The Quiet Family (Choyonghan kajok) (1998)

Rejecting current trends in mainstream genres and the conventions of commercial cinema, Choyonnghan-Kajok, an experimental black comedy, follows an eccentric story line with some surprise attacks on the audience. Comedy and horror elements are used intermittently to create a thriller in a family setting. The events are seen through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Mi-na, daughter of the Kang family, who decide to run Mt. Lodge in the suburbs of Seoul after the father is dismissed from his company. Contrary to expectations, there are no guests lining up at the door, and the youngest daughter is upset by a strange noise she hears at night. After two weeks, the first guest appears, but he is found dead the next day. The family buries him in a hurry to avoid bad publicity. Then a couple arrives and commits double suicide and they have to bury them, too. By the time they get used to digging, it's announced a road construction will pass beside their property. The set of the film, Mt. Lodge, was created in real size by a set specialist and architect large enough for camera equipment to move around. Although the subtexts are not labored, the sanctity of family solidarity and the capacity for sudden violence in the very conservative Korean society are some of the themes the audience is left to reflect. Choyonnghan-Kajok was screened as part of the International Forum of Young Cinema at the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi