Korean Movie Review: 아카시아 (Acacia)

[hlwar]

They have the perfect life. All that's missing is a child. But when they adopt a lonely little orphan their life turns dark - and the boy seems to find more comfort in being with the tree in the yard.

"Akashia"
Release Information:
Directed by: Park Gi-hyeong
Released by: ShowEast (2003)
Running time: 104 minutes
Genre: Suspense | Thriller | Psychological Drama

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Synopsis
Mi-sook (Shim Hye-jin) and her husband Do-il (Kim Jin-gun) are the picture-perfect couple: she a working artist and he a successful obstetrician. The two share a lovely home with Do-il's father, Kyo-soo (Park Wung), and everything seems as it should be. But their happy family is missing one thing: a child. Although Do-il is earnest in his request that they should finally look into adopting, Mi-sook is slightly offended. Finally she gives in and goes with her husband to the adoption agency. There she is immediately drawn to a crayon portrait on the wall depicting a tree in a ghastly style similar to Edvard Munch's "The Scream". Intrigued by such a strong artistic ability from a child, Mi-sook asks to meet the boy.

Jin-seung (Mun Woo-bin) is a solitary child who spends his lonely time sketching, and despite his almost eerie demeanor, the couple decide to adopt the six year old. At first things seem pretty happy in their lives; the proud new father has a son to play with, and Mi-sook spends her days weaving while Jin-seung draws. Jin-seung even makes friends with the neighbors' daughter, quiet Min-ji (Jeong Na-yun).

However, times are not without their troubles when Jin-seung refuses to give up his birth family-name and Mi-sook's mother (Lee Yeong-hee) refuses to accept the child, insisting they should have one of their own. Typical troubles turn odd when Jin-seung attaches himself emotionally to the old acacia tree in the backyard, spending more of his time sitting and talking with the dead tree than with his new family. But when Mi-sook suddenly becomes pregnant and gives birth to her own baby boy, Hae-seung, tensions grow further hectic when Jin-seung begins acting out, hurt that he's now alienated once more. Growing hostile towards the baby, Mi-sook begins to feel strangely suspicious of Jin-seung. Feeling neglected and enraged, Mi-sook and Jin-seung have a fight one rainy night; Jin-seung runs out the door, saying he's going to be with his real mother...

After Jin-seung runs away, Mi-sook becomes like a recluse in the house, while Do-il and Kyo-soo remain oddly detached and try to delve their attentions into their normal activities. It's not long until husband and wife blame each other over Jin-seung, and soon tragic and mysterious things begin happening. All the while, little Min-ji looks on, spending her time with the old acacia tree that Jin-seung so loved-the once dead tree that is now suddenly in full bloom.

Teaser

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Review (Spoiler Warning)
After clocking in many, many hours watching Asian horror films, I wasn't expecting anything much when I purchased Acacia. I am always hopeful of being pleasantly surprised by a film, however the genre was becoming a dime a dozen in terms of plot and characters. But I figured the cover looked creepy so it couldn't hurt to try.

I admit, the first hour proved pretty boring. Where were the scares? Shocks? Not even any ghosts or monsters. It started out as nothing but a typical family (reserved and respectful, for the most part) and their struggles to have kids, and then to completely accept an adopted child. It is apparently very much frowned upon to adopt in Korea, almost a tradition to do so. But the family was likable and I was interested to see where it would lead.

I instantly fell in love with Jin-seung, just as Mi-sook did; he was such a cute little guy, and young actor Mun Woo-bin had a lot of charisma-especially in the eerie department! You quickly feel sorry for the boy too, because he does seem as if he'd been through deep tragedy. But then he would get "that look"-the one which had Mi-sook rethinking their relationship and wondering if her new child would slit her throat in the night-and you do get shivers down your spine. I half expected little Jin-seung to turn into Chucky by the end!

When Mi-sook and Do-il have their own baby, though, I once more spent most of my time feeling sad for Jin-seung. How he'd sit all alone drawing while the parents took photographs of the newborn with his blood-relatives; how Mi-sook would sit and knit a sweater for the baby, giving up on the outfit she promised Jin-seung; and especially how everyone would say nasty, hurtful things with the boy standing right there! You really are sympathetic to Jin-seung and his loneliness, spending most of his time with the tree.

