A dysfunctional family's heart of darkness is laid bare in the grimly humorous and then just plain grim meller Members of the Funeral. Feature bow by Baek Seung-bin heralds a dark wit and sleek intelligence guided by a creatively secure humility. A standout from the substandard HD fodder that generally clogs up Pusan's New Currents competish and so-called cutting-edge fests, Funeral is quietly riveting. A tad too restrained for midnight sidebars or commercial release, pic possesses an intensity that should secure fest berths.
The film is inspired by the true-to-life story of the discovery of the long-lost “Opus 28” manuscript from Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen, originally performed in 1909 by Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow, to whom the piece was dedicated.
When grief-stricken Mareta (Anapela Polataivao) takes a substitute teaching role at an elite prep school, she forms a choir to unite the privileged yet disconnected students. As they prepare for an all-school competition, her passion for life is reignited