ACF 449: Members of the Funeral

Members of the Funeral / Jang-rae-sig-ui member

Directed by Baek Seung-bin

Japan, 2008, 99 minutes

North American Premiere

The second movie in the Korean Cultural Service's current film series is Members of the Funeral. It will be shown on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 @ 7 PM. Admission is free, but you do have to RSVP to info@koreanculture.org or call 212-759-9550. I'm giving those of you interested a fair amount of advance notice because the first screening (of Daytime Drinking on January 12th) "sold out," and my guess is that Members will also.

The series, coordinated by the director of the KCS, Soo Keun Song, is shown at the Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal Street, one block from the A, C, E and 1 train Canal Street stops.

Here's a description of the film:

Members of the Funeral is considered to be one of the most intellectually ambitious of Korea's current crop of indie features, this film's lush visuals and caustic performances hide the fact that it was shot for pennies. Members kicks off with a family of three going at each others' throats during a funeral for a teenage boy. Flashbacks show the wounded innocents who grew up to become these monsters and as they flay the skin from their faces with their barbed words, the movie gradually darkens and deepens into something much more profound than a simple family snit fit.

I've seen it on a screener DVD and can attest to the fact that it's a powerful and terrific film. I plan to have my own review online here at least a few days before the screening.