Ah yes, the acacia tree. Always there is the presence of the tree. Even in the beginning before Jin-seung is introduced, Mi-sook is judging a children's art show and we see one of Jin-seung's drawings featuring "The Scream" person and a tree. This is when Mi-sook is first beguiled by the artist, though in the opening she thinks the kid had help to do such an in-depth piece. Then again in the adoption agency she sees another artwork of a tree. And when she meets Jin-seung, there he is under a tree and sketching it. I, too, was curious to know his obsession with finding a tree to befriend, and I really did appreciate the explanation; how his mother died and someone comforted him by saying she became a tree.

So when Hae-seung arrives and the family neglects Jin-seung, he turns the tables on them by alienating them and caring for the acacia, telling Mi-sook she isn't his mother and his dead mother is the tree in the yard. Several times the husband thinks to chop it down and nip Jin-seung's compulsive attachment for it in the bud, but Mi-sook would always refrain. I wonder if it was because she didn't want to hurt Jin-seung, or because she was afraid of what he might do if they did?

Ultimately, this is what causes Jin-seung's disappearance, and soon after the acacia tree blooms back into life. It almost seems to be sapping the life from those left in the household because once Jin-seung's gone, everyone walks around in an uncanny trance, giving each other the silent treatment or vengeful comments. Could it be that there really was a supernatural being in the tree? Even Do-il had a dream the night before Jin-seung ran out of the house, and as we learn later, there is some truth to that dream, linking it to the end.

And by the end, Acacia results in a very frightening movie! The greatest fear from this film is the pulsing, very sad, and almost disgusting tension that is left when Jin-seung is gone. It is not a horror movie of monsters and blood, but rather a psychological suspense which really leaves you with a thick feeling of premonition. As the movie reaches its climax, you start getting all these deranged and scary ideas and suspicions, and that's why this movie worked-like sitting alone in the dark, listening to your quickening heartbeat and wondering what the noise was down the hall, scaring yourself frantic. It truly weighs you down and makes you think about these characters, too-this happy little family of normal people who suddenly twist and shatter mentally, and become morbid and cold. Very much reminds me of the film Sorum.

I'm certain everyone will be angry by the ending, just as I was. What absolutely horrible people (and that was the biggest shock) and how tragic no one stood up for Jin-seung, not even the grandfather, Kyo-soo, whom I thought had an understanding with the empathic child; he was the one to first humor and encourage Jin-seung's fondness for the acacia, even giving him a crafted leaf ornament as a shaman-tool to help it grow. I found these scenes sweet, and thought at the very least Kyo-soo would be the voice of concern. It was so sad!

But then, that is where Min-ji comes in, the neighbor's daughter who befriends Jin-seung. They have an immediate connection because she seems as much an oddball as he, telling him that she doesn't go to school because she's a vampire. This was never explained, but I wondered if perhaps she had some sort of medical condition? Not that it mattered, because she was cute and became the only one to really stand her ground as his caring friend. She was almost ethereal in her character, and if anyone in this film seemed supernatural, it would be Min-ji and how she would watch everyone with her silent, all-knowing gaze.

Snaps to the director for a solid film, and a very level approach. The movie has an even tone, and it is shot very straight-forward to go with the normal façade of the family. By the end, though, it darkens, just as the characters do. For the confrontation sequence, there is use of the tapestry artwork and supplies which make the visuals resemble roots of a tree or flowing blood, and it's all crafted by Mi-sook, who has become the most twisted. It's as if she weaved in real life what she was seeing daily in her head; this also goes back to dreams both the father and adopted-son had. Quite intelligent in its flow, like putting the pieces of a puzzle together.

I had one small qualm with this film and that was the use of the CG army of ants used against the methodical, silent grandfather. The scene was also a little corny, even though I realize it goes back to something he told Jin-seung. Again, the story all builds on top of each layer, so that was well done. I just wish it seemed a little more realistic, I guess.

Although inevitable in how it played out, the mystery of this story when solved was definitely atrocious. The last scene was visually quite sad and scary, but still horrible to think about. Acacia leaves you feeling really horrible. It makes you wonder about people, too. I think this movie is a must see!

(Originally published as nozomu_bunny to korean_cinema circa 2005.