Following the short films Summer at Horlachen(1999) and I’ll Wait on You Hand and Foot(2000), The Longing is the last in the series of the director’s films on desire. It is also the director’s first feature-length film. In a quiet village in Germany there lives priest Johannes, who is like a dictator of the village, and his wife Lena, his virtual maid. One day a mysterious car repairman called Paul appears in the village. Thus begins this film about (marital) obligations, love, desires, and crime. What is most striking about this film is the actors; they wear expressionless faces and engage in endless dry conversations. Thus, the film feels restrained throughout. But interestingly enough, such restraints create a strange sense of tension. And in the end such restraints contribute in not only expressing the desolate inner selves of the main characters, but also the harshness of the world itself. Perhaps the title already reveals the final decision of Lena. Nevertheless, the ending promises to give a great catharsis to the audience. (Jeon chan-il)