The Quiet Family (1998) [Film Review]

The Quiet Family; or, Lonely Lodge

     Did I tell you about Chul-ki? He was so good at digging that if you gave him a shovel, he'd automatically dig his way. Whenever I see a shovel, it reminds me of Chul-ki. I wonder what he's doing now…
Director Kim Jee Woon is, in my humble opinion, the wildest Korean filmmaker alive. In the course of his career, he churned out such outstanding motion pictures as A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), A Bittersweet Life (2005), The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), and I Saw the Devil (2010). However, his feature debut also has to be remembered, a 1998 black comedy titled The Quiet Family.

Release Info

Directed by: Kim Jee Woon Starring: Park In Hwan, Na Moon Hee, Song Kang Ho, Choi Min Sik

Language: Korean Original Title: 조용한 가족 Runtime: 99 min

Synopsis
The Kang family has left the metropolitan hustle and bustle for the idyllic countryside. They bought an old house in the mountains with an intention of turning it into a lodge for tourists. The problem is that the family’s business endeavor is not extremely popular. The family is desperate for a guest, and when the first visitor arrives, they can’t believe their fortune. Unfortunately, things go terribly out of control due to a tragic incident...

The Happiness of the Kang Family
I have to say that I gave The Quiet Family a chance with a bit of doubt and suspicion. Whenever I looked on the internet (apart from wikipedia), there always were reserved and spoiler-free opinions. Thankfully, a friend’s recommendation from MDL ultimately persuaded me to watch the film and I did not regret a minute of it!

Evidently, it is very hard to write The Quiet Family without disclosing plot twists, so let me just say that Kim Jee Woon's theatrical debut is a pure black comedy at its best. However, I would not classify it as a horror, in contrast to what other reviewers say on IMDb and YouTube. Indeed, The Quiet Family has a couple of deeply disheartening moments, but these are not scary by any means.

Without a doubt, the screenplay itself is extremely gripping. While watching the film, I really felt bad for the Kang family and their misadventures. They did not do anything wrong, yet had to suffer through a lot of ordeals. The dynamics between the characters were absolutely spot on.

Cinematography by Jeong Kwang Seok is just top notch. The movie starts with an overview shot of the lounge, so from the very first scene, the viewers are exposed to the mental geography of a large setting. This clever introduction allows us to follow more easily the scenes taking place in many different rooms.

What is more, the music score by Jo Yeong Wook and Jeon Sang Yoon is extremely catchy, especially the opening credits piece. In addition, the usage of The Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You" song at the very end is a cherry on the cake.

With regard to performances, Park In Hwan, Na Moon Hee, Song Kang Ho, Choi Min Sik, Go Ho Kyung, and Lee Yoon Seong are wonderful as the Kang gang. This is the film just before Song Kang Ho was jettisoned into stardom with Shiri (1999) and Joint Security Area (2000)! How crazy is that? This guy does not age at all.

It comes as no surprise that the film was remade, but the Hollywood machinery of greed and exploitation has not touched it so far. In fact, Takashi Miike made a Japanese remake in 2001 called The Happiness of the Katakuris, whereas Indian industry produced three different versions for the local markets of Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu.

Recommendations
Highly recommended if you are in the mood for a very black comedy, indeed. The Quiet Family is a striking what-if take on the difficult plight of lodge/hotel owners in present times. Be careful what you wish for because you may receive a lot more than you originally wanted.Overall score: 8/10

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