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Films & Directors


My two pennies worth on film: Directors, Genres and my personal baftas

Directors
Park Chan-wook
Having seen his four readily available films, I find Lady Vengeance the most readily accessible; hilarious at times but also very thought provoking. All of four are of course extremely powerful and must-sees. His pre-JSA films are not to my knowledge currently available on DVD, but his two shorts, Cut (Part of Three… Extremes aka Three, Monster) and N.E.P.A.L. (a disturbing documentary about a migrant worker, part of a gripping set of six short films If you were me) are well worth seeking out. His 2006 film I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK, has been poorly received at the box office and is not yet available on DVD.

Kim Ki-duk
It’s difficult to discern a common thread through some of Kim’s inventive work. People focus on his negative attitude to women and sometimes his cruelty to animals. One thing which is important is his sense of location, a thing which Kim emphasised as his first priority in a recent interview for Jonathan Ross’s Asian Invasion program on Korean film. Films such as The Isle and Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring are obvious examples of this, but his selection of the various houses visited by the couple at the centre of 3-Iron is also very careful. Link to koreanfilm.org Kim Ki-duk page

Hong Sang-soo
I wish I could like his films more; but his deadpan, downbeat style leaves me thinking about how uncomfortable my seat is rather than the film itself. I shall return to these films because a lot of people for whom I have a lot of respect think highly of Hong’s work. The first one I’ll return to is A Virgin Stripped Bare by her Batchelors (aka Oh! Soojung), which Rashomon-style tells the story of a typically (for Hong) inconclusive love affair from different angles. Darcy’s site has a section devoted to this director.

Im Kwon-taek
Known as the father of Korean cinema, he’s now directed 99 films (it might be 100 by now). Best known in the west for his period work, many of his films have been milestones in the history of Korean cinema. Best known are probably Surrogate Mother (Ssibaji), Sopyonje, Chunhyang and Chihwaeseon. I’m looking forward to getting his gangster saga Son of a General.

Genres

Korean film covers all the genres, and in many cases bends the genres. Recommendations in some of the key genres are as follows:

Spooky films
Recent years have seen a fair number of spooky / ghostly / vaguely supernatural films. My favourites have been Tale of Two Sisters and Memento Mori.

Melodrama
Korea also seems to specialise in weepy romances which are often doomed to frustration. Reasons for this rather unsatisfactory state of affairs are typically because one or both of the not-to-be happy couple are suffering from a mysterious disease, or there’s something which comes between them (such as a two years in the case of one innovative time-warp romance). They’re a great way of whiling away a rainy afternoon. Recommendations of this genre include Christmas in August, The Classic, Il Mare, and One Fine Spring Day.

Cops & Gangsters
Every national film industry churns out its fair share of crime movies. Recommendations from Korea include the outstanding Memories of Murder, the stylish Bittersweet Life and Nowhere to Hide, the hilarious No 3 and the important Friend.

Teen movies
Here the standout film is My Sassy Girl. I’m also quite fond of My Tutor Friend and Art Museum by the Zoo.

My own personal baftas go to: