During the current era of the pandemic, there has been hardly any activity on the big screens and new releases weekly, and moviegoers really miss the long-awaited visits to theaters. However, if one is not so pressured to watch movies on computers or mobile screens, one can still enjoy many rich views on OTT (Over The Top) platforms that stream a wide variety of world cinema movies in addition to their much- publicized web series. No doubt there is a concern to harmonize your eardrums with the continuous use of headphones; but one can be judiciously selective about it. During such a measured and judicious practice of wearing headphones, this writer has come across several movies and web series that really kept his film appreciation instincts alive. One of those movies is the lament (2016), a South Korean (officially the Republic of Korea) horror film, written and directed by celebrated award-winning South Korean director Na Hong-jin, whose previous films such as The pursuer (2008) and the yellow sea (2010) were screened at the Cannes Film Festival and won several awards at other festivals. the lament It was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered numerous nominations and multiple awards at various film festivals. The main actors in this movie are Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee, and Japanese star Jun Kunimura.

the lament It cannot be described as a one shot ‘horror’ movie, because it has a plot that covers all other genres of mystery, thriller and of course horror. And the film boldly challenges the implicit ‘rules and regulations’ of a typical horror movie: glorifying gore; capture the most unimaginably ugly faces of ghostly ‘monsters’; the use of the loudest possible soundtrack where a simple telephone ring shakes the entire auditorium; jump cuts; and figures moving behind you. Instead, this movie has a very clever mix of mystery, intriguing dialogue, a normal soundtrack, no jump cuts or sudden behind-the-back moves, no monsters of the typical variety, and a completely different script for a horror movie. So how scary, you will definitely ask! Of course, it still has all the scares of the supernatural, the occult practices, the possessed and the exorcism, the zombies, a lot of gore and violence without glorifying it and a lot of dialogues that you cannot stop listening to carefully. .

The film runs for a rather intimidating run of over two and a half hours, a length that is normally valid for Indian films of any genre, but once you step inside there is not a single moment that bores you or makes you think about putting your headphones down. It puts you in a persistent dilemma of believing or not believing with the elements of mystery and suspense in full play, and this glorious uncertainty of the plot continues to the very end. And mind you, you might not find the climax as rewarding as the usual horror movies. The movie flows with brilliant cinematography and melodious background music. The performances are powerful and the storytelling is compelling.

The story begins with a police investigation when in a Korean town people begin to be mysteriously murdered. As the investigations progress, we come to know that a peculiar disease seems to infect the villagers: once someone gets the infection, they somehow become violent and end up killing all of their family members. All doubts fall on a mysterious Japanese foreigner who lives in a hut in the mountains and the local people tell terrifying stories about him. The police raid his cabin several times, but still can’t link him to the horrifying events. Meanwhile, a mysterious lady is also moving through the town, apparently giving clues to the police. Village police sergeant Jong-goo, the film’s hero played by Kwak Do-won, becomes terribly excited and desperate to solve the mystery when his little daughter Hyo-jin contracts the infection and begins to show patterns of infection. strange behavior, little by little. getting violent. The policeman’s mother-in-law invites the local shaman or exorcist, suspecting that it is a case of possession. Well, nothing more can be said about the story to avoid a spoiler.

the lament is a horror film with a healthy difference to the genre, and can more than match all-time Hollywood horror greats like The Exorcist, The Omen, the poltergeist, The spell and so on, and it can beat the typical loud horror movies on popular display in both Hollywood and Bollywood. This movie is a must for all mystery, suspense and horror movie lovers. This writer discovered this movie a bit late, but still stands by the opinion expressed. The world of cinema has been a territory that has been little explored by many viewers due to lack of access or due to regional or language barriers or the like, and if moviegoers keep trying, they will surely find many more surprises such as the lament.