A Relaxing Movie to Put On: 'The Exorcist's Memoir'

On January 19th, the movie 'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman' (천박사의 퇴마 연구소: 설경의 비밀) will start streaming on Netflix. This movie was released in South Korea during the 2023 Chuseok season. Chuseok is a holiday that originated from the harvest festival in Korea, a traditionally agrarian society, where people offered sacrifices to the gods after harvesting. In modern times, it has evolved into a period for families to take vacations. If you were to find a similar period in the West, it would probably be New Year's Day and this Chuseok.**

Being a movie targeting family audiences during the Chuseok holiday, 'Dr. Cheon' is filled with settings and actors familiar to Koreans. First, the protagonist of this movie, 'Dr. Cheon', is played by Gang Dong-won.** He is one of the actors with numerous box-office hits in Korea. Also, Dr. Cheon is a shaman based on Korean traditional beliefs, with the setting of hunting down ghosts that torment humans.undefined

The antagonist of this movie, 'Beomcheon' (played by Heo Jun-ho), is hunting down shamans living in Korea to steal their powers in order to gain eternal life. The protagonist, Dr. Cheon, lost his family to Beomcheon, and since then, he has lived without believing in the existence of ghosts and shamans. Instead, he pretends to perform exorcisms and makes a lot of money through scams.** However, one day, Dr. Cheon receives a request to exorcise a girl possessed by a truly mysterious power.undefined

The source of the mysterious power tormenting the young girl is none other than Beomcheon. Dr. Cheon wanted to back out, but he accepts the job because of the 100 million won offered by the girl's older sister. However, this decision plunges Dr. Cheon and his friend into a difficult battle. Beomcheon has been tracking down the last descendant of the Cheon family, his nemesis. Dr. Cheon must awaken the shamanistic abilities he has been suppressing in order to survive Beomcheon and save the world.**undefined

This movie achieved a decent box office performance during the 2023 Chuseok season but fell slightly short of breaking even. The reviews from critics were also not favorable. In particular, Dr. Cheon's character is significantly different in the beginning and end of the film, and this transition is not explained within the narrative. This is reportedly due to the movie's failure to reconcile the original manga's settings with the movie's original settings during the adaptation process.undefined

Still, this movie can be a good choice for a casual Netflix watch. If you were to ask who in Korea could play a Marvel hero, Gang Dong-won would be the first to come to mind. He charmingly portrays a sly Korean shaman version of Doctor Strange.** Also, the various magical elements displayed by the shamans are visually well-executed. The comedy interspersed throughout the movie is quite entertaining, giving it a lighthearted feel compared to the serious plot. Jisoo of Blackpink makes a cameo appearance in a minor role.undefined

This movie will be available on Netflix on January 19th.