Program Note
In an abandoned village in Kobe, Japan, university students gather for an international exchange to prepare an exhibition. One day, a student who went on a survey trip to the ruined shrine goes missing, and a series of strange and horrifying events occur. The manager, Yu-mi, seeks help from her former university senior, Myung-jin, from whom she had distanced herself due to past issues. Myung-jin, who reluctantly became a shaman capable of hearing voices, encounters a bizarre and cruel entity at the site. The old Japanese tale describes mysterious disappearances as the work of gods or spirits, calling it ‘kamikakushi,’ meaning ‘spirit away.’ Were Yu-mi’s colleagues, who either vanished or met with brutal fates, truly called by the gods? If so, why did the gods conceal them in such a horrific manner? Or was it even a god at all? This is Kumakiri Kazuyoshi’s first Korean film and an occult movie. The cast includes Kim Jae Joong, who portrays a shaman and dark hero chasing after the desires and taboos hidden in the depths of the human psyche while harboring inner darkness, and Kong Seong Ha, whose multidimensional acting heightens the tension of the film, along with Ko Yoon-joon, and Kino Hana, who is familiar to Korean audiences from Moonlit Winter (2019), all deliver outstanding performances that should not be missed. (MO Eun-young)