This film, of which the international title "Bedevilled" is a lot easier to remember than the original South Korean one, and its director Cheol- Soo Jang seemingly appeared out of nowhere but nevertheless left quite an impression at several internationally acclaimed film festivals around the world. Perhaps this is simply because the director is an acolyte of Kim Ki-Duk, or perhaps it's because he actually delivered a unique and hard-to-categorize motion picture that spooks through your head long after you finished seeing it. Throughout approximately 75 minutes (three quarters of the full running time),"Bedevilled" is a very slow and harrowing drama focusing on the life of one poor woman. Then suddenly, almost when you totally don't expect it anymore, the film converts into a harsh and downright savage tale of revenge and oppressed anger. The sudden transition is abrupt and shocking, but also strangely justified and efficient. One moment you're witnessing the "Via Dolorosa" of a seemingly timid and vulnerable young woman, yet the next moment this timid and vulnerable young woman is coloring the entire island blood red with a primitive sickle.

The story opens in modern day Seoul, where the egocentric and obnoxious Hae-Won is close to reaching an emotional and professional burnout. She goes on a vacation to Moodo, the island where she spent her childhood holidays with her friend Kim Bok-Nam. Kim Bok-Nam is very happy to see Hae-Won, because she thinks her friend has come to save her and her daughter, like she begged her to in all those letters. Kim Bok-Nam's life is worse than that of a slave. She's abused and humiliated by her husband and the rest of the island's population, both male and female. Another long series of events, including the disinterested reaction of her friend, slowly lead to a gigantic tragedy.

The first three quarters of "Bedevilled" may come across and dull and eventful – especially when shown at 2am on a Saturday morning in a theater full of horror junkies – but the slow pace and melodramatic atmosphere are fundamental for the film. Cheol-Soo Jang carefully takes his time to illustrate that Moodo truly is a very isolated setting, completely devoid of legislation and social evolution. The elderly intimidate the younger and the men dominate the women, probably just like the generations before them did as well. Kim Bok-Nam endured as much anger and agony as humanly possible, and this is painfully illustrated in great detail during the film's long awakening. I've rarely seen a cinematic character who's vengeance is so legitimatized and substantiated. My hat's off to debuting director Cheol-Soo Jang, scriptwriter Kwang-young Choi and lead actress Yeong-Hie Seo. Furthermore, "Bedevilled" benefices from the truly breathtaking island filming locations and staggering photography. Don't know if it's true, but I read somewhere that the location was selected out of nearly 3.000 islands surrounding the South Korean shore. The selection was based on size, nature and available facilities. Great choice, I'd say. Faint- hearted viewers beware, however, as the extended finale features a large number of grim and shocking images.

A harsh and unsettling revenge shocker that pulls no punches when it comes to depictions of on-screen violence, BEDEVILLED is a South Korean drama that ploughs the same depths of the human soul as other films like I SAW THE DEVIL. At first, the film is a real slow burner, a depiction of life on a remote rural island where spousal abuse is an everyday norm and the caste system leads to poor women being treated no better than dogs.

In many ways, the film is a character study of some truly unpleasant types, including the heroine (played by Ji Seong-won, handling a difficult role rather well) who finds herself visiting a rural community like no other. The brunt of the acting honours goes to Seo Yeong-hie as the put upon Bok-nam, forever abused by her husband as well as the village elders who routinely treat her like a pack horse and with the utmost contempt.

The violence and oppression gradually build until the all-out extended revenge climax which doesn't disappointment. Most Hollywood movies lose their nerve come the ending, never dishing out true justice to those deserving of it, but BEDEVILLED goes all the way and then some. It's the kind of film which will haunt you for days afterwards, and even a slightly disappointing ending fails to dilute the nature of its visceral power.

In Seoul, the thirty and something year-old bank clerk Hae-Won (Seong- won Ji) is a heartless and selfish single woman that tramples on coworkers and clients. He boss orders her to take vacation since she is stressed and Hae-Won decides to spend a week on her grandfather's hometown in the primitive and tiny Moodo Island. She is welcomed by her childhood friend Kim Bok-nam (Yeong-hie Seo) that lives in the island and treats Hae-Won with great affection. Bok-nam is an abused woman that works like a slave, married with the brutal and stupid Man- jong (Jeong-hak Park) and has a little daughter Kim Yeon-hee (Ji-eun Lee). The four Man-jong's aunties and his brother also abuses of Bok- nam and Man-jong's catatonic father also live in Moodo. Bok-nam asks her friend if she could go with her daughter to Seoul with her but Hae-Won refuses the request. Then Bok-nam begs to Hae-Won to take her daughter with her, but she also refuses. Soon Bok-nam finds that her husband is having sex with her daughter and she decides to flee from the island with Yeon-hee. However Man-jong discovers and beats her and her daughter, but Yeon-hee hits her head on a stone and dies. When the police inspector arrives in Moodo, Man-jong and his family lie to him telling that it was an accident and Hae-Won's testimony is not supported by the indifferent Bok-nam that claims that was sleeping. When Man-jong and his brother go to the mainland, Bok-nam has a breakdown and uses a scythe to kill her hateful aunties. What will she do next?

"Kim Bok-nam salinsageonui jeonmal", a.k.a. Bedevilled, is another great Korean film. The story, screenplay and direction are outstanding and the performances are top-notch. Yeong-hie Seo deserved at least a nomination to the Oscar with her impressive performance. The inhuman and sadistic treatment of Kim Bok-nam is one of the cruelest ever seen in a film and Hae-Won is a bitch. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not available on Blu-Ray or DVD.