Voice

Yeogo gwae-dam 4: Moksori (2005), South Korea

Synopsis
Voice is the fourth installment of the proposed series of films "Yeogo gwae-dam", following the line of its predecessors whose narrative revolves around a school haunted by a former student, with the present one describing the story of Young-eon, an aspiring singer whose talent seems to be thoroughly recognized by her best friend Seon-min. However, early in the film and while practicing, Young-eon is mysteriously attacked by a supernatural force, and her body enigmatically disappears. Waking up the next morning as a ghost, Young-eon who can only count on the help of her best friend, who seems to be the only one able to hear her voice, is determined to uncover the mystery surrounding her apparent death.

Review
According to the film, after death, a ghost's voice can be kept as a way to communicate with those human beings with whom the ghost had a strong connection in life. However if the connection is weakened, then the ghost starts loosing its voice and can no longer communicate with humans, becoming invisible and inaudible. The voice does not vanish all at once, but will disappear intermittently over the course of hours and days, which can be observed during the film when the friendship between the two main characters becomes strained. The relationship between the two girls is then once again the basis of the story as previously observed in the series. Moreover, following the line of previous films (in particular Memento Mori, the second installment of the series), Voice cannot be described as an horror film although it seems to be clear that no attempts were made in that direction. On the opposite, the film is better described as a emotionally touching story about friendship and loneliness, with one of the strongest plots of the series. 

Particularly, I must confess that I was pleasantly surprised during the unfolding plot. A beautiful and talented Kim Ok-Bin at the beginning of her career (later better known for her superb performance in her role in Park Chan-Wook's Thirst) as the protagonist, surrounded by a female casting marked by competent performances during the film, flickering lights and classic lightning techniques to achieve dark contrasts, a particularly beautiful soundtrack, with the action being claustrophobically confined to just a few sets since the ghost could not leave the school ground. The movie plays with the different feelings of each character, exploring the selfishness and the altruism of Young-eon, obsession, manipulation and suicide as a consequence of being chastised in a korean high school. Moreover, Voice stands out chiefly by allowing the viewer to have a different vision of a typical ghost story movie, showing the isolation and loneliness of a ghost in its first moments after being dead, exploring the fear of being forgotten, revisiting the most meaningful moments in a ghosts life. Ultimately the film scrutinizes the many reasons of why some ghosts seem to stay among us. Revenge, the truth. Being a dog and becoming a wolf. And the one reason that eventually becomes the final twist in this film.