Screening as part of the Toronto Korean Film Festival, Epitah (Directors Jeong Beom-sik, Jeong Beom-sik) takes place in a Korean hospital during the 1940s. Dr. Jung-nam finds an old photo album from his days as a medical intern and the film flashes from 1979 to 1942. Jung Nam the adopted son of the hospital director and at the beginning of the film is arranged to marry her daughter whom he vaguely remembers from childhood. He is a gentle soul and would much rather be indulging in his passion for drawing than doing morgue duty. Even his decision to become a doctor was more an obligation to his adopted mother, the hospital director. Once in the morgue he is physically ill at the site of mutilated corpses being brought in due to an apparent serial killer on the loose. Then suddenly the body of a beautiful young girl is brought in, having been perfectly preserved by the frozen river that she was found in. Jung-nam is drawn to her for some reason and spends most of his morgue duty talking to her or sketching her face. Elsewhere in the hospital a young girl named Asako is brought in, the soul survivor of a car accident that has killed her mother and stepfather. She is plagued by vivid nightmares and it soon becomes obvious that this is due to her guilt which is not just mere survivors guilt.
The plot is at times difficult to follow but viewers will be rewarded by stunning cinematography and stand out performances from actors Jin-goo (Dr.Jung Nam) and Ju Yeon-koo (Asako).
An unexpectedly beautiful and poetic horror film proving that this genre can and should be pushed to it's limits. It masterfully balances moments of gore with moments of sublime beauty.
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