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When Mother (Lee Eun-woo) discovers that Father (Jo Jae-hyeon) is having an affair (the Other Woman is also played by Lee), she is enraged with jealousy and attacks him with a kitchen knife, intending to castrate him. He fights her off, and she attacks Son (Seo Yung-ju) instead, severing his penis and swallowing it. By this point, we’re about ten minutes into the new film from Kim

Ki-duk, the Korean auteur whose work ranges from the quiet and contemplative (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter . . . and Spring) to the demanding (The Isle) to the unclassifiable (Arirang). Over the course of Moebius’ remainder, equally shocking events regularly take place as the quartet falls apart and reconfigures, all told entirely without dialogue. While the context and execution is provocative, the film is serious in its intent, seeking to explore ideas of sexual jealousy and familial relationships. (Notes by Kevin Coyne.)

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★★★★ The Guardian  ★★★★ The Irish Times