Sang-Hyun is a priest whose religious calling takes him to Africa to assist victims of a mysterious virus. As he himself succumbs to the illness, he is saved by a blood transfusion which has tragic consequences. Transformed into a vampire, he tries his very best not to kill, but an illicit love affair means that his morals are severely compromised.
Reviews
“A fresh, surprising take on an old, old story (and an overpopulated subgenre) that holds the attention with deadly wit. ****” Kim Newman, Empire
“Are you hungering for that rare vampire movie with serious intellectual heft, ravishing undead, biting passion and a healthy splash of irony as well as iron in all that spilled red blood? Wait no longer, Korean auteur Park Chan-wook’s Thirst should satisfy.” Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times
“Blending plot elements of Double Indemnity and Natural Born Killers with the ripe sensuality of Francis Coppola’s take on Dracula, the film has made festival critics sit up in startled pleasure, as if they’d just received the most luscious neck-bite.” Richard Corliss, Time
Awards
Cannes Film Festival ’09 – WINNER
– Jury Prize (Chan-wook Park)