Revelations (2025 film)

Revelations
Promotional release poster
Hangul
계시록
Hanja
啓示錄
RRGyesirok
MRKyesirok
Directed byYeon Sang-ho
Screenplay by
  • Yeon Sang-ho
  • Choi Gyu-seok
Based on
Revelations
by
  • Yeon Sang-ho
  •     Choi Gyu-seok
Produced byAlfonso Cuarón
Starring
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • March 21, 2025 (2025-03-21)
Running time
122 minutes[1]
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Revelations (Korean계시록) is a 2025 South Korean mystery thriller film written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho and co-writer Choi Gyu-seok, based on their own webtoon of the same name.[2][3] Produced under Wow Point, it stars Ryu Jun-yeol and Shin Hyun-been.[4] The film was released on Netflix on March 21, 2025.[5]

Plot

A pastor who believes that punishing criminals is a divine revelation, and a detective in charge of a missing persons case who is haunted by visions of her deceased sister. A story of individuals pursuing their own beliefs.

Sung Min-chan is a priest whose wife cheats with another priest. To make matter worse, the priest whom his wife is having the affair with turned out to be the son of a bishop and he is promoted to be the head priest of a newly established church. One day, a pedophile on parole named Yang-rae comes to Min-chan's church and has his eyes on a girl. Min-chan grows suspicious of him after seeing his ankle monitor. After the church session, his wife frantically calls him that their son has gone missing. Min-chan researches Yang-rae and learns of his criminal activities, which causes him to panic that Yang-rae might have kidnapped his son.

Min-chan tails Yang-rae and discovers that he is preparing digging tools to bury someone or something. Min-chan confronts him and discovers that his van is empty with his son no where to be found. Thinking he has misjudged Yang-rae, he comes back to his car only for Yang-rae to attack him. In a struggle, Min-chan accidentally pushes Yang-rae off the cliff to his death. His wife calls him and reveals that his son is safe and has been invited to his friend's house the entire time. Shocked that he has killed an innocent man, Min-chan prepares to call the police and surrender himself but he sees the face of Jesus Christ appears in a flash of lighting. Convinced that God has given him the divine task to punish sinner like Yang-rae, he burries Yang-rae's body. Meanwhile, Lee Yeon-hee, a homicide detective whose sister was raped by Yang-rae and committed suicide is tasked to find a missing child who is suspected to be kidnapped by Yang-rae.

The Bishop learns about his son's affair with Min-chan's wife and ashamed that his son has committed a grave sin in the Ten Commandments and decides to pass over his promotion to Min-chan instead. Seeing that his good fortune is a reward from God for his deed, he confronts his wife and she confesses everything. After that, he and wife drive to a nursing home in a countryside for a religious event. In the nursing home, Min-chan is shocked that Yang-rae is still alive and is undergone treatment. Convinced that God gives Yanh-rae a chance to live for punishment, Min-chan sneaks Yang-rae out of the nursing home and torture him. Yang-rae reveals that he has indeed kidnapped a child and refuses to divulge her location. Yeon-hee investigates and stumps upon the place where Yang-rae is imprisoned but she is knocked out by Min-chan. Min-chan intends to kill Yang-rae as sacrifice to God while Yeon-hee urges him not to since he is the only who knows where the kidnapped girl is but Min-chan convinces that the kidnapped child is dead. Yeon-hee breaks free and fights Min-chan. Yang-rae tries to escape but falls to his death from the building but not before giving the clue of the kidnapped child to Yeon-hee. Min-chan is arrested by the police and during interrogation, he justifies his actions as the divine will of God. It is also reveled that Min-chan suffers from pareidolia and apophenia. Eventually, Yeon-hee figures out that the kidnapped child is imprisoned in Yang-rae's old home and rescue her. In prison, Yeon-hee informs Min-chan that he was wrong about the death of the girl but he refuses to believe her.

Cast

  • Ryu Jun-yeol as Sung Min-chan
  • Shin Hyun-been as Lee Yeon-hee
  • Shin Min-jae as ex-convict Yang-rae
  • Han Ji-hyun as Lee Yeon-joo
  • Kim Bo-min as Shin A-young
  • Kim Do-young as Lee Nak-seong
  • Moon Joo-yeon as Lee Si-young
  • Bae Yoon-gyu as So Eun-gyu
  • Oh Chi-woon as Team leader
  • Woo Kang-min as Section chief

Production

Development

Director Yeon Sang-ho, who directed Train to Busan (2016), and produced by Alfonso Cuarón, who directed Roma (2018), teamed up while Wow Point managed the production of the film.[6][7][8]

Casting

In 2023, both Ryu Jun-yeol and Shin Hyun-been were reportedly cast and positively reviewing it.[9]

Filming

Principal photography of the film commenced in April 2024, and filming ended in June of the same year.[10]

Release

The film was made available to stream exclusively on Netflix on March 21, 2025.[11]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10.[12]

James Marsh of South China Morning Post gave it a rating of 2/5 and criticized the film.[13] JK Sooja of Common Sense Media awarded the film 3/5 stars.[14] Giovanni Lago of Next Best Picture gave it a rating of 6/10 and called it "disjointed".[15]

References

  1. ^ "Revelations". BBFC. March 21, 2025.
  2. ^ Byung-yeul, Baek (February 4, 2025). "Netflix unveils 2025 lineup filled with Korea-made shows, movies". The Korea Times.
  3. ^ "Netflix to Release Webtoon-Based Revelations Film Produced by Alfonso Cuarón". Anime News Network. March 6, 2025. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  4. ^ Chin, Carmen (February 24, 2025). "Watch the intense teaser for Netflix's 'Revelations', starring Ryu Jun-yeol". NME.
  5. ^ Bernardo, Jaehwa (February 25, 2025). "Korean thriller 'Revelations' drops March 21 on Netflix". ABS-CBN.
  6. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (June 20, 2024). "'Train to Busan' Director Yeon Sang-ho Teams With Alfonso Cuarón for Netflix Thriller 'Revelations' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  7. ^ Merican, Sara (October 5, 2024). "Netflix Unveils 2025 Korean Film Slate, Including 'Revelations' & 'The Great Flood'". Deadline.
  8. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (March 21, 2025). "'Train to Busan' Director Yeon Sang-ho Explores Human Fragility With Alfonso Cuarón-Backed Netflix Film 'Revelations': 'Issues That Are Relevant in Korea Also Ring True for the Global Audience'". Variety.
  9. ^ 강, 다윤 (November 28, 2023). 신현빈·류준열, 연상호 감독 만날까…"'계시록' 검토 중" [공식입장]. MyDaily (in Korean).
  10. ^ 류준열, 신현빈과 '계시록' 촬영→'더 에이트 쇼' 공개‥본업 집중. newsen.com (in Korean). April 3, 2024.
  11. ^ Moon, Ki-hoon (February 25, 2025). "Yeon Sang-ho's 'Revelations' to be released on Netflix". The Korea Herald.
  12. ^ "Revelations". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  13. ^ Marsh, James (March 18, 2025). "Revelations: Ryu Jun-yeol leads Yeon Sang-ho's disappointing Netflix thriller". South China Morning Post.
  14. ^ Sooja, JK (March 22, 2025). "Revelations Movie Review". Common Sense Media.
  15. ^ Lago, Giovanni. ""REVELATIONS"". Next Best Picture. Retrieved March 19, 2025.