Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Ryu is def-mute and his boss just fired him even though his sister requires a kidney transplant and he doesn´ t have any money for it. Ryu develops a plan to kidnap his bosses daughter. He accidently ends up killing her and the girl´s father goes wants his vengeance. This is a brilliantly constructed film; it is also an extremely grim and brutal tale which Park has imbued with an atmosphere of overwhelming claustrophobia and desperation. The silence of Ryu‘s world adds an unusual dimension to the mood and the film‘s relentless pacing, if not always rapid, is gripping every step of the way. This film is certainly not for the faint of heart, but those with strong stomachs.

Park Chan-wook studied philosophy at Sogang University in Korea. He began his career as a film critic and later as an assistant director; he debuted as a director in 1992. He made his mark on world cinematography with a film Joint Security Area: JSA (2000), about guards in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea. His next film Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) was also highly acclaimed. His feature film Old Boy (2003) won Grand Jury Award at Cannes International Film Festival in 2004.