It seems, on the surface, to be an adaptation of a timeless
fairly tale borrowed from the Brothers Grimm, but Korean filmmaker Kim
Gwang-tae's The Piper goes much deeper as he builds to a horrific climax of
unforgiving retribution.
CJ Entertainment announced this past week that The
Piper will be making its domestic DVD debut on Feb. 2, 2016.
The Korean War has ended and two survivors, a father (Ryu
Seung-ryong) and his son traverse the landscape bound for Seoul in search of
medical help for the boy. They happen
upon a village, cleverly hidden in the woods, and ask to spend the night … a
simple beginning.
We soon learn that the village is both infested with rats
and that the villagers guard a terrible secret. On both counts, despite its picturesque
location, it is not a happy place.
The story unfolds in measured paces as the “Piper” (aka:
“The Guest”) gets to know the villagers, including the alluring Mi-sook (Chun
Woo-hee — Sunny), and offers his special skills to them that will drive
out the ravenous vermin.
A deal is
struck, he sets about to create a mysterious potion from materials that he gathers
in the nearby woods and when ready he begins to play his pipe … the rats, as
legend tells, are duty-bound to follow.
He is their savior, but they quickly renege on the deal,
denounce him as a North Korean spy and viciously maim him, his pipe-playing
days appear to be at an end. The third
act of The Piper is especially cringe-worthy as our hero exacts a
revenge that will have you hiding your eyes in terror!
The Piper is presented in Korean with English subtitles.
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