Epitaph (Gidam) (2007)

54% of users liked it
(408 ratings)

Filmmaking siblings Jeong Sik and Jeong Bum-Sik share directing credits on this discomforting tale of an ageing doctor with a disturbing past. The year is 1979, and Dr. Park has just received a photo album from 1942. Back in those days, Dr. Park and his friends found themselves caught up in a series… More Filmmaking siblings Jeong Sik and Jeong Bum-Sik share directing credits on this discomforting tale of an ageing doctor with a disturbing past. The year is 1979, and Dr. Park has just received a photo album from 1942. Back in those days, Dr. Park and his friends found themselves caught up in a series of strange incidents. Though Park had been reluctant to take the bride that his parents had previously arranged for him, he was stunned to learn that the dead body he had fallen so deeply in love with was in fact the very woman who would have been his wife. Later, a young girl is brought into the hospital after surviving a horrific car accident. Though she was the only one to make it out of the crash alive, ghosts seem to haunt her every time the sun goes down. As these two parallel stories gradually unfold, the viewer is also introduced to a married pair of doctors from Tokyo who always seem to be surrounded by serial killers. Before making his feature directorial debut with this film, co-director Sik worked as an assistant director for acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-Wook on such films as Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Jeong Beom-sik, Jeong Sik
Genres: Drama, Horror

On DVD: Feb 24, 2009
Studio: Encore Films

Critic Reviews

Brandon Judell, GreenCine
A Japanese morgue-based horror film lacking in much horror

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Featured Audience Ratings

Luke B

Three twisted tales of ghostly love take place around a similar time in a Korean hospital. It avoids too many comparisons with other Asian horrors and this is to it's credit. The main contributer to this is the setting. Wonderful set design and costumes recreate a bygone era. The… More
Three twisted tales of ghostly love take place around a similar time in a Korean hospital. It avoids too many comparisons with other Asian horrors and this is to it's credit. The main contributer to this is the setting. Wonderful set design and costumes recreate a bygone era. The film also has more terrifying ghosts than the usual long haired dressed in white woman. Some of the scenes are beautiful, especially a wel crafted tracking shot that goes through many doors. As each slides open we see a glimpse of a moment in time from a young interns life. Some of the scares are bloody, suspenseful, creepy and shocking. It's a pretty solid film but the highlights tend to make the generic horror moments seem even less successful. A lovely film to watch with many genuine chilling moments.
Justin Y

I've seen some weird films in my day and this is near the top of the list. Leave it once again to a movie from Asia to really get you thinking really hard about a thriller/suspense movie.The story is actually made up of mini stories (basically 3 segments) that are… More
I've seen some weird films in my day and this is near the top of the list. Leave it once again to a movie from Asia to really get you thinking really hard about a thriller/suspense movie.The story is actually made up of mini stories (basically 3 segments) that are somewhat intertwined, sort of like Pulp Fiction. The only difference here is that it is really hard to figure out exactly what is going on. This film jumps around a lot and I spent the whole movie staring at the screen, trying to figure out what came before what. The bad thing is that this film moves at a really slow pace, yet it is still confusing. Don't be frightened though, because it isn't as confusing as, oh say, Pistol Opera. It is possible to understand the gist of what is going on. What this film does do pretty well is use some nice cinematic elements, which keeps the film visually entertaining.Although this film may seem like a horror/thriller it isn't all that scary, but once again the Asians can freak you out with the way they create their "spooky" characters. If I saw one of these characters in real life I would probably piss in my pants. You get quite a few of those in this film. Although the scare factor isn't really that high, the suspense factor is definitely there. There are many points in this film where it does a great job at building up for something big to happen. This film actually uses the theme from Psycho once or twice, which ends up being more funny than it is scary. I remember the whole theater laughing when the theme came on.The acting in this film is pretty good. Ko Joo-yeon puts on the best performance as the young Asako in the second segment.This film is not the greatest thriller, but it is definitely unique and will most likely inspire many other Asian thrillers to come. I would only recommend this film to fans of suspense and horror. Just be prepared to watch it more than once, if you can.
Lesley N

Creepy and confusing. Mostly confusing. <img src="http://images1.variety.com/graphics/photos/reviewe/repitaph.jpg">
Constanza B

This South Korean creeper is part gore fest, part romance, part ghost story, and all confusing, it takes place in a hospital during the 1942 Japanese occupation of Seoul. Paranormal situations. Hallucinations, Premonitions, Medium audition and vision, all of that in a scenario of… More
This South Korean creeper is part gore fest, part romance, part ghost story, and all confusing, it takes place in a hospital during the 1942 Japanese occupation of Seoul. Paranormal situations. Hallucinations, Premonitions, Medium audition and vision, all of that in a scenario of second war.