Revelations

I admittedly had high hopes for Yeon Sang-ho’s “Revelations.” For one, “Train to Busan” and its sequel “Peninsula” are hell-raising zombie flicks that managed to put a new, adrenalized twist on the genre. Secondly, Alfonso Cuarón, the man behind “Roma” and “Children of Men,” is a producer here. But as I settled in and watched a crucible about an unforgiving cop and a zealous pastor confronting evil, I felt nothing. I didn’t feel curiosity, exaltation, dread or even spirituality. I simply felt cold. That sense of despondency isn’t altogether unintended. With “Revelations,” Yeon wants you to ruminate to the point of being hollowed out and drained before he provides any hope of deliverance. 

There are two parallel stories happening in Yeon’s slow-burn thriller, each suffering in isolation from the other. There’s the reckoning experienced by Pastor Sung Min-chan (Ryu Jun-yeol), a young, idealized clergyman beset by his wife’s infidelity and the grim prospects of a new megachurch opening in his neighborhood that may be led by the playboy son of his mentor. Both crises test the Pastor, inspiring an anxious fury when he believes Kwon Yang-rae (Shin Min-jae)—a recently released sex offender—might’ve kidnapped his son. Sung pursues Kwon, leading to violent consequences. Meanwhile, Detective Lee Yeon-hui (Shin Hyun-been)—whose sister was abducted by Kwon years ago—must suspend her desire for justice when the former criminal goes missing.