Fantasia 2011: PARANMANJANG (aka Night Fishing) Review

The English title, Night Fishing, is far different than the literal translation of "ups and downs," although both absolutely apply to this tale of haunting, exorcism and catharsis.  The fame of its director notwithstanding, Paranmanjang first made waves for being shot entirely on an iPhone4, albeit with a full crew, a palette of lenses and one hundred thousand dollars.  Three minutes into the 30 minute film and all thoughts of tech and gadgets are out the window though as it is unmistakably a product of the talent who made the much revered Vengeance Trilogy.  More tonally along the lines of the latter half of Lady Vengeance than flat out cinematic-viscera of Oldboy, Park Chan-Wook (co-directing here with his brother Park Chan-Kyong) is not through with fishing line and hooks.  Do you recall that wince-worthy scene in Thirst?  Here you do get some colourful shots of putting bait on the hook, and various entanglements, but the line, and the hooks, become a through-line of sorts between the mundane world of the living, and a more uncanny afterlife.  Symbols and metaphors for cultural mores come more effortlessly to Park than many of his contemporaries.  The mixture of human awkwardness and spiritual ritual has been one of the things I enjoy most about the South Korean auteur, and the key reason I believe Lady Vengeance is his best film.  It is a delight that it exists as a whole or in part in all of his films and here it is the primary focus.