Previously we noted that according to Focus Features, Korean director Park Chan-Wook’s vampire morality tale, “Thirst” would get a mid-July release date in the U.S.
Focus has adjusted that time frame ever so slightly and now “Thirst” officially has a July 31 release date. There’s no official word, but you can guarantee that this will be a limited release (New York and L.A.) and the rest of North America will have to wait a few weeks for the picture to slowly roll into their town; not a bad thing, word of mouth buzz build helps small foreign films).
What’s it about? The tagline says it all: “A priest becomes a vampire…another man’s wife is coveted…a deadly seduction triggers murder.”
Park Chan-Wook is one of the most celebrated international filmmakers today and has a totally distinct auteurist style and idiosyncratic viewpoint. If you don’t know his work, start with his immensely engrossing revenge trilogy (which comprises the films, “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance,” “Oldboy,” “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”).
Unfortunately, “Thirst” is exactly on par with those classics, but he set the bar high for himself with that triptych. We saw the picture at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and while there were flashes of brilliance to be sure and delicious moments of absurdism, the overlong picture became a little muddled and overstayed its welcome.
Still, you could and can do a lot worse (already a box office smash in Korea, “Thirst” was honored with the Prix du Jury [Jury Prize] in Cannes so obviously some felt it was still worthwhile, which it is, though we may have not gone that far with the award). Especially with most mainstream pictures and there’s more uniqueness and imagination in “Thirst” than there is in half the films being churned out of Hollywood. We recommend you adjust your expectations and see it regardless.
