Tristes Tropiques (koreanische, englische, chinesische, japanische & Thai OmeU) // 40. Fantasy Filmfest // Deutschlandpremiere // Director’s Spotlight

Tristes Tropiques

The Master is dead! But who eliminated the legendary elite hitman, Sage of the Jungle? The entire underworld is pointing fingers at one another and trying to fill the resulting power vacuum with uncompromising ruthlessness. On top of that, a group of young professional killers is slaughtering its way through the ranks of the mafia: Sage raised them from childhood to be his loyal private army. Now they know only merciless revenge for their “father and god.”

By the movie’s midpoint, the majority of the main characters—as well as a whole legion of supporting characters—have already been shot, blown up, and hacked to pieces. And this storm of lead and steel only keeps getting more intense! There’s no question about it: one of the true giants of South Korean spectacular cinema is in the director’s chair here. As a screenwriter, Park Hoon-jung treated us to the serial-killer masterpiece *I SAW THE DEVIL* (Fantasy Filmfest 2011) and, as writer-director of the mafia epic NEW WORLD (Fantasy Filmfest 2013), two of the most powerful thriller epics in our festival’s history. The mystery-action whirlwind THE WITCH: SUBVERSION (Fantasy Filmfest 2019) was a three-million-ticket blockbuster in its home country. With TRISTES TROPIQUES, Park once again proves himself to be in top form, delivering mesmerizing imagery, an unconventional narrative structure, and fight sequences whose sensational pace is unparalleled.

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The master is dead! But who took down the legendary elite hitman Sage of the Jungle? The entire underworld turns on itself, with each faction blaming the others while trying to fill the resulting power vacuum with uncompromising brutality. On top of that, a group of young professional killers is carving its way through the ranks of the mafia: Sage raised them from childhood as his obedient private army. Now, all they know is merciless revenge for their “father and god.”

By the halfway point, most of the main characters, along with a whole host of supporting characters, have already been shot down, blown up, and hacked to pieces. And the storm of bullets and steel only gets more intense! There is no question that one of the true giants of spectacular South Korean cinema is in the director’s chair. As a screenwriter, Park Hoon-jung gave us the serial-killer masterpiece *I SAW THE DEVIL* (Fantasy Filmfest 2011), and as both writer and director, the mafia epic *NEW WORLD* (Fantasy Filmfest 2013)—two of the most powerful thriller epics in our festival’s history. The mystery-action juggernaut THE WITCH: SUBVERSION (Fantasy Filmfest 2019) was a blockbuster that sold three million tickets in its home country. With *TRISTES TROPIQUES*, Park once again proves himself to be at the very top of his game, delivering fascinating imagery, an unconventional narrative structure, and fight sequences whose breathtaking speed is simply unparalleled.

Film: Tristes Tropiques (South Korea 2025)
Director: Park Hoon-jung
Cast: Lee Sin-young, Park Yu-rim, Kim Myung-min, Chen Yi-Wen, Wang Po-Chieh, Park Hae-soo, Austin Lin
Screenplay: Park Hoon-jung
Runtime: 107 min
Language versions: Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai (original with English subtitles)

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