Also known as Hotel Lake, Lingering is a South Korean haunted house film that explores dysfunctional families and the secrets that they harbour. Yoo-mi (Se-yeong Lee) is called in to take care of her younger half-sister. The pair haven’t seen each other in years, having lost all lines of communication after their mother died. Now thrown together, Yoo-mi struggles to cope and so she seeks out help from a family friend. As the sisters try to heal the rift between them, they find themselves haunted by ghosts of the past, both literal and figurative.
Lingering attempts to be more complex than it needs to be, and in trying to create an overly intricate interwoven and textural tale, it instead makes a muddled mess. Plot elements and characters seem to change from one scene to the next and keeping a handle on what is actually happening becomes quite a challenge for the audience. There are films where this narrative approach works, but Lingering would benefit from a more pared down and simplistic structure. Director and writer Yoon Een-Kyoung seems so preoccupied with telling such a twisty story that opportunities to create atmosphere and suspense are squandered. There are several scare sequences that could be genuinely nerve-shredding were the audience able to fully experience them without trying to piece together what exactly is happening and why.
Given the strange construct of the plot, the cast have a much harder job than necessary. Once the mild bewilderment at quite what is happening sets in, it is the actors that hold everything together. It might be a little confusing as to what Lingering is trying to say and showcase specifically, but you’ll still be entertained by some committed and compelling performances.
Visually, Lingering looks the part, Yoon Een-Kyoung infusing the hotel setting with a suitably sumptuous appearance. The interiors are shot with low lighting, scattering shadows everywhere, which works to unsettle the viewer. These interiors contrast well with the bright and bold exteriors that offer relief from all the darkness. The building reeks of loneliness and isolation, and has the occasional echo of The Overlook to it. It never quite reaches the same heights as Kubrick and King’s creation though, never quite becoming a character of its own merits.
In the wake of some fantastic South Korean offerings this year, Lingering has a lot to live up to. Since Parasite scooped up the Academy Award for Best Picture, people are paying closer attention to films coming out of the country. It’s great in terms of generating an audience and pushing up Western viewership numbers, but the pressure to replicate the success of Bong Joon-ho is a lot for any film to cope with and Lingering isn’t going to set the world alight. It’s a well made film, with some nice sets, costumes and production values, but lacks that extra something to give it some umph.
Lingering is available on Shudder from 12th November 2020.
Lingering
Summary
Peppered with good intent and some strong, though not fully formed, concepts, Lingering bites off much more than it can chew – the result – a stylish, but slightly limp movie.
