Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Ki-hyeong Park's Acacia is a movie that tries to do many things but unfortunately does none of them as well as it should. As a family melodrama it is adequate. As a horror film it has its creepy moments. But when it tries to combine the two genres it falls under the weight of its own self importance.

Kim Do-Il (Jin-Guen Kim) and Choi Mi-Sook (Hye-jin Shim) are a modestly well to do couple living in a South Korean suburb. He's a doctor and she's an artist. Their life is complete in many ways except that they don't have a child. The couple decides to adopt a six year old boy Kim Jin Seong (Oh-bin Mun)who would rather draw and spend time with an acacia tree in the couples back yard than spend time with his new family. Time goes on and Mi-Sook becomes pregnant. With the birth of the new baby things go from bad to worse for Jin Seong and the boy eventually disappears. As the family's problems mount the once dead acacia tree in the back yard begins to bloom.

The film is more psychological thriller than horror and Park takes his time developing the plot. The slow pace of the film may well turn off some viewers. The acting is for the most part first rate as well as the production design.

The Tartan video offers a good picture and Dolby DTS sound. There is a subtitled director's commentary and a making of featurette. This one while not great is well worth a rental.

This is a very good movie. A Must watch for Asian movie fans in general!