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Acacia

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Directed by Ki-hyeong Park, the film "Acacia" is neither a horror film, nor is it for everyone. More importantly however, is that the films narrative moves at a very slow pace, with much ambiguity, and patience is required. Furthermore, much of the film moves along a pattern which may suggest that this is a horror film; and this is why I believe many people come away disappointed with this film. It is a psychological thriller. And once again, this film is not for everyone. It is a very ambiguous film [What Korean thriller/horror film isn't these days]. Therefore, I want to recommend this film with caution. Rent it first. The film begins with a couple who after ten years of marriage decide to adopt a child. The mother and father decide that the time has come for them to go to an adoption agency. It is at this agency that the mother becomes fascinated with the drawings of one child [a boy] in particular. Therefore, she decides along with her husband to adopt the boy.

The child is a withdrawn little boy who likes to draw Munch-like pictures [i.e. THE SCREAM]. The little boy Jin-sung (Moon Woo-bin) is well received in his new home. However, the grandmother [Mothers mom] believes that blood is more important and never treats the child as her own grandson. The grandfather [The fathers dad] treats him as one of the family. There is one thing that is strange about this little boy however, and that is his extreme fascination with an Acacia tree in the backyard. But there is a reason for his obsession of this tree, and in his drawing of trees. Moreover, there is more to the tree than the viewer is led to believe. This is where the ambiguity of the film comes in. Why is the child so fascinated with this tree?

Meanwhile, the mother learns that she is pregnant. After the baby is born, the little boy believes no one cares for him anymore. Therefore, he runs away. Or does he? Is he just hiding in the back yard? Maybe the house? Or is there more to the films narrative than just a runaway child? This is where the film comes at the viewer in a very strange manner. Terrible events begins to occur. Why? What is different? It is when the child disappears that the film begins to give off an almost surreal element in many scenes. Are what we viewing real? Is this a ghost story? Or is it something else? The films climax answers ALL the questions you may be wondering about. The cinematography of the film is outstanding. "Acacia" has many twists to it, and the viewer is never let in on it until near the end. Moreover, the film moves at a very slow pace. Therefore, patience is required. The ending I must write is very strange. And once again, I recommend the film with caution. It will not appeal to many viewers. However, if you stay with the film and give it half a chance you may be pleasantly surprised. Recommended with caution. Rent it first. [Stars: 3.5]

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A middle-aged couple, distraught over the fact that theirs is a ''childless'' household (made even more tragically ironic when given the fact that the husband's profession is that of an Obstetrician), decides to side-step their fertility difficulties by looking into the adoption alternative.

At the agency the wife becomes fascinated with the drawing talents of a 6-year-old boy, and upon meeting the quiet & somewhat withdrawn boy in person becomes enamored with him as well.

He is well received into his new home, which consists of the husband & wife couple and the husband's father, but it takes some time before Jin-sung can adapt enough to truly feel part of the ''family.''

But not everyone in this family is pleased with this arrangement, as the wife's mother makes comments to the affect that Jin-sung is not ''blood'' and as such could therefore never "truly" be the couple's son -- all within earshot of the little boy, no less! Things later take another nosedive as the couple receives the surprising news that they are finally to give birth to a child of their own.

Before long, Jin-sung is feeling left out and alone; his only solace being in the form of a sickly near-dead acacia tree in their yard and a creepy little girl from the house next door who becomes his companion & playmate.

The situation intensifies as Jin-sung runs out of the house one rainy night and is never seen or heard from again, and the family he was once a part of soon begins to disintegrate and implode from within.

A bit miscategorized as part of the "A-Horror" genre, "ACACIA," directed by Park Ki-hyung, who also directed the hugely successful "YEOGO GOEDAM" ("GIRLS' SCHOOL GHOST STORY" - aka "Whispering Corridors"), is really more of a psychological tragedy drama with occasional pepperings of the metaphysical to lend it all an added sense of eeriness -- think another Korean psycho-thriller, "JANGHWA, HONGRYON" ("ROSE, LOTUS" - aka "A Tale of Two Sisters").

Though there's no doubt that anyone with an I.Q. above zero will be able to know where the story is leading; its the process of getting to that resolution that carries us along and keeps us interested. And just like "JANGHWA, HONGRYON," be prepared to be thrown around for several unpredictable loops before the entire mystery has been solved.

For those who'd like to take a break from all of the typical "A-Horror" cliches which have become popular of late, you'll find this particular (semi-)"ghost story" a very refreshing offering. Look for 'closure' ... just don't look for a 'happy ending.'

