Sorum (2001) - Profound Characters, Creepy Locations and Mysterious Vibes - 8/10 (20/12/21)

Sorum is a South Korean movie that walks off the beaten path as it combines drama, mystery and thriller elements in a profoundly atmospheric way. This is the first feature film of director Yun Jong-chan and features renowned actor Kim Myung-min in his very first movie as well as lead actress Jang Jin-young who had already received critical acclaim for her performances in sports comedy The Foul King and firefighters drama Siren.

The film revolves around a mysterious taxi driver in his early thirties who moves into a decrepit apartment complex. He is only visited once in a while by a friend obsessed with sexual innuendo who brings back negative memories. The lonesome man however gets to know the only remaining residents of the creepy complex. There is an unsuccessful author who has lost his business and dreams of becoming relevant again with a script he has stolen from a former resident of the complex. The former resident's former girlfriend is a piano teacher who gradually isolates herself and doesn't trust anyone around her. Finally, there is a young woman who is in a terrible relationship with an abusive husband who has gambling debts and alcohol problems. One fateful night, the young woman kills her husband in self-defense and asks the lonesome taxi driver for help. They decide to bury the corpse of the deceased in a nearby forest and get involved into an extreme and volatile relationship from there on. Things gradually spiral out of control as the couple faces its past decisions, current issues and strange supernatural events in the creepy complex.

This movie convinces on many levels. The highlights are the excellent locations in form of the decrepit apartment complex, abandoned natural landscapes and dirty roads that establish a gloomy atmosphere from start to finish. Most of the scenes take place on rainy nights which enhances the film's mysterious vibes. The characters also have much depth as we discover completely new sides throughout the movie that end up changing the viewers' perspectives as the film progresses. This film rather utilizes body language and facial expressions than witty dialogues or surprising twists to convey emotions and relationships. The movie has a mysterious vibe that makes it quite tense as it's hard to predict what might be coming next. It will keep you on the edge of your seats until the final scene. The film's pace is slow but quickens up the pace in the final eventful quarter. Sorum is an intellectual exercise as it leaves several questions unanswered and expects the viewers to put the different pieces of the puzzle together or imagine what could still happen once the movie has concluded.

Several reviewers have complained about the fact that they expected Sorum to be a horror movie but that it turned out to be a psychological drama. Once you have accepted that genre categorization, you will however discover a unique movie with much depth that is worth being revisited and analyzed from different perspectives. This underrated atmospheric mystery movie develops an ominous atmosphere right from the very first scene when the lead character first enters the apartment complex and keeps this tense vibe until the very last scene when the lead characters last exits the apartment complex. Anyone who likes atmospheric dramas with an experimental touch that walk off the beaten path should certainly check out this underappreciated timeless gem.