Thirst (Korean: 박쥐; literally "bat") is a 2009 horror film written, produced and directed by Park Chan-wook.

Based on the 1867 novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola,[5] the film stars Song Kang-ho as Sang-hyun, a Catholic priest who turns into a vampire as a result of a failed medical experiment, and falls in love with Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin), the wife of his childhood friend (Shin Ha-kyun).

It received generally positive reviews from critics and won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it was also nominated for the Palme d'Or.

He is well respected for his unwavering faith and dedicated service, but he secretly suffers from feelings of doubt and sadness.

Although the experiment fails, and Sang-hyun is infected with the seemingly fatal disease, he makes a complete and rapid recovery after receiving a blood transfusion.

News of his marvelous recovery quickly spreads among the devout parishioners of Sang-hyun's congregation, and they begin to believe that he has a miraculous gift for healing.

At first, Sang-hyun feels a newfound vigor but soon he is aghast to find himself drinking blood from a comatose patient.

Desperately trying to avoid committing a murder, Sang-hyun resorts to stealing blood transfusion packs from the hospital.

Upon waking from a nap in the car, Tae-ju realizes that Sang-hyun has driven to a desolate field with no cover from the imminent dawn.

[8] Park further developed the film's story with co-writer Chung Seo-kyung while the two collaborated on Lady Vengeance and I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK.[8] Once greenlit, Thirst became the first Korean feature made with both Korean and U.S. studio funding and distribution, with CJ Entertainment and Focus Features partnering on the film's production.

The site's critics consensus reads, "The stylish Thirst packs plenty of bloody thrills to satisfy fans of both vampire films and director Chan Wook Park.

[12] IGN's Joe Utichi awarded the film three-and-a-half out of five stars and said "Thirst may not be the greatest vampire movie ever made, but Park's willingness to try something different makes it a decidedly fresh take on the genre.

"[13] On 3 May, Thirst debuted at #1 at the South Korean Box office and grossed ₩1,174,224,500 the first day and ₩4,369,977,022 for that three-day weekend.