02/28/2026 Mort's Forren Film Report: The Fourth Week

For the month of February, our own Mort Stone will be taking on a slew of Foreign Films and reporting on them. I will be sharing the reviews daily on FB and will also share them in a weekly compilation here on the blog on Saturday evenings.

If you miss any posted on social media, just come back here on Saturday to catch next week's compilation!

Enjoy!

Day 21:

OLDBOY (2003)

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean

Genre: Action, Thriller

I saw the Spike Lee remake when it came out and thought it was a really good movie. I didn’t understand all the criticism and hate from the people who saw the original.

A guy who’s a bit of an asshole gets abducted and wakes up in a cell, where he is held captive for 15 years. He has no human contact, only a television for company, and he plots an escape. However, after being drugged, he wakes up as a free man, so he vows to track down his jailor and take revenge.

To be fair, having not seen the original, I will not say that the remake is bad. But it would be impossible to capture the same kind of magic in a copy.

This story is about loneliness, loss, grief, anger and, the burning question, the riddle. And believe me, if you don’t know the twist in this one, it will floor you.

Something about this one speaks to most people on a deeper level, simply because it isn’t about a hero or a good fighter or even a good person. Just a guy. And it will leave you with the age old question:

What would I do if I were him?

Unquestionably a Masterpiece.

10/10

Day 22:

BEDEVILLED (2010)

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean

Genre: Horror

This story is somewhat of an endurance test, especially for Western audiences, as to why she would allow so much to happen to her.

The Synopsis:

Hae-won works at a bank in Seoul until the day she witnesses an attempted murder. After an unexpected turn, she is forced to leave for a small and underdeveloped island.

I am going to make a comparison in feel – to DEATH WISH. However, that is where the similarities end. This is slower and there is very little action to speak of until the end of the movie, but the feeling of frustration and dislike of nearly all the characters.

But, for the depth of feeling this one invoked in me, I will remember it for a long time, even though it wasn’t a movie I particularly enjoyed watching.

Kudos to actress Seo Young-hee – watch her face change through the film, she manages to convey so much with her disappearing smile.

8/10

Day 23:

SPEAK NO EVIL (2022)

Countries: Denmark, Netherlands

Languages: English, Danish, Dutch

Genre: Psychological Horror Thriller

This one will make you say “Fuck you” to the director because the feeling of uneasiness will remain for a while, and I doubt the ending will ever stop haunting you.

A Danish family visits a Dutch family that they’d met while on vacation. But the Dutch family is not who they seemed to be.

I have not seen the remake, so I can’t judge, but it is the ending of this film (which was tweaked in the remake, if I understood correctly) that pushes it over the edge of bleakness and buys some permanent space in the dark side of your brain.

Don’t read up on it – I can tell you now that the feeling of unease builds up throughout the movie – and even though I told you it is bleak (which I also expected), it will still floor you.

An extremely challenging Masterpiece.

10/10

Day 24:

SORGOI PRAKOV / DESCENT INTO DARKNESS (2013)

Country: France

Language: Primarily French

Genre: Documentary style found footage horror.

This film is not for everybody. In fact, I think there will be some extreme fans that find this movie much too slow until the third act. But once you get there…

The synopsis:

A journalist from an Eastern European country arrives in Paris to start a tour of European capitals. His intention is to make a documentary about the European dream. Between fascination and difficulty of adaptation, Sorgoï struggles to complete his project, and his expedition drives him to a devastating state of madness.

There are two things they did extremely well in this one. The first is the lead role. The actor was absolutely perfect, especially considering how friendly and “innocent” he looks at the start.

The second is the journey into madness. You can feel yourself wanting to stop what is happening, because you know where this is going, yet you are an impotent bystander.

It ends up being a rough watch toward the end.

8/10

Day 25:

EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS / THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (2009)

Countries: Argentina, Spain

Language: Spanish

Genre: Crime Drama

I saw the remake of this movie a few years ago: SECRET IN THEIR EYES. For me, it was Julia Robert’s performance that overshadowed everybody else. When she discovers her daughter…chills.

The Synopsis:

Hoping to put to rest years of unease concerning a past case, retired criminal investigator Benjamín Espósito begins writing a novel based on the decades-old unsolved mystery of a newlywed's rape and murder. With the help of a former colleague, Judge Irene Menéndez Hastings, Benjamín attempts to make sense of the past. The journey through his memories sets Benjamín on a thrilling emotional path that leads to a shocking realization.

The American version had a lot of differences to the original, however they stuck to the twist. And my biggest regret is that I didn’t see this film first simply because the twist is one of the very best jaw-droppers ever.

If you have the option, watch both, but do this one first because it absolutely deserves to shock you.

10/10

Day 26:

THE WAILING (2016)

Country: South Korea

Languages: Korean, Japanese

Genre: Horror, Possession, Ghost

It took me about three goes to get this one started, because I didn’t quite connect to it at the start. But after about thirty minutes, it drew me in and held me for the rest of the movie.

The synopsis:

An officer investigates the outbreak of a deadly disease after his daughter is infected, unearthing horrifying secrets as he strives to protect her.

This one had me guessing through most of the movie. The moment you think you figure something out, something happens that makes you doubt yourself.

And I will be the first to admit that possession and ghost stories are not my favorite, but I loved this one.

Highly recommend

9.5/10

Day 27:

THE VANISHING (1988)

Countries: Netherlands, France

Languages: Dutch, French, English

Genre: Drama, Quiet Horror

I saw the remake when I was still in school, the one with Jeff Bridges, and I was much too young and immature to truly appreciate this story. I also can’t remember enough to compare the two movies.

A Dutch couple is on holiday in France and stop at a gas station. The girl disappears without a trace, but the man can’t leave it alone, and her search becomes his obsession. Three years later the killer makes contact and promises to take him to her. On their journey, the man tells about his own trials and errors before the abduction.

There is humor to be found in this movie, but I think people tend to forget how utterly dark this one goes. It might bore some people, as there isn’t blood and guts and action, but the horrifyingly realistic story makes this one a superb story told in a very unique way.

If you like your horror story driven, this is something you need to watch.

9/10

Day 28:

TITANE (2021)

Countries: France, Belgium

Language: French

Genre: Sci-fi Horror?

Right off the bat, I’m going to admit that this one didn’t work for my taste, but it might be because I am not sophisticated enough to enjoy the abstract element.

The synopsis:

A woman with a titanium plate fitted in her head and murderous intent on her mind embarks on a bizarre journey of identity and unconditional love when she's forced to go on the run.

There have been movies with abstract depictions and interweaving storylines that I have enjoyed (and loved). BLACK SWAN or MOTHER! comes to mind.

But this one just went too over the top for my taste. I could live with most of the story but the bizarre ending was just a little too much.

The acting was solid and I will say that there are probably a lot of people (who are smarter than me) that will love this film, but it isn’t something I can recommend for my personal taste.

4/10