“The Quiet Family” Korean Theatrical Poster
Director: Kim Ji Woon
Cast: Park In-Hwan, Na Moon-Hee, Choi Min-sik, Song Kang-ho, Go Ho-Kyung, Choi Cheol-ho
Running Time: 105 mins.
By Equinox21
Welcome to The Misty Inn Where guests check in, but they don’t check out! And, as the saying goes, the family that kills together stays together. The Quiet Family is a movie about a group of people who make such stupid decisions and are so dysfunctional you just want to scream, but in you just end up laughing at the absurdity of their situation.
The movie starts off with the family taking over the Misty Inn, located near a hiking trail but no paved roads, so it gets very few visitors. The family consists of the father, Kang Taegoo (Park In-hwan), the mother, Mrs. Kang (Na Mun-hee), the uncle (Choi Min-sik [Shiri, Chihwaseon]), the son, Yeongmin (Song Kang-ho [JSA, Foul King]), and the two daughters, Mina (Go Ho-kyeong) and Misoo (Lee Yun-seong). After a few weeks of absolutely no guests visiting the inn, one strange man finally shows up. And of course, during the night, he kills himself. When the family finds him in the morning, they are afraid that if the police investigate they’ll be accused of murdering him, so they bury him in the woods. Following this is more guests checking in and dying in various ways, some are morbid but some are downright hilarious.
This movie is the epitome of a black comedy. Never have I laughed so hard at such blatant disregard for human life. Seeing the family get itself into one sticky situation after another and making one stupid decision after another only makes this a darker movie, because with every bad decision they inevitably end up with more bodies.
The acting all around was very good, but of course Song Kang-ho steals the show, yet again. That guy will instantly make any movie better! Choi Min-sik also shines as the uncle. This was the first movie of his that I’ve seen where he did any sort of comedy, and he pulled it off well. The soundtrack was enjoyable as well, until the song “I Think I Love You” came on over the ending credits.
The Quiet Family is a great black comedy that most people should enjoy. It’s not too gory, but there is a high body count. The movie isn’t perfect, there are a few plot points that don’t get resolved by the end, but it’s still enjoyable nonetheless.
Equinox21’s Rating: 8/10 (subtracted points for unresolved plot points, added points for a funny movie, and Song Kang-ho’s performance)
