BA_Harrison After unsuccessfully trying for a baby, Dr. Kim Do-il (Jin-geun Kim) convinces his reluctant wife Choi Mi-sook (Hye-jin Shim) to visit the local orphanage, where they decide to adopt Jin-seong (Oh-bin Mun), a creepy young lad who draws disturbing Edvard Munch-style pictures (which wouldn't make him my first choice, but then perhaps I've seen way too many horror films). Once at his new home, their new son forms a strange attachment to the sickly acacia tree in the garden, and befriends the equally frail girl next door, Min-ji (Na-yoon Jeong).Mi-sook struggles to make Jin-seong feel wanted—a task made harder by her unsupportive mother, who openly voices her opinion that adoption was a mistake—but things go from bad to worse after Mi-sook discovers that she is pregnant. When the baby is born, Jin-seong feels rejected and starts to pose a threat to the new arrival, and, as family life becomes more strained, the boy's strange attachment to the acacia grows stronger. After an argument with his adoptive mother, Jin-Seong declares that the tree is his dead mother, and mysteriously disappears.With their adopted son missing, Kim Do-il and Choi Mi-sook's relationship rapidly breaks down. Meanwhile, Mi-sook's mother coughs up blood after an acacia bloom falls on her face and Kim Do-il's father is attacked and killed by the ants that guard the tree. Is the acacia really the reincarnation of Jin-seong's real mother, taking revenge on those who have wronged her son? And what is the sinister secret that eventually drives Mi-sook to homicidal madness?Trees can be pretty scary: the ominous tree outside the young boy's bedroom window in Poltergeist, the terrifying trees of The Evil Dead, the baby-eating tree in The Guardian, and even the grouchy apple trees in The Wizard of Oz—all of them decidedly unsettling. The acacia tree in this lacklustre K-horror is rather weak by comparison, striking out with flowers and insects… hardly the stuff of nightmares.The real horror of this film is not its titular tree, which actually looks rather tranquil and nonthreatening throughout, but rather the twist of fate and chain of events that ultimately results in tragedy and suffering—but it is all told at such a dull pace that it proves totally unengrossing. Director Ki-hyeong Park has clearly spent a lot of effort on making his film look as stylish as possible, delivering some admittedly striking imagery, but with such dreary storytelling, very little in the way of tension, and a muddled ending that required way more concentration and patience than I cared to give, Acacia leaves a lot to be desired.

Bezenby It seems to me like in the wake of tarnished US versions of cool Eastern horror the entire genre has been tainted. The original versions of The Grudge, Ring and Dark Water are classics, but these newer eastern horrors are not up to scratch at all...see this one, and Double Vision, for instance...Hey - if I went to an orphanage to pick a child, I'd pick the weirdest one too! Wouldn't anyone? Well, no...but the reason I would write down for getting an orphan would be more along the lines of 'must be able to go to off license' or 'must be silent at all times'. I'm sure if I went to the orphanage it could well be plausible that I would emerge with a kid, who even though he is good at drawing, thinks his dead mum has been reincarnated as a tree. Not even that - he thinks his mum is the acacia tree in his new family's back garden! And here starts the yawn fest that is Acacia. After half an hour I wasn't sure whether the film was supposed to be horror or not. Seriously. I was rather confused. It just seemed that there was this very moody kid, his neurotic new mother and crazed dad, and equally weird and annoying grandparents. The kid is too weird to like, but the family try anyway, even though all his affection goes to the acacia in the back garden. Surprise - a family grown babe arrives! Cue jealousy and weirdness, then the strange kid goes missing and the acacia tree starts killing people through it's leaves and protective ant army. Cue me starting to fall asleep, only to wake up to find the husband raping his wife for some reason (explained in the film, but I'll leave it out)... At one point the kid manages to:Set fire to a shed while being inside it and emerge unburned. His new mother doesn't even bother asking whyAnd also:The kid manages to break a glass patio door with a beetle. Explain that.Well, if you want to see something boring - feel free. I'd avoid to be honest.

miriad From the acclaim it got I was expecting more from a Korean horror if it's going to be viewed in the same caliber as A Tale of Two Sisters, as some other reviews have stated. This movie isn't in the same caliber except in budget spent on special effects. Think Amytiville horror. With a tree and sparse dialogue.If you're going to have a movie with limited dialogue, the plot line and characters have to carry the film. This film could have been told quite well in a 30 minute short film concept, 2 hours with a lot of staring at trees and terror scenes that make you not only not scared, but detract in a "What the..." sort of way does not a good horror movie make.Those people who are stating that this film gave them lasting impressions must literally have heart attacks when decent horror films lay it in.

cadillac20 While Acacia won't really wow anyone, it is a nice little film that is a bit surprising. Almost immediately there is a good establishment of creepiness, most of which comes from the excellent camera work and music. Then there is the little boy who was an excellent pick for the movie. The story is different from typical horror, but conforms to the typical Asian horror style of taking something average and making it into a nightmarish object of hell, in this case an Acacia tree in the backyard of a family.The story tells about a young couple who wish to have a child. Since they have been unsuccessful in making one, they decide to adopt. They take into their home a 10 year old boy with an obsession for trees. Once home, he immediately comes to love their dying Acacia tree in the backyard. However, almost immediately after he is brought home, strange things start to happen. And when the family does have a child of their own, it only gets worse.Yes, the movie is a bit slow, but there are enough familiar elements, and the story is interesting enough to warrant a complete viewing. Both the camera-work and the acting is excellent, as well as the direction. Some of the shots are noteworthy and the sense of horror here is both subdued and in the cheese arena. You might find yourself giggling at some of the scenes, but the by the end, you should find yourself with something that you have enjoyed. One other positive note is that this film isn't complicated. There may be a bit of confusion throughout, but by the end, it is a pretty clear story, something that seems to be a bit rare in Asian cinema. So, if you don't mind your Asian horror straight up, then you might wanna give this a try.