The family at the center of Kim Jee Woon’s “The Quiet Family” can be described in many more ways than just that: try brutal, slightly psychotic and definitely socially challenged. Dubbed a “ruthless comedy” by Kim (who also directed “A Tale of Two Sisters,” which is currently in limited release in some U.S. cities), the film shows how one family attempts to cover up the deaths of three lodgers who commit suicide at their mountain inn. And as the pile of dead bodies grows in the countryside, it is hard to contain the nervous chuckles elicited by the movie’s crazy turn of events.

NOT A NORMAL KOREAN FAMILY

The Kangs are not the stereotypical Korean family running a small business. For one, Tae Gu is an overbearing father of questionable morals. For him, covering up the suicides is pure business. (Who would want to spend the night where someone killed himself? It’s bad for business. Duh!) His wife seems normal enough, but Tae Gu’s brother (played by Choi Min Sik of “Shiri” and “Old Boy”) likes to play by choking the younger daughter, Mi Na (played by Go Hyo Gyoung), with a belt. Mi Su, the older daughter, primps for any man who passes through, and the son, Yeong Min (Song Kang Ho of “Joint Security Area”), gets his kicks from peeking in on lodgers having sex.

So when the death toll starts snowballing, the family keeps making irrational decisions that lead to more mayhem and murder. And handling dead bodies hardly fazes this family.

THE MYSTERY CHARACTER

Director Kim has worked many eccentric details into “The Quiet Family,” heightening the tension and laughter. For one, time is irrelevant, except that characters only die at night. Music is only sprinkled into the scenes when the graves are being dug. And for some reason, Mi Na is kept unaware of all the deaths.

Or is she? Mi Na is a mystery through the entire film. She never comes across a single body, but she is always awake around the time of each death. Every murder scene is set up by showing where each family member is situated in the inn. While most are dozing off or doing household chores, Mi Na always seems to sense something horrible is about to happen. Or maybe she is sensing a different set of events at the inn all together.

DON’T TRY TO EXPLAIN IT …

“The Quiet Family” was the sixth most-watched Korean film in 1998, which proved to be a year of transition for South Korean cinema. Although ticket sales were down overall due to the International Monetary Fund crisis, many talented directors made their debuts that year, and in the following year, the Korean movie industry would change dramatically with the success of “Shiri.” Kim, who also made his debut in 1998, managed to separate himself from the pack with this Hitchcock-like film.