“Thirst” in Competition

Korean director Park Chan-wook is presenting his latest film, Thirst, in Competition today, five years after taking home the Grand Prix du Jury for Old Boy. This year’s movie involves blood, and blood means vampires. A young priest has gone to Africa with the purest of intentions, to volunteer to test a new drug; however, an unexpected side effect of the treatment changes him into a vampire. When he returns home, his Catholic faith is sorely tested, as his thirst for blood nearly overpowers him. At the peak of his existential torment, he is recontacted by a childhood friend to whom he feels irresistibly attracted.

Thirst gave Park Chan-wook an opportunity to work with one of his favorite actors, Song Kang-ho, for a fourth time. The pair’s first film was Joint Security Area (2000); they went on to make Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2003) and its sequel, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005). The vampire film project had been on the back burner for both director and star for ten years. According to Song: "When I received the script, I was surprised by the meticulous structure and the originality of the story. But more than that, I was thrilled to see that it had finally come to life."
The lovely young actress chosen to play opposite Song is Kim Ok-vin. Park praised her thus: "Kim Ok-vin’s ageless, complex, and compound appearance and her raw energy, through her classic yet modern image all make her an actress with infinite potential." And Kim admires Park, too: "I’ve read no other script that stimulated my imagination as much. The characters came alive as I was reading. The character contained everything that an actor could wish to express and I didn’t want the part to go to anyone else."

The Press Conference