I came across this movie while working at blockbuster. At that time I usually went for Asian Horror movies that I've actually heard about. But I made a jump at this one. Mostly because I thought the cover box was kind of cool. From the director and writer of the critically acclaimed Whispering Corridors, Ki-Hyung Park. Acacia tells the story of a young couple that adopts a young boy after figuring out they are unable to have a child of their own. The young boy seems to have an obsession with trees, mainly the Acacia in their backyard. The woman's mother deems the boy as evil while his father's father tries to spend time with the child. Just when it seems the boy is getting comfortable in his surroundings, the couple finds out that they are pregnant. After the child is born, the boy becomes more agitated and goes back to being by himself. One night after a horrible fight the boy runs away. They don't call the police figuring that the boy might come back. Soon after that strange things begin to happen and the Acacia tree has suddenly sprung back to life.

I felt that this film was very overlooked, probably from lack of information about it. The film does starts off a bit slow and seemingly more dramatic. But soon takes a turn into a ghost story, then to more of a psychological horror. It starts start off very comfortable where you really do feel for the family then you really start to feel for the young boy, he has an obsession with trees because after his mother passed away he was told that she became a tree. He then identifies that the Acacia in the backyard must be his mother. Another review I read made a very good point about a theme of childbearing through out the movie. One scene to mention is when the boy is sleeping in a room covered in red yarn, which could be a symbol of the womb and of the mother accepting the child as her own. The movie did remind me a lot of A tale of two sisters, the atmospheres were very much alike. The movie turns into a horror story when the father starts to see crazy images of deformed children haunt his dreams.

You wonder does the family feel any guilt for what has happened? Is something else going on that they are not telling us? The acting in this film was fantastic. You can't really believe how many great child actors there are out there. But I guess there are many in the Asian countries. But like I mentioned before you really feel for the characters and that was definitely because of the acting. The atmosphere was very haunting as well. It's actually kind of a beautiful movie to watch. If you see this at your video store pick it up. If you are a fan of A Tale of two sisters or Dark Water, then you will enjoy this movie.

4.5 stars...

I picked up this film when the description looked to be a tale that would feed my fascination with dark Asian mythology. I was not disappointed.

Acacia tells the story of a well-to-do couple that longs to have a child. Unable thus far to concieve, they decide to adopt a six-year-old boy when the wife becomes enamored with the child's unusual drawings. The little boy seems polite but oddly anti-social, spending much of his time playing wistfully beneath a leafless acacia tree growing in the couple's yard. Further probing into this past reveals that he was once told that his natural mother became a tree when she died. When the couple suddenly and unexpectedly becomes pregnant, the odd little boy becomes even more isolated and eventually disappears. From this point, the family begins to spiral into violence, driven to horror and madness by the mysterious disappearance of their adopted son.

Viewers who want a fast-paced film should look elsewhere. Acacia is slow-moving, but appropritely so, building layers of mystery; definitely a thinking man's film. The end was incredible--simply mind blowing--and tragically beautiful, but the viewer should first expect some disjointed scenes earlier on that may seem confusing. Said scenes will make sense once the film draws to a close. Acacia weaves horror, fantasy, and psychological thriller themes with a seamless art house grace. Very unusual and beautiful.

This is about a couple who can't have children. The wife becomes interested in a boy who draws and colors a la Munch, and decides to adopt him. The couple and the husband's father adore him. But the child is a little twisted, he has an obsession for trees. And he especially has this deep affinity towards a barren tree that stands in the backyard, which suddenly comes to life with the presence of the boy. And voila, the wife becomes pregnant, and the plot thickens. And things speed up when the boy vanishes.

This film doesnt have shocking scenes that we find in other Asian horror films, so you dont have to go through the "long haired" ghosts. The story just builds up and builds up, until we find out how the boy disappeared. I give it a FOUR, because of my nit that the ending does not go consistent with the couple's personalities, even the grandfather's personality. You'll know what I mean when you watch it. Also, they could have made it more scary, waste of opportunity.

But it is a good story and can be really classified as one of those Asian horror films that have been catching audiences since Ringu.

Ki-hyeong Park's Acacia is a movie that tries to do many things but unfortunately does none of them as well as it should. As a family melodrama it is adequate. As a horror film it has its creepy moments. But when it tries to combine the two genres it falls under the weight of its own self importance.

Kim Do-Il (Jin-Guen Kim) and Choi Mi-Sook (Hye-jin Shim) are a modestly well to do couple living in a South Korean suburb. He's a doctor and she's an artist. Their life is complete in many ways except that they don't have a child. The couple decides to adopt a six year old boy Kim Jin Seong (Oh-bin Mun)who would rather draw and spend time with an acacia tree in the couples back yard than spend time with his new family. Time goes on and Mi-Sook becomes pregnant. With the birth of the new baby things go from bad to worse for Jin Seong and the boy eventually disappears. As the family's problems mount the once dead acacia tree in the back yard begins to bloom.

