This year, (x)clusive got to cover the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), and it was a fully-packed week of films for this horror buff! For those of you who may not be familiar with the festival, BIFAN is a non-competitive international film festival (with a few competition sections) held annually in July in Bucheon, South Korea, featuring South Korean and international horror, thriller, mystery, and fantasy films. The festival pays particular attention to Asian cinema from East Asia and Southeast Asia, which can be seen in their choice of selected films every year.
For the 28th edition of the festival, BIFAN expanded the scope of the festival with the “BIFAN+” brand which integrates the newly launched AI section with the current industry programme B.I.G, the XR content project Beyond Reality, and the IP development project Goedam Campus. The festival also introduced the first international AI film competition section in a Korean international film festival and hosted an AI conference about AI film production, sharing insights from pioneers worldwide.
Themed “Stay Strange”, this year’s festival had a total of 253 films from 49 countries which included 112 features, 97 shorts, 15 AI films and 29 XR works. With so many films to choose from, it was not easy deciding on the films to watch for this festival. But I managed to catch 13 full-length films and 14 shorts in the week I was at the festival, and here’s a short review of each (full-length) film, in order of ranking (from most to least favourite).
The Truth Beneath (Korea | 2015 | 102 minutes)
What it’s about: Yeon-hong (Son Ye Jin), the wife of politician Jong-chan (Kim Joo Hyuk) discovers a terrifying secret while searching for their missing daughter Min-jin (Shin Ji Hoon) two weeks before the election.
Review: Son Ye Jin’s acting in this film is insanely good that you end up being immersed in her world through the whole film! The story was well-paced, the characters had such depth to them, and there was never a dull moment throughout.
Grave Torture (Indonesia | 2024 | 117 minutes)
What it’s about: As a child, Sita witnessed the tragic loss of her parents due to a bombing terrorist who believed that martyrdom would allow him to avoid the “grave torture” that sinners must endure when buried. Thus begins Sita’s determination to prove that the torture in the grave does not exist and is simply fearmongering by religion.
Review: Horror movie buffs should not miss this because firstly, it’s a Joko Anwar film and he doesn’t disappoint (at least I haven’t watched a film by this director that I didn’t like). The film was full of suspense, tension, and such good storytelling that even non-Muslims would be able to understand the context behind this “grave torture”.
Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary (Korea | 2024 | 90 minutes)
What it’s about: On the night of the school’s founding anniversary, anyone who wins at hide and seek with the resident ghost will score perfect marks on their college entrance exams! Thus begins the hide and seek game between 4 high school students and the ghost.
Review: I went in not realising this was a horror-comedy but was pleasantly surprised at how well-balanced the horror and comedy was! The film made fun of the typical horror tropes, but with a twist, which made for a very fun watch.
The Tenants (Korea | 2023 | 89 minutes)
What it’s about: Kim Shin Dong works extra hard at his mundane job in hopes of getting a transfer to a different city where a supposedly better reality awaits in this film set in a dystopian society. Facing eviction by his landlord, he decides to rent his toilet out to an eccentric couple but soon learns it’s not easy living with strangers…
Review: This is a black-and-white film which I generally don’t watch because it’s easier to get bored without the stimulation of colours. But I was so intrigued by the plot and just the overall story and I ended up appreciating the fact it was in black-and-white because of the story subject!
You Will Die in 6 Hours (Korea | 2024 | 91 minutes)
What it’s about: While crossing the road, Jung Yoon is suddenly told by a stranger that she will die in 6 hours. Despite her doubts, she ends up spending her remaining time with him in hopes of changing her fate.
Review: I personally don’t like the idea of something being dated and there being nothing you can do about it, so thankfully this movie did not completely end up going that route. Although I guessed the plot twist early on (despite efforts to throw me off), it was still an enjoyable watch and wasn’t draggy either!
Respati (Indonesia | 2024 | 112 minutes)
What it’s about: Respati has nightmares every night which he soon finds out are visions of murders being committed by a ghostly entity. And he may be the only person who can stop the killings.
Review: This was a good mix of mystery, horror, crime, coming-of-age plots rolled into one film. The suspense will leave you on the edge of your seats as we zip in and out of the dream world with our protagonist.
Tenement (Cambodia | 2024 | 84 minutes)
What it’s about: Sorya, a Cambodian-Japanese manga artist preparing for her debut as a writer, is encouraged by her boyfriend to visit the building in Phnom Penh where her mother lived, as inspiration for her work. But she soon finds out the dark secret about the building.
Review: Get ready for an uncomfortable time at the theatre as you’ll see the main lead keep getting herself into situations she can’t seem to escape from, and you’ll just wish you could go into the screen to pull her out.
The Shrine (Korea | 2024 | 95 minutes)
What it’s about: A group of university students are on a survey trip to a ruined shrine in Kobe in preparation for an exhibition when a series of strange and horrifying events occur to them one by one.
Review: If you hate gore like I do, be warned that there is quite a bit of blood in this film. There was hardly time to breathe throughout the whole film because just when you think it’s over, something else happens. Get ready for some heart exercise.
Breaking and Re-Entering (Taiwan | 2024 | 109 minutes)
What it’s about: A gang of thieves, hired to steal a large sum of money from a bank vault, successfully completes the heist, only to find themselves caught in a trap and needing to do a reverse heist.
Review: This was such a lighthearted and fun comedy to watch, with all the actors portraying their characters perfectly. It’s a feel-good movie!
Indera (Malaysia | 2024 | 104 minutes)
What it’s about: After his wife dies during childbirth, Joe is left to raise his child alone. When he moves into a house deep in the mountains with his daughter for a job, they end up experiencing strange things…
Review: I was confused when the movie first started because I thought I had watched the exact same scene in a different movie. But this is basically a typical Southeast Asian horror movie with an actual plot, some folklore thrown in, and a few jump scares here and there. Don’t get me wrong though, I actually really enjoyed watching it.
Rhapsody for the Dead (Korea | 2024 | 84 minutes)
What it’s about: When Sua dies in a freak accident while fighting with her boyfriend, she turns into a vengeful ghost. But her death was already foretold years back by her shaman mother…
Review: Get ready for some rage because Song Seung Hyun really portrays his role as a shitty boyfriend so well I can’t be the only one who wanted to punch his face. The premise of the story was interesting but a lot of questions remained unanswered and I didn’t really like that feeling of being left hanging at the end.
Possession: Kerasukan (Indonesia | 2024 | 94 minutes)
What it’s about: Faris returns home after his military service only to be met with a sudden divorce request from his wife, Ratna, who also seems to have a completely different personality…
Review: Fair warning, this film is soft porn. I went in not knowing this and was shocked at the sexualisation of the pocong. After watching the film, I still am not sure what really happened, but the one thing that was clear was its message about women being dominated by men and the desire to break free from that.
Crimson Snout (Vietnam | 2023 | 99 minutes)
What it’s about: Nam and Xuan return to Nam’s hometown to attend his father’s funeral. But they soon realise Nam’s family is cursed when one by one, the family members fall victim to mysterious attacks.
Review: This will be a difficult watch for dog-lovers as it’s set against the backdrop of a dog slaughterhouse. I found the film interesting because of the idea of karma, and there were some plot twists I didn’t see coming. But the film definitely made me feel uncomfortable, which is probably the intention of the film, so kudos to the director!
These films were screened at BIFAN 2024.
Thank you to the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival for the opportunity to cover this year’s festival!
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