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Thirst (2009)
"Bakjwi" (original title)

R  |   |  Drama, Horror, Thriller  |  30 April 2009 (South Korea)
7.2
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Ratings: 7.2/10 from 28,635 users   Metascore: 73/100
Reviews: 91 user | 235 critic | 21 from Metacritic.com

Through a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: Thirst (2009)

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7 wins & 13 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Credited cast:
...
...
Hae-suk Kim ...
Lady Ra
...
Kang-woo
In-hwan Park ...
Priest Noh
Dal-su Oh ...
Yeong-doo
...
Seung-dae
Mercedes Cabral ...
Evelyn
...
Immanuel
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hee-jin Choi ...
Nurse
Woo-seul-hye Hwang ...
Girl with a whistle
Hwa-ryong Lee ...
Professor Ku
Mi-ran Ra ...
Nurse Yu
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Storyline

Sang-hyun, a priest working for a hospital, selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project intended to eradicate a deadly virus. However, the virus eventually takes over the priest. He nearly dies, but makes a miraculous recovery by an accidental transfusion of vampire blood. He realizes his sole reason for living: the pleasures of the flesh. Written by Pusan International Film Festival

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

vampire | blood | priest | virus | disease | See All (121) »

Taglines:

Lusting after sinful pleasures.

Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic bloody violence, disturbing images, strong sexual content, nudity and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

30 April 2009 (South Korea)  »

Also Known As:

Thirst  »

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$55,889 (USA) (31 July 2009)

Gross:

$296,441 (USA) (21 August 2009)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (director's cut) | (Blu-ray Disc)

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie borrows many elements from Émile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin. Tae-ju is named after Thérèse and Lady Ra is named after Madame Raquin. See more »

Quotes

Priest Sang-hyeon: I don't kill anyone, you know. Hoy-sung... He loved helping the hungry. He'd offer me his blood if he wasn't in a coma. If you only heard the sponge cake story.
See more »

Connections

Version of Thérèse Raquin (1965) See more »

Soundtracks

Ich habe genug
(Cantata BWV 82)
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Every bit as good as the Vengeance trilogy
22 November 2009 | by (Saint Paul, MN) – See all my reviews

From the director of Oldboy comes this slick vampire flick. Kang-ho Song stars as a priest who is accidentally changed into a vampire while being cured of a deadly, mysterious virus. His vampirism and priesthood are quite at conflict, but he is able to survive by robbing the hospital's blood bank and unconscious patients who might not mind some siphoned blood. Because of his supposedly miraculous survival, he comes into the lives of Ha-kyun Shin's family. Shin has cancer, and his mother believes that Song can cure it. Unfortunately, Song's vampirism raises his levels of lust to a height where he can't help but fall for Shin's young wife, OK-vin Kim. Kim is intensely interested in the world of vampirism, and the two become lovers. The film from there goes in weird directions that I think one should experience for themselves. What really should be mentioned is Chan-wook Park's mastery of the medium of cinema. My God, I've rarely seen such a masterful visual artist at the peak of his powers. The major flaw of the film is that it's a little incoherent, especially near the beginning. Park is interested in telling his stories mostly in the visuals, which can be difficult to follow at times. But when it works, man, does it fly. The film is also perversely hilarious. The final sequence, easily one of the best of the decade, is simultaneously heartbreaking and delightfully ridiculous. OK-vin Kim should become a worldwide star after this film. She gives one of the best performances of the year.


26 of 35 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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Absolutely awful film quikfan7
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Here comes the remake... amina456
Classic vampires rules HuGore
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