The Wailing | 2016

Main Plot

In the quiet rural village of Gokseong, the arrival of a reclusive stranger coincides with the outbreak of a baffling and deadly illness. As villagers fall victim to violent fits and gruesome deaths, local police officer Jong-goo becomes entangled in the chaos when his own daughter begins exhibiting disturbing symptoms. Desperate to uncover the cause, Jong-goo embarks on a frantic investigation, encountering a series of chilling clues, unsettling superstitions, and cryptic warnings from a mysterious woman. As paranoia and fear grip the community, Jong-goo’s search for answers blurs the line between reality and the supernatural. With time running out and his daughter's life at stake, he must confront forces beyond his understanding, leading to a harrowing and ambiguous confrontation that leaves the fate of his family and village hanging in the balance.

Characters

• Jun Kunimura plays the enigmatic stranger whose presence coincides with the village’s descent into chaos. His inscrutable motives drive the community’s paranoia and challenge perceptions of evil.
• Hwang Jung-min portrays Il-gwang, a shaman called to confront the supernatural threat. His rituals and self-assurance mask deeper uncertainties as the line between good and evil blurs.
• Kwak Do-won stars as Jong-goo, a local policeman desperate to protect his family. His journey tests his skepticism and courage as he faces forces beyond comprehension.

Ending Explained

As The Wailing reaches its climax, the desperate policeman Jong-goo is left grappling with mounting confusion and terror as his daughter’s condition worsens. The story’s supernatural elements intensify, blurring the line between reality and hallucination. Jong-goo is torn between trusting the enigmatic shaman and the mysterious woman in white, each offering conflicting warnings about the true source of evil. Ultimately, Jong-goo’s attempts to save his daughter lead him to confront the stranger, but his actions are manipulated by forces beyond his understanding. In the final moments, Jong-goo discovers too late that he has been deceived; the stranger is revealed to be a malevolent entity, and the shaman complicit in the evil plaguing the village. Jong-goo returns home only to find his family destroyed, with his daughter succumbing to the possession. The film closes on a note of tragic ambiguity, leaving the fate of the village uncertain and underscoring the devastating consequences of fear, mistrust, and the inability to discern true evil amidst chaos.