsula is often visualised as a tiger, and it is the Japanese Fox which instructs the planting of the iron spikes (katanas?).
The spiritual allegories are more subtle. On the one hand, all the ceremonies and rituals (some of which are superbly done) derive from Korean folklore and Buddhism. There is a Christian in the film, but he does not condemn these as heathenism, and it is not clear what his religion is able to offer as protection. (A metaphor on America's readiness to ignore Japanese war crimes?) On the other, the rituals represent the only spiritual and cultural connection to the past, in a place that has been disrupted by war and occupation. Hence the Hanzi/Kanji tattoos, inscriptions and scriptures, and why the samurai is unable to tear through Bong-gil’s body. Modernity (including Hangeul script) is inadequate to deal with the ghosts from the past.
Unfortunately, all of this falls apart a bit in the last half an hour, and I can’t see the vanquishing of the demon using Feng Shui as anything but a deus ex machina -- and a silly one at that. It’s also a bit too neat that the collaborator’s family pays, while our ghost busters survive. (I must say, these are some of the most attractive shamans I have ever seen!) That said, this film has a lot more on its mind than to simply scare its viewers. For those who are familiar with, or willing to learn something about, Korean history, it is quite a rewarding watch.
P. S. Needless to say, the theories and the interpretation offered above are mine and mine alone, so, if you feel I've gotten something wrong, feel free to let me know.
Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright
DON'T SAY: Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI
Is the film still worth watching? Absolutely. Do you want to know why? Read on.
I won’t speak much about the horror element of the film. It is of course the binding thread of the whole story, and is, for the most part, enjoyable. There are some genuinely scary moments in the first half of the film, and I shall leave the readers to taste it for themselves. What I will speak about, below, is what makes the film interesting beyond that, and what seems to escape the notice of most people.
In my view, the backbone of the film is the history of the relationship between Japan and Korea. In particular, it involves the progressive colonisation and annexation of the Korean Empire into the Japanese Empire from around 1905 till 1945, and the Korean collaborators who enabled it. Hence all the references to the backbone of the peninsula, the view of North Korea from the grave site, and the Japanese Empire. Remember the very first line of the film? Hwa-rim tells the stewardess that she was Korean, not Japanese, but says so in Japanese. It sets out the whole theme of the film. (Japanese was imposed on Korea during colonisation, and became the national language.)
The most obvious visual metaphor of the film is this: if you dig up the past, be prepared to face the consequences. The first family which performs the exhumation is that of a collabarator: probably an Iljinhoe who sold out Korea to Japan for material gain. (Before coming under Japanese protectorate, Korea struggled to gain access to international markets.) The family got rich by it, but surrendering to an evil power has a cost, which will be exacted.
The film is not always subtle in its political and historical allegories. I almost laughed when one of the shamans said Japanese ghosts have no pity and will kill anything in its way. But it also speaks to a truth: Japan still does not acknowledge any of its war crimes, or the ruthlessness of its torture and killings in its colonies. At the same time, the idea of a fox severing the tiger’s belly, and the references to Gisune (cf. Japanese kitsune, meaning fox), can only refer to Japan’s role in tearing Korea apart. The shape of the Korean peninsula is often visualised as a tiger, and it is the Japanese Fox which instructs the planting of the iron spikes (katanas?).
The spiritual allegories are more subtle. On the one hand, all the ceremonies and rituals (some of which are superbly done) derive from Korean folklore and Buddhism. There is a Christian in the film, but he does not condemn these as heathenism, and it is not clear what his religion is able to offer as protection. (A metaphor on America's readiness to ignore Japanese war crimes?) On the other, the rituals represent the only spiritual and cultural connection to the past, in a place that has been disrupted by war and occupation. Hence the Hanzi/Kanji tattoos, inscriptions and scriptures, and why the samurai is unable to tear through Bong-gil’s body. Modernity (including Hangeul script) is inadequate to deal with the ghosts from the past.
Unfortunately, all of this falls apart a bit in the last half an hour, and I can’t see the vanquishing of the demon using Feng Shui as anything but a deus ex machina -- and a silly one at that. It’s also a bit too neat that the collaborator’s family pays, while our ghost busters survive. (I must say, these are some of the most attractive shamans I have ever seen!) That said, this film has a lot more on its mind than to simply scare its viewers. For those who are familiar with, or willing to learn something about, Korean history, it is quite a rewarding watch.
P. S. Needless to say, the theories and the interpretation offered above are mine and mine alone, so, if you feel I've gotten something wrong, feel free to let me know.
Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright
DON'T SAY: Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI
Was this review helpful to you?