The film is more psychological thriller than horror and Park takes his time developing the plot. The slow pace of the film may well turn off some viewers. The acting is for the most part first rate as well as the production design.

The Tartan video offers a good picture and Dolby DTS sound. There is a subtitled director's commentary and a making of featurette. This one while not great is well worth a rental.

I thought that *Acacia* was an interesting movie except for one thing. *Acacia* moves very slow.

A childless couple decides to adopt a child. They go to the orphanage to adopt. The wife sees a painting on the wall. The painting is very similar to Edvard Munch's "The Scream". In this dark painting, the screaming man is surrounded by trees. The wife inquires about its artist and insists on meeting this child.

The adoption goes smooth. The family is trying to bond with one another. The boy takes an immediate fascination with the couple's leaf-less acacia tree in the backyard. From this point on, we start to see that the boy is eccentric in his talks and in his behaviorism. He truly believes that his real folks are inside the tree or rather, they are the tree.

Despite his odd ways, the mother defends him. However, the mother's mother clearly doesn't like the adopted boy. She takes advantage of any opportunity to point out his flaws. Meanwhile, the father's father tells him interesting tidbits about nature and tries to get him involves in little projects. The girl, next door, seems to be the only one who truly accept him as she is a little odd herself.

Things change when the mother finds out that she's pregnant. The adopted boy becomes detached from everyone, even from the girl. Then, one rainy night, he disappears. The parents do not call the police because they assumed that he would return.

So, where did he go? Did he merge with the tree in the backyard? Is he haunting them?

There were some interesting scenes in this film. Overall, I thought it was one of the best Asian horror movies that I've seen. The only bad part about it was that it moves painfully slow.

It will help you to understand the plot if you know that Koreans (historically) are morbidly afraid of the inherent evil of orphans. This movie was a big horror movie in Korea and the underlying "fear factor" rests solely upon the main characters being two people who adopt. Oooh scary! :)

ACACIA is a solid chiller about an adopted boy, his new family, and the dead acacia tree in their backyard. All seems well until mum gets pregnant, and bad things start happening. On one level, this is a story of loneliness, jealousy, and extreme guilt. It's also a tale of insanity, revenge, and death. The supernatural and psychological elements merge into a well-told, subtle, yet emotionally-charged ghost story. Just let it creep up on you...

Acacia (Ki-hyung Park, 2003)

Oh how I wanted to love Acacia, the third film from Whispering Corridors director Ki-hyung Park. And for a while there, I thought I was going to, but about three-quarters of the way through the movie, it simply falls apart. It's not that I didn't get what was going on, it's that the lengths Park (who also wrote the screenplay) went to make us think that something else was going on were truly absurd, and ended up making a good deal of the last quarter of the movie unintentionally amusing, as well as incoherent.

The plot concerns Jin-seong (Oh-bin Mun in his first screen role), an orphan adopted by Do-il (The Scarlet Letter's Jin-geun Kim), a doctor, and Mi-sook (Marriage Story's Hye-jim Shim), an artist. Jin-seong has some trouble adapting to his new home, but he gradually opens up to Do-il's eccentric father, who lives out in the garage, and makes friends with a slightly older neighborhood girl. When Mi-sook gets pregnant, however, her obnoxious and somewhat insane mother suggests that the couple send Jin-seong back to the orphanage, and Mi-Sook's attitude towards Jin-seong changes almost overnight. Jin-seong becomes unnaturally attached to the old, long-dead acacia tree in the backyard, believing it's his birth mother.

The thing that really bugged me about Acacia is the odd role reversal with the parents about a third of the way through the movie. Originally, Mi-Sook is desperate to adopt, while Do-il isn't too sure about the idea. Then Mi-sook gets pregnant, and all the sudden Do-il is the one advocating for Jin-seong, while Mi-sook seems ready to kick him out on the street at a moment's notice. I can't honestly believe that Park is advocating the idea that couples who adopt and then find themselves having a child by more traditional means will suddenly turn on their adopted children. The only other interpretation I can come up with, though, is that it's done simply to advance the plot (which turns on a crucial argument between Mi-sook and Jin-seong that ends with the latter running away from home). But if that were the case, why wouldn't Park just switch the roles from the get-go, which would have ended up with a more believable movie? I don't know, and a couple of weeks after watching it, I'm still trying to come up with a satisfactory answer. Not that it matters, the movie is still going to be substandard because of it, but just because I want to know. Couple that with the plot falling apart at the end, and this is one it's pretty well impossible to recommend. There's some very good acting in this, however, and as usual with Asian horror films from the past ten years, there's an almost palpable creepiness to the atmosphere. The movie is not without its strengths by any means; there just aren't enough to overcome its weaknesses. **