ACACIA (2003)

coffeeboy · #1 21st November 2003, 08:20 AM

one of the joys of working in media is you get treats every once in a while. i saw an EPK for this film, including a fab trailer! looks pretty creepy, in a very "The Omen" kind of way.

official site is here:

http://www.acacia2003.co.kr/

i believe it's still a theatrical release, so no word on when the DVD is out. and if we get lucky, it'll get a philippine theater release, along with "tale of two sisters". YAY!!!!

Mandi Apple · #2 21st November 2003, 08:31 AM

Looks like a really interesting movie Larry - thanks so much for the recommendation!

Unfortunately, even on our ADSL I couldn't get their Flash trailer to work at anything but painfully slow stop-start speed, but it looks as if there are actually some really original elements in it - I'm looking forward to this one from the look of the site

coffeeboy · #3 21st November 2003, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mandi Apple

Looks like a really interesting movie Larry - thanks so much for the recommendation!

Unfortunately, even on our ADSL I couldn't get their Flash trailer to work at anything but painfully slow stop-start speed, but it looks as if there are actually some really original elements in it - I'm looking forward to this one from the look of the site

try the asiandb.com site. they have streaming windows trailer available:

http://www.asiandb.com/browse/movie_...amp;mode=stuff

it does look interesting. looking forwards to this as well!

Mandi Apple · #4 26th April 2004, 03:50 PM

This has now gotten a "limited edition" release (whatever the heck that means!) at Poker with English subs... duly added to my wishlist

coffeeboy · #5 27th April 2004, 02:39 AM

man, i forgot about this one!

i got to see this recently when they showed it theatrically here (almost the same time as "the uninvited") and i must say, it's a well-made movie. very (and i mean it when i say VERY) slow. not so much on the scares, more on psychological drama. very intense on the subject matter. quite heavy-handed. it's good for a single, maybe double viewing. i wouldn't mind having it in my collection.

it's a simple story about a couple who can't have children so they decide to adopt. the boy is strange - to say the least - but they decide to love him anyway. this puts a strain on the marriage, especially when they find that the wife is unexpectedly pregnant. the baby comes, then the adopted one gets steadily ignored, which brings about some dangerous tantrums on his part. this is where things start to get wierd...

there's an underlying plot about the child being obsessed that his deceased mom is an acacia tree, the same tree that grows in the back yard of his adopted parents. this is chillingly revealed in the next-to-final-frame, but not in the supernatural way you'd expect.

you could call it a domestic drama gone creepy. all in all, a pretty good film. heavy on the drama, light on the scares.

Mandi Apple · #6 1st May 2004, 03:25 AM

Just ordered this one, thanks to a very kind gift from our own Bug-Eyed Earl - I'm actually intrigued by the sound of it, it sounds vaguely redolent of a cross between Sorum (which I haven't seen, but from what I read about it, anyway) and Charisma...

Fulltime Ando Lover · #7 30th May 2004, 10:27 PM

For anyone who has seen this movie can somebody explain about the dreams the step father was having? I didn't understand what they meant to the storyline

Mandi Apple · #8 19th April 2005, 09:25 AM

http://www.pokerindustries.com/poker...u=ACACIAUS-DVD

Looks like Tartan are going to be releasing this movie soon now - nice artwork too, but it doesn't match up to my delightful Korean cardboard-box SE

pdn · #9 19th April 2005, 07:21 PM

ACACIA is one of my favourite films of the last few years.A great example of the kind of quite horror films that Korea seems to excell at,films that are more haunting than horrifying.It's a shame that director Park Ki-Hyung has left the genre behind,after WHISPERING CORRIDORS,SECRET TEARS and ACACIA he was right up there with Kiyoshi Kurasawa as one of the most interesting genre directors out there.

Mandi Apple · #10 14th May 2005, 07:41 AM

I'm working on a review for Acacia right now (well... slowly, at the moment) and I found the flyers among my big pile of crap stored in the Apple Archives last night but didn't have time to post them until this morning - click for the big versions:

jim harper · #11 29th June 2005, 01:15 PM

Just watched this. Very good indeed. More of a gothic melodrama than a horror film, but that's not exactly a problem. Certainly much better than the slew of Korean Ring-inspired ghost stories I've seen recently. I'll get a review done and posted over at Flipside.

Dream Thief · #12 5th July 2005, 06:13 PM

Bought this today and I'll comment once I've seen it. Looking forward to it from the comments though!

Mandi Apple · #13 28th July 2005, 01:45 AM

I'm working on my review of this right now - I've watched about 3/4 of it - and I have to say, this is one of the best movies I've seen for AGES, it'll be a Snowblood Apple Favourite, no contest

It's just so different from the usual run-of-the-mill Sadatoshio movies, I put it right up there with Dark Water and A Tale of Two Sisters - and I've not even finished watching it yet!

I also totally agree with pdn's comments - Park Ki-hyung is an amazingly talented and unique director, he's so like Korea's answer to Kiyoshi Kurosawa it's uncanny

More from me when I've watched it all! (It takes me ages to watch a movie because I review them as I go along - it only ever takes me about 5 minutes to finish a review after the end of the movie

)

EDIT: finished it. It really is an incredible film, and I hope to have my review up very soon with all my reasons why you should DEFINITELY buy this movie - not least of all 'cos it's one of the best films I've seen for AGES

jim harper · #14 28th July 2005, 09:46 AM

It's been heavily criticized for being more of a vaguely supernatural drama than a horror film, but I think it works just fine as a drama. It's not a bad film just because it doesn't have ghosts popping up every five minutes. Here's my review.

angel_from_hell · #15 28th July 2005, 10:08 AM

My sister watched it last year when it was released here at Philippines, she said it was more a drama than horror, is it true? Only a VCD of Acacia was been released here, but I will buy it as soon as possible.

Mandi Apple · #16 28th July 2005, 11:27 AM

Jim Harper has already answered this question literally one post above yours.

angel_from_hell · #17 29th July 2005, 08:04 AM

Sorry about that! Anyway, I like to ask you Mandi, what most movie do you like A Tale of Two Sisters or Acacia? Because at first I like to buy Two Sisters but when you said it was an incredible film, I don't know what to buy first?

Mandi Apple · #18 29th July 2005, 09:37 AM

TBH I like them both equally, that's how much I think of Acacia. I would probably buy A Tale of Two Sisters first though because you may not agree with me on Acacia, but everyone seems to love TO2S

angel_from_hell · #19 29th July 2005, 09:43 AM

Thank you so much! Now I know what to buy first. Thanks again.

Midori no Saru · #20 29th July 2005, 10:56 PM

Tree films are a small but interesting sub genre. Wasn't there one called The Guardian, directed by William Friedkin?

Acacia sounds like one to check out, especially after the review here. Especially one by the director of Whispering Corridors