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Sovereign Violence: Ethics and South Korean Cinema in the New Millennium

South Korea is home to one of the most vibrant film industries in the world today, producing movies for a strong domestic market that are also drawing the attention of audiences worldwide. This book presents a comprehensive analysis of some of the most well-known and incendiary South Korean films of the millennial decade from nine major directors. Building his analysis on contemporary film theory and philosophy, as well as interviews and other primary sources, Steve Choe makes a case that these often violent films pose urgent ethical dilemmas central to life in the age of neoliberal globalization.

Steve Choe is an Associate Professor in the School of Cinema at San Francisco State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Peppermint Candy (1999), Lee Chang-dong

  1. Unredeemable Images: Bad Guy (2001), Kim Ki-duk; Address Unknown (2001), Kim Ki-duk; Capitalist Manifesto (2003), Gok Kim and Sun Kim
  2. Love Your Enemies: JSA (2000), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), and Oldboy (2003), Park Chan-wook
  3. Male Repetitions: Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors (2000), Woman is the Future of Man (2004), and The Day He Arrives (2011), Hong Sang-soo
  4. The Face and Hospitality: N.E.P.A.L.: Never Ending Peace and Love (2003), Park Chan-wook; Time (2006) and 3-Iron (2004), Kim Ki-duk
  5. Aporias of Forgiveness: Secret Sunshine (2007), Lee Chang-dong; Lady Vengeance (2005), Park Chan-wook
  6. Compromises of Cinema: Memories of Murder (2003), Bong Joon-ho; Thirst (2009) and I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok (2006), Park Chan-wook
  7. Aftershocks of the Korean Wave: Poetry (2010), Lee Chang-dong; I Saw the Devil (2010), Kim Ji-woon; The Housemaid (2010), Im Sang-soo

Source: publisher’s website

Entry on Goodreads.com here.

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