Why does neither the mother nor the father nor the daughter in this family want to attend Roh Hee-Joon's funeral? All three of them knew the young man who committed suicide. All three of them had a special relationship with him, but each of them tries to hide this from the others.
A fast-paced montage introduces us to the family members and their peculiarities. The daughter has an obsession with death. She collects decomposing animals and spends her free time washing corpses before funeral ceremonies. The mother was brought up by strict grandparents who thwarted her ambitions for a career as a crime novelist, so now she's a frustrated teacher of literature. Her husband suppresses his true desires, but he still hasn't got over the death of his first lover. Roh Hee-Joon filled a gap in the lives of all three of them. He was a friend, an object of desire, a scapegoat and a reflection of their own needs. The suicide victim also has his say. Roh Hee-Joon recorded his strange experiences with the family in a novel he wrote.
The complex structure and absurd moments turn Members of the Funeral into a subtle family drama that looks deep inside this smallest of communities.
Anke Leweke
Production: Korean Academy of Film Arts, Seoul
Screenplay: Baek Seung-Bin
Camera: Lim Kyung-Woo
Cast: Lee Ju-Seung, Yoo Ha-Bok, Park Myung-Shin, Kim Byul, Kim Won-Sik
Format: HDCam, Color
Running Time: 100 min.
Language: Korean
