Displaying items by tag: Yeon Santho

REVELATIONS/ Gyesirok

Korea, 2025, 122 minutes, Colour.

Ryu Jun-Choi, Shin Hyeon-bin, Shin Min-jae.

Directed by Yeon Sant-ho.

Revelations is an intriguing Korean film.

While the core of the action is a focus on a criminal, abducting a young women, there are two main strands in his pursuit.

The first focus is religious, acknowledging the presence of Christianity in Korea, many churches, evangelical, Scripture-based, gatherings and song. The community, the small local church, is led by an enthusiastic and devout pastor, devoted to and relying on Scripture, very earnest, and, in fact, welcoming the criminal who has followed one of his prey into the church. The pastor wants to save him. Meanwhile, there are complications in his life, the behaviour of his wife, her ambitions, the possibility of his leading a far bigger church and community in the city.

The second focus is that of a policewoman, whose sister was harmed by the criminal and killed herself. There are flashbacks to the court case, a focus on a psychologist and her blaming him – although later going to him for help in her investigation.

What makes this film different is the character portrait of the pastor, his growing religious obsessions, seeing signs, convinced of his own insights, making errors, eventually taking issues into his own hands, on a path to self-destruction.

On the other hand, the policewoman is helped to face her  demons, to confront the pastor, to confront the criminal, uses her wits and talents, with the help of the psychologist, to face her obsessions and begin a new life.

While the criminal case and the investigation are well handled, the distinctive feature of the film is the portrait of an earnestly religious person, convictions, scriptural based, personal obsessions and delusions.

1. The religious terms of the title, the solving of the crime?
2. The Korean setting, the city, the church, homes, police precincts, crime scenes, hospital, the abandoned factory? The musical score?
3. Police thriller, detection? Religious film, the focus on the Pastor, his vocation, his religious perspective? The small church, the community, biblical texts, hymn singing, enthusiasm? Grief, the memorial for the dead?
4. The pastor, his age, experience, his marriage, the private detective, the evidence of his wife’s infidelity? The effect on him? Driving with her, the notice about the new church to be built, her comment about his being suitable as pastor, his visit to the main official, the discussions about who should be pastor, the main official and his son, the encounter with the son and his reluctance to be pastor? The later revelation about his adultery and his being sent away on mission?
5. The street scene, the young girl, being followed, Kwon and his look, following, through the streets, her going to the church, the singing, her later leaving, the accident in the shop, the encounter with the detective?
6. Kwon, going into the church, the pastor detaining him, the conversation, his reluctance, his name, the form, photo, the phone call, Kwon leaving? The later news of the abduction of the young girl?
7. The film’s exploration of the religious attitudes of the pastor, his faith, believing in signs, his prayer, his enthusiasm, evangelisation, making connections, piety, religious ambitions, the impact of his wife, the truth about Kwon, criminal past, ankle bracelet? The psychiatrist and his naming of the pastor’s issue, too many religious connections and convictions?
8. The detective, the past story, the court case for Kwon, the abduction, his getting off , the psychiatrist and his testimony, her sister’s suicide, a presence to her, ghostly wanting vengeance, her blaming herself? Her relationship with her father? His concern? Her being part of the detective squad, being welcomed? Her young partner?
9. The pastor and is apprehensions about Kwon, the phone call from his wife, forgetting to pick up his son? Seeing Kwon, the suspicions, following him, stopping, his son not in the car, the confrontation, the fight, Kwon falling, the pastor dragging his body, over the cliff?
10. The effect on the pastor, his religious justification to himself, religious, righteous? Yet haunted? the phone call to say that the son was safe?
11. The detective, her concern about Kwon, the mountainside, no body? The pastor coming with the abducted girl’s mother? His question about there being a body? The growing suspicions of the detective?
12. The pastor, conscience, going to the main official, the official and his grief about his son? Offering the lead of the new church to the pastor? The pastor wanting to confess?
13. The confrontation with his wife, making her confess out loud, taking her to the centre, the information about Kwon and his struggling, upstairs, the pastor taking him, in the car, to the factory, binding him? Threatening him, asking about the whereabouts of the girl, Kwon and his manipulation, saying that he could not find out where she was if he was dead?
14. The impact on the pastor, his going home, more frantic? Seeing religious signs in the sky and the atmosphere?
15. The detective, going to the psychiatrist, the psychiatry of the pastor, the file on Kwon, discussions about the one eyed monster, his art, his story, her awareness, her father’s phone call, the building, the window?
16. Kwon’s file, the photos, the art, the story of his beatings, his scarred body, scarred psyche?
17. Communicating information, driving through the city, arriving at the factory, finding Kwon, the interactions, his taunts, the arrival of the pastor, his time the detective up, confronting, becoming more obsessed? The detective getting free, Kwon helping her with the weapon, his falling from the window, her trying to hold on, his collapse?
18. The psychiatrist, the discussions, the awareness of the house, the rescue of the girl?
19. The pastor, his obsessions, in jail, not believing that the girl was still alive, the visit of the detective? His future? Her salvation?