The Rise of Korean Films | School of English Alumni

by Jisu Bang

In the past few years, a dramatic shift has occurred in the global film industry. Instead of Hollywood movies, many notable Korean films have become what we might label ‘mainstream’. Consider Parasite, receiving four different awards at the 2019 Academy Awards. It could be argued that Korean motion pictures, in particular, have expanded their range of influence on a global scale.

What has led to the rise of Korean films? Which recent works should we watch in greater detail to explain their success? Below are five Korean films that have received worldwide recognition for their cinematographic excellence. Perhaps what they have in common, or what they have done unconventionally, suggests a new trend in the film industry.

Parasite (2019)

Parasite arguably marked the golden age of Asian cinema by being the first non-English-language film to win the Best Picture Award at the Academy Awards, along with three other titles. By incorporating his trademark cinematographic techniques, Bong Joon-ho, the director of Parasite, visually juxtaposes two different social classes in great detail: the use of lighting to control the tone of the two families; the adjustment of framing to show the families from either an upper or lower angle; and the placement of staircases to create a physical barrier between the two. Such artistic devices, along with several moments of comedy throughout, allow the audience to gradually think about the more profound message of the movie – its critique of capitalism.

Subtitles have also played a major role in the global success of Parasite. Being a black comedy thriller film with a heavy focus on the sociocultural side of South Korea, the movie is filled with nuanced lines that initially seemed difficult to convey in another language. Behind the scenes was Darcy Paquet, with whom Bong has worked since 2003. The American movie critic was responsible for producing the English subtitles, which have been praised for their flexible translation – maintaining the core message without using clunky direct translations.

Broker (2022)

Broker is a Korean movie written and produced by the Japanese film director Hirokazu Koreeda. The collaboration between the two countries perhaps makes the work a great tribute to contemporary Asian film. Portraying the heavy motif of the black market in adoption in a different light, Broker is a heartwarming drama that questions the meaning of family.

The cinematographic calibre of Broker has been proven at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Moreover, the South Korean actor Song Kang-ho, who starred in Broker as Sang-yeon, also won the Best Actor Award at the same event. Besides Song, the movie features other well-renowned Korean movie stars, including Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona, Lee Ji-eun (also known as IU), and Lee Joo-young.

Decision to Leave (2022)

Directed by Park Chan-wook, one of the greatest Asian film producers, and Bong Joon-ho, Decision to Leave is a romantic mystery film that captures the tense relationship between an unusual detective investigating a man’s death and the dead man’s wife. The movie appears to incorporate the colors of Alfred Hitchcock, whom Park has openly described as his source of inspiration, and they include the nature of voyeurism, romance between a detective and his suspect, and forbidden love between the two characters. The film also portrays elements from the Swedish crime novel series Martin Beck, especially in characterizing different roles.

Critics and reviewers have praised the film for many reasons, one being the harmony between the South Korean actor Park Hae-il and the Chinese actress Tang Wei. Although the individual acting skills of both movie stars have been well-recognized for years, their collaborative achievement in Decision to Leave seems crucial as it has opened the door to more cross-border productions.

A Taxi Driver (2017)

A Taxi Driver is a historical drama based on a true story depicting the Gwangju Uprising. This is primarily achieved through the interaction between Kim Sabok, a taxi driver from Seoul, and Jürgen Hinzpeter, a German reporter who wanted to reveal the terror and violence of the Chun Doo-hwan administration. As one of the few films to reach an audience of 10 million people in South Korea and having been nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Academy Awards, the movie has been recognized by both South Korean and international audiences for adroitly balancing historical accuracy and the incorporation of fictional elements.

A Taxi Driver was released in 2017, the year when the Candlelight Demonstrations against the Park Geun-hye administration took place in Korea. The film’s representation of the impassioned youth of 1980s Korea resembled the young participants of the 2017 protest, eliciting sympathy for the latter while also inviting the audience to think about the contribution and sacrifice of the older generation to preserve the democratic values of the country.

Escape from Mogadishu (2021)

Escape from Mogadishu is also based on real events that occurred during the Somali Civil War. The film is set in 1991, when both South Korea and North Korea struggled to gain membership to the United Nations. It depicts an attempt by North and South Korean embassy workers to escape from Mogadishu — the epicentre of the ongoing Somali Civil War. Although it is an action film, the tension and emotional conflict between the South and North Korean characters, who prioritize their needs and political beliefs in the face of this life-threatening event, is a crucial focal point.

Escape from Mogadishu was originally intended for release in 2020, but was eventually postponed due to the pandemic, and finally opened to the public in the summer of 2021. Some South Korean critics describe the movie as the revival of Korean cinema, as it was one of the first films released after the reopening of theaters, achieving great success at the same time. As of May 2022, the film has received 25 awards at different award ceremonies, including the Buil Film Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards, and Baeksang Arts Award, thereby demonstrating the approval of both the public and critics who have anticipated its release for over a year prior to its premiere.