Acacia

Korean writer/director Ki-hyeong Park had made two films prior to this but thought that the script for Acacia lent itself to a straight genre film, something he had always wanted to do.  The film is a family based horror, with happly married couple Kim Do-il and Choi Mi-sook accepting that, now in their forties, Mi-sook is unlikely to bear children so adoption is the best way to make their family whole.  Choosing a six year old boy rather than a baby, they soon realise they have their work cut out when Jin-seong tries to keep his old family name and resists their attempts to make him part of the family.
 
Very much a loner, he spends a lot of time with the dead acacia tree in the back garden, sitting on a branch or drawing on the bark.  One day he meets Min-ji, the girl next door who has been watching him, and they strike up a friendship with Jin-seong taking Min-ji out on rides on his new bicycle.  When he hears that Mi-sook has unexpectedly become pregnant, he becomes sullen and even more introverted and his behaviour worsens when the baby is brought home, insisting that the tree is his mother.  During a thunderstorm he disappears and the assumption is that he has gone off on his bike and will be back soon, but he doesn't.  Unusually, Jin-seong's disappearance coincides with the acacia tree growing new leaves and blossoming.
 

As time passes and the child is nowhere to be found, odd things begin happening to Do-il, an obstetrician, who has real troubles at work, delivering dead babies and breaking down in the labour ward.  The couple become increasingly distant and tensions rise between them and Mi-sook's father, who lives with them.  As the family tears itself apart, another rainstorm brings a shocking revelation.
 
Some films are amazing experiences that are fantastic on the first viewing and leave you wanting more whereas others can leave you a little cold and you have to revisit them to fully appreciate the material.  Acacia is in the latter category as when I first saw it I wasn't that impressed and was perhaps a little confused by the oneiric style that frequently left me wondering whether certain scenes were real or imaginary.  Watching it again, however, I was much more impressed and involved as I was able to take in the visuals and appreciate the acting and script more than the first time.
 
Acacia is a slow burner of a film, creepy and shocking when it wants to be and a devastating family drama.  It is not your typical Asian horror film but is still one that involves and lasts with you until after the credits have rolled.  Sadly the mystery of the missing child is rather spoiled by the cover art which kind of gives it away!
 

The Disc

 
Extra Features
Aside from the trailer, there are several mini featurettes, running at no more than four minutes each.  The first two, titled Action and Cut and The World in the Movie are basically the same, consisting of nothing more than b-roll footage and bearing no resemblance to their respective titles.  The interview with Ki-hyeong Park is very brief and you don't get anything more than perfunctory answers to the questions - the same goes for the 'actors interviews' which are far from enlightening.  I would guess that this was an EPK package put together for Korean TV as the graphics are particularly bad.
 
The Picture
Acacia is a very intelligently shot film with great attention paid to the palette and the colours used.  The picture is clear though it doesn't have the definition or clarity in the low light scenes that I hoped for.  CG effects are only used twice (as far as I could tell) and very effectively.
 
The Sound
Both the DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are clear and use the surrounds well - this is another case of the DTS being slightly louder but you can't really tell the difference between the two.  In any case, this isn't a bombastic film, relying on the dialogue and score, which is very good, to convey emotion and tone.
 
Final Thoughts
A very well crafted and executed film, Acacia is a film you have to see more than once to fully appreciate and is helped by the four main actors putting in compelling performances and Ki-hyeong Park's accomplished direction.  As Asian horrors go, it is atypical but still fascinating, relying more on atmosphere than sudden jumps, though there are a few moments that will jolt you.