In honor of PARASITE taking the ultimate filmmaking prize (hooray!), here's a thread of some of my favorite Korean films for those of you who asked, and are looking to delve a little deeper into Korean cinema:
Gotta start with one of my favorite movies of all time, Kim Jee-woon's I SAW THE DEVIL. A brutally tense/weird cat & mouse between a cop and a killer. One of the few revenge tales that truly attempts to show just how hollow "an eye for eye" leaves us.
2018's BURNING. A sensual, disquieting, and ultimately shattering portrayal of class warfare and societal ennui that explodes into violence. (sound familiar?)
Before PARASITE, I think the best Bong Joon-ho film is MEMORIES OF MURDER. Neon just picked it up for a re-release, be on the lookout. Based on the true story of Korea's first reported serial murders. Every bit as frustrating/brilliant as ZODIAC, imo.
THE WAILING- a truly unsettling, epic horror movie about a small Korean province being haunted by a demon, and the cop who's in way over his head that's been tasked to solve the case.
KIm Ki-duk's SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING, a luminous story following a buddhist monk as he passes through the seasons of his life, from youth to old age. As beautiful and measured as any Ozu film.
SECRET SUNSHINE is a dark, beautiful movie about a grieving wife who tries to start again in her husband's hometown, only to have an even greater calamity befall her. Devastating, but so filled with grace.
THE VILLAINESS. An incredible, overlooked action movie that will make any John Wick fan swoon. Here's the opening fight scene. If this six minutes of glory doesn't sell you, I dunno what else to say.
BEDEVILED is a terrific, gory, thriller that again deals with class divisions and patriarchy in South Korea, and their societal impact, in a novel way. It's also a hell of a ride.
ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE is my fav of legend Hong Sang-soo's films. He's often compared to Ozu or Rohmer, but I'd actually compare him to Oliver Assayas. This, like many of his films, is a movie about filmmaking- but I think it's his most personal work.
TRAIN TO BUSAN was rightly praised when it came out as one of the most fun, inventive zombie flicks in a long time. The fact that the director, Yeon Sang-ho, was previously responsible for mostly self-funded animated dramas makes it even more of a miracle.
Finally, Park Chan-wook's VENGEANCE TRILOGY- SYMPATHY FOR MR VENGEANCE, OLDBOY, and LADY VENGEANCE- still tower above most of the thrillers made before or since. All three films are incredible.
If you like any of these movies, most of these directors are responsible for multiple classics- I didn't even get to THE HOST, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, THE HANDMAIDEN, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD, etc etc. But all of the movies I've listed are on iTunes, Blu-ray or streaming.
Also, if you're a fan of Korean cinema or from there, please enlighten me as to anything you think I should have mentioned! I'm only a dabbler and a fan, after all! Hope this was helpful!
