Ghost Walk

Ghost Walk or "The Door of the Night Opens" is a slow-burning, moody piece of fantasy that's rooted to modern-day issues like urban alienation and unfulfilled personal dreams in a capitalist age. Hae-in Han efficiently plays the apathetic, depressed, loner protagonist who becomes an invisible, wandering ghost after her death. She finds out that although in life she tried to maintain a lonely existence disconnected from others, her death on the other hand is but a piece of a larger social phenomenon. First-time director Yu Eun-jeong did a commendable job building a quiet, contemplative atmosphere. Almost nothing in this film - cinematography, music, pacing - tries to impose itself, but they effectively add substance to the storytelling. The first-person narration sometimes feels patchy - too introspective in some places or too barren, generic in some others. The final act, although predictable, does well enough to establish itself as a piece of serious cinema, and not some emotional tearjerker that films with similar plotlines often turn into.

I was initially intrigued by this movie's synopsis, especially since it sounded like it could be a very interesting movie. And of course the fact that this was a South Korean movie that I hadn't already seen also helped win me over to watch it.

And wow, this movie was insanely slow paced and incredibly pointless and boring. It was such a struggle to sit through this ordeal of a movie, especially since virtually nothing ever happened. So I can't claim that writer and director Eun-Jeong Yu managed to entertain me with this 2018 movie.

"Bamui muni yeolrinda" (aka "Ghost Walk") definitely had potential, but the transition from script to screen was just abysmal.

The acting in the movie was adequate, despite nothing much of any worth ever happening on the screen. And I will say that the actresses and actors in the movie definitely managed well enough with the severe limitations imposed upon them.

Ultimately then "Ghost Walk" was a massive swing and a miss. And this is not a shining moment in South Korean cinema. If you enjoy South Korean cinema, then "Ghost Walk" is most certainly not a movie that I would recommend you waste your time, money and effort on.

I am rating "Ghost Walk" a generous three out of ten stars.