![]() ![]() Even if I wanted the action to unfold sooner, I walked away from the film with a sense of reward. The contrast between the playful innocence of the pop-fused introduction and the blood-splattered conclusion is one of the reasons why I adore Korean cinema. Director Park Hoon-jung, who wrote vicious masterpiece I Saw the Devil, proves once again that he knows how to craft jaw-clenching, eyes-to-the-back-of-your-head violence. The action sequences are beautifully shot, tightly edited, and just really damn cool. The last hour of The Witch makes up for the sluggishness that precedes. It takes far too long for that conflict to develop, but once it does, the film shines. After Ja-yoon’s world was established, it was obviously leading towards a confrontation between her nefarious creators and a revival of her telekinetic abilities. The adolescent charm of watching Ja-yoon banter with her impossibly silly friend wore off. I found myself regretfully aware of The Witch’s 126-minute showtime. This performance is pivotal to the aforementioned plot shifts, making Kim Da-Mi’s representation of Ja-yoon the film’s linchpin. The battle between her life as a meek farm girl and superpowered assassin is worn across her face. She’s bashful and timorous yet harbors a veiled darkness. In her expressive eyes, she carries the burden of unspeakable violence underneath an empathetic naivete. All leading her into deeper troubles ultimately revealing a darkness she could. ![]() The film’s journey is anchored by a textured portrayal from newcomer Kim Da-Mi. A high school student with amnesia tries to uncover what has happened to her. Just when you think you’ve decoded Ja-yoon, your understanding will surely change again. Does her underlying genetic code make her a monster, poised to rip apart the room when cornered? Or did her surrogate parents’ care and compassion create an unshakable foundation for kindness? The answer is complicated. The Subversion (I will never get used to typing that) stirs ontological questions surrounding the classic nature versus nurture debate. Plus, there’s some nifty twists and turns that make Ja-yoon’s re-discovery of her powers oh-so-glorious. After the pop-drama concludes, the second half pays off in a spectacle of telekinetic mayhem. Between the bubbly performances and adolescent humor in the first half, it’s easy to forget the violence surrounding it. The second is a fantastical bloodbath of superpowers. The first is primarily a lighthearted, teenage drama. This film must be explained in two halves. ![]()
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