'Exhuma' receives rave reviews at Berlinale World Premiere

'Exhuma', which was officially invited to the forum section of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, completed the festival schedule amidst a flood of favorable reviews.

'Exhuma' is an occult mystery film that tells the story of strange events that happen to a geomancer, undertaker, and shaman who receive a large amount of money to relocate a suspicious tomb. After successfully completing the World Premiere screening and Q&A schedule at the Berlin International Film Festival, it is receiving favorable reviews from global audiences. Director Jang Jae-hyeon had a fruitful meeting with local audiences, covering all schedules, including the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the film festival, the world premiere screening, and audience Q&A.

'Exhuma', which attracted a lot of attention after being officially invited to the forum section of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, successfully completed its world premiere screening at 9 PM (local time) on the 16th. After the first official screening ended, the audience applauded and cheered, demonstrating the intense interest in K-occult. During the Q&A session, director Jang Jae-hyun heated up the scene by personally meeting with global film fans and answering questions about his work.

Fabian Tietke, who hosted the Q&A, introduced 'Exhuma' as "a great film that encompasses both spiritual and material things," and gave high praise, saying, "I got the impression that all the actors had an outstanding presence and had solid know-how in their respective roles." . Director Jae-Hyeon Jang said, "I am happy to present 'Breakfast' as the world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. It is scheduled to be released in Korea on the 22nd, so if you have the chance, I would like you to watch the finished version again," drawing the attention of the audience.

Director Jang Jae-hyun said, "This is my third occult film. I am not interested in ghosts or ghosts, but I love people so much that I wish they existed. Although they are invisible, the presence of a soul is what makes us different from machines. "I think that's why I'm focusing on this as well," he said, explaining why he was drawn to the charm of the occult genre. In addition, the message contained in the work is, "'Bamyo' seems to deal with a dark world, but I think the light in the darkness is the brightest. There is this light in all the movies I make. I think the light is better because it is in the darkness." He heightened the atmosphere of the scene by conveying the message.

In the Q&A session, in-depth questions were asked from audiences across nationalities. Even before the world premiere screening, the audience made it clear that director Jang Jae-hyun was popular in the local area by asking for his autograph. After watching the film, they also gave rave reviews and asked a variety of questions about the film's message, characters, and genre. A wide spectrum of questions and answers faithfully filled the session, from specific questions related to the subject matter of the film to questions about the world of work by the director, who has mainly presented occult films. Audiences expressed their praise for the director's unrivaled world of the occult, saying, "A fresh Korean-style occult story that deals with spiritual and religious stories" and "A welcome film that contains a kind of hope despite being an occult film."

After the official screening, the reactions of overseas audiences who watched the movie are also heating up online. “An intense mystery thriller with a very impressive soundtrack,” “I got goosebumps all over my body several times while watching it. Even if you were expecting a mystery, you’ll be satisfied, but the movie contains a deeper layer of narrative than that.” I was interested in the subject matter. In addition, "A fantastically directed mystery film with a great cast. It's a great expansion of the occult worldview", "A mystery thriller that maintains the sense of speed, atmosphere, and tension from beginning to end. Subtle special effects do not overshadow the actors on screen, and leave the imagination alone." The highly immersive narrative that was completed, such as "It adds tension by leaving room for doubt" and "It is a film that shows the direction in which Korean occult films should go", as well as favorable reviews for Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Do-hyun, who each played the role of experts in the film and gave passionate performances. It also continued.

'Exhuma' will be released in theaters nationwide on the 22nd.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr