White: The Melody of the Curse – Review

Girl group “Pink Dolls” is always pushed into the background by other popular idols. When the girls release their new song “White” – a remake from unknown origins they become instant sensations. The four members of “Pink Dolls” include Eun-Joo, a former breakdancer, Jenny, a singer insecure with hitting high notes, A-Rang, a singer addicted to plastic surgery, and Shin-Ji who can’t sing, but is good at rappng and singing. As the group becomes more and more popular, jealousy and competitiveness increases as all the girls’ tries to become the lead singer. But, when a member becomes the lead singer that person falls victim to a horrible accident, one by one. Eun-Joo then realizes that the song “White” is cursed and she attempts to reveal the secret.

Focusing on two aspects that should appease the commercial crowd—k-pop and horror—White: The Melody of the Curse doesn’t necessarily attempt to break any new ground in terms elevating the horror genre—but then again, does it have to? With acclaimed indie directors Kim Gok & Kim Sun at the helm and a cast that includes real-life singer Eun Jung (of South Korean girl group T-ara), a pop-centered soundtrack, and plenty of scary “boo” moments throughout, White is a film that attempts to please both the k-pop crowd and horror crowd, in the end providing an awkward juxtaposition that doesn’t successfully accommodate either. What we are presented with is an odd mixture of themes that can be seen in director Darren Aronosky’s Black Swan (2010) and Hideo Nakata’s Ringu (1998), with the latter film being highly influential in regards to many Korean horror films in the last decade, and as such, this film as well. Throughout the film’s running time we are presented with a longhaired ghost woman, an old videotape that contains a cursed song and even bizarre Final Destination-esque accidents—all inclusions that have been done better in previous films.

Despite the rather banal handling of the elements of horror within White: The Melody of the Curse, it does somewhat rescue itself from being a complete disappointment by exploring the dynamics of the music industry in a rather authentic light—although rather superficially. While the premise of inner-group rivalry and domineering management is something that does indeed happen within the industry—in many cases often leading to devastating consequences, as the film points out—it remains an aspect that raises it above being simply a clichéd horror film. It was interesting to see the development and deterioration of the pop group as a whole, with each member vying for the number one spot of being the main lead. With the rather drastic measures one goes to in order to be attain such a position, the film doesn’t hold back in showing the cruelty that coincides with being the lead singer in a pop group. This is especially shown in the character Eun-Joo, played here by Eun Jung. Faced with the task of being the oldest member of the group, she is ridiculed and bullied, with other members of the group going as far as labeling her has-been that is weighing the group down. Seeing her character transform from being a victim to one who takes control of her destiny is both surprising and disturbing to witness, and is an aspect of the film that would’ve worked out incredibly well minus the elements of horror being thrown in.

As such, White: The Melody of the Curse is a film that works quite well in the delivering the group dynamics that dominant the Korean pop industry, but unfortunately saddles it with cliché elements of horror that don’t necessarily support its premise. If more time was given towards exploring the rivalry between the group members—and if the horror elements lessened—the film would have provided a more satisfying look into the music industry as a whole. As for where it currently stands, White: The Melody of the Curse isn’t an awful film, just one that is seemingly puzzled as to what it wants to accomplish: is it a horror, an authentic look at the vicious nature of the music industry, or perhaps both? Hopefully directors Kim Gok & Kim Sun brush off the rather trite elements of horror for their next film, if only to remedy the cumbersome narrative sadly found here.