The Darker Side of Korean Cinema

Hey, remember Parasite? You know – the Korean dark comedy directed by Bong Joon Ho that won four Academy Awards? As well as being the only non-English film in history to win the Academy Award for Best Picture?

If you have watched Parasite, the film’s dark tone may have come as a bit of a surprise to some of you, considering we mostly know Korea for sickly sweet K-dramas such as Crash Landing on You (you can stop screaming now, fangirls), What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, and Descendants of the Sun.

That’s not to say romantic K-dramas are inferior. While they do contain many repetitive, annoying tropes, K-dramas are so successful because they are effectively written and, more often than not, of extremely high production value.

What we’re saying is that Korean filmmakers have always been masters of creating gritty, and often darkly-comedic films. If you liked Parasite, and are interested in exploring the darker side of Korean cinema, here are some of our recommendations for you to check out:

1. Oldboy (2003)

You simply can’t talk about Korean cinematic greats without mentioning Oldboy. Directed by the legendary Korean director Park Chan Wook, Oldboy tells the tale of Oh Dae Su, a guy who seeks vengeance against a mysterious captor who not only killed his wife, but imprisoned him in a hotel room for 15 years.

That summary seems simple enough, but Oldboy’s plot makes more twists and turns than Christmas lights. What else is there to say about Oldboy? Oh, we don’t know – how about the legendary three-minute corridor fight scene where Dae Su beats up a whole bunch of dudes with a hammer in one take?

Also, if you thought Parasite was dark, well – Oldboy makes Parasite feel like Peppa Pig. Oldboy is an incredible hallmark of modern cinema, with raw, visceral performances, stunning cinematography, and a mindblowing story that is just balls-to-the-walls insane – but we do need to warn you that it really isn’t for the faint of heart.

It isn’t just the copious amount of graphic violence shown onscreen, but the fact that Oldboy tackles some very dark themes most studios wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. Be rest assured: if you’ve got the guts to watch it, you’ll be rewarded with an experience one hardly finds in theatres anymore.

2. Burning (2018)

Did you like Parasite’s commentary on class division but thought it was too mainstream for you? Do you like slow-burn artistic films that make you feel smart?

Burning, in a similar manner to Parasite, shows off a side of South Korea we rarely see in glossy Korean dramas and K-pop music videos. However, while Parasite may have felt slightly less relatable if you didn’t live in absolute squalor like the Kim family – the financial situation of Burning’s two main protagonists may hit a little more close to home for most of us.

Burning tells the tale of Lee Jong-Su, an aspiring novelist who – incidentally – is never shown working on a single novel throughout the movie. Jong-Su lives in a farmhouse near the border of South and North Korea, and seems to work various odd jobs to make ends meet.

On one of his jobs, Jong-Su meets Hae-Mi, an former classmate of his who ‘used to be ugly’. She, too, is an odd-job drifter who lives in a cramped apartment. The two sleep together once, and Jong-Su is immediately smitten until Hae-Mi goes on a trip to Africa and meets the handsome, charming Ben. Ben drives a Porsche, and lives alone in a swanky apartment – living a life that Jong-Su and Hae-Mi could never hope to have.

The three of them start hanging out, and it’s clear that Hae-Mi’s really into Ben even though he clearly doesn’t feel the same way about her. Ben reveals this to Jong-Su after they spend a drunken night hanging out at Jong-Su’s sad little farmhouse in the weirdest, creepiest way: he tells Jong-Su he’s into burning abandoned greenhouses because he thinks they’re a waste of space, ‘just waiting to be burned down’. This, of course, pisses Jong-Su off, even though he can’t do anything about it…that is, until Hae-Mi goes missing.

Confused? Well, yes – it’s that kind of film. Unlike Parasