These Forgotten Movies Could Change the Way You See South Korea

Unpacking gender inequality, border politics, and troubled youth through eight iconic films

9 min read

1 hour ago

Left of image, a Korean man in dark clothing frowns as he protects his ears from the cold with his hands. Behind him a cohort of five Santa Clauses look just as cold and a few of them carry instruments like a trombone and a guitar. There is a blue sky and there are bare trees in the background. — Depth of field. A still from Park Chan-wook’s Lady Vengeance (2005).

If you’re not wincing, weeping, or questioning modern morality, then you’re probably not watching a Korean film. They seem to possess a special power to shock the senses, in line with South Korea’s unique cultural identity.

Behind the colourful K-pop videos, and skincare prestige, lies a society founded on Confucian values, threatened by burnout, and powered by hyper-connectivity. What other nation could have produced the frenetic plot of Old Boy (2003), or the tragicomic airs of Parasite (2019) and Memories of Murder (2001)? These iconic titles from Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon Ho have set the bar for K-film, establishing their directors as auteurs of the highest order.

There are, however, countless movies that never made it over what Joon Ho himself called “the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles”, remaining unheard of overseas despite their domestic success. So when I moved to Seoul three months ago, I decided to learn more about my adopted home through a library of films that deserve a watch for what they reveal about Korean cinema and culture. Ranging from indie outliers to groundbreaking blockbusters, here are eight of my…