Ryu Jun-yeol in a still from ‘Revelations.’ Photo: courtesy of Netflix.
Revelations may be one of the best Korean films this year—as you might expect from a movie directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Ryu Jun-yeol and Shin Hyun-been. The mystery horror thriller will be streaming on Netflix starting March 21.
Adapted from Yeon Sang-ho’s webtoon of the same name, co-written by Yeon and Choi Kyu-seok, with the latter also contributing to its screenplay, the live-action film is produced by Mexican filmmaker and Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, noted for his previous films including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Children of Men (2006), Gravity (2013), and Roma (2018).
According to an article from the streaming service, Yeon told Netflix that several movies he has worked on had fantasy themes. In Revelations, however, he eschewed that aspect for as much as he could to focus on “psychological elements,” like “illusions, delusions, and traumas.”
The official teaser previews its dark, gritty, and suspenseful plot—the mysterious disappearance of a middle school student and two main characters entangled in it with their different ideologies.
Ryu Jun-yeol plays Sung Min-chan, a church pastor. When Kwon Yang-rae (Shin Min-jae) shows up to his church one day, Min-chan is initially pleased, assuming that Yang-rae is a church believer, but to his dismay shortly thereafter, Yang-rae is revealed to be a former prisoner. As upset as he is, Min-chan’s irritation grows over a call informing him that a schoolgirl has gone missing, and Yang-rae is the culprit. He interprets it as a sacred mission to punish Yang-rae for his deed.
On the other side, Shin Hyun-been plays Detective Lee Yeon-hui, investigating the same case. And although she suffers from recurring hallucinations of her deceased sister, she hunts Yang-rae and probes Min-chan in the process.
Min-chan’s rigid thoughts and faith are blinders, preventing him from objectively perceiving and acknowledging the realities that unfold around him. Instead, he’s given to interpreting and trusting only that which aligns with his pre-existing notions, a phenomenon that the teaser’s message, “with twisted faith, madness begins,” seeks to emphasize.
Revelations, I imagine, discusses the psychological repercussions of such rigid belief systems that can have far-reaching consequences on an individual’s mental health and decision-making processes. It’s an engaging story about the intricacies of a kidnapping case, as well as Yeon-hui’s unsettling personal challenges and journey, intersecting with that of Min-chan’s.
Yeon-hui’s vulnerable condition, Min-chan’s arrogant opinions, and Yang-rae’s wrongdoing all come together in Revelations, together with its various layers, enigma, action, and horror coming from director Yeon Sang-ho adding to his illustrious filmography of works like The King of Pigs (2011), The Fake (2013), Train to Busan (2016), Seoul Station (2016) Peninsula (2020), Psychokinesis (2018), Hellbound (2021-present), Jung_E (2023), The Bequeathed (2024), and Parasyte: The Grey (2024).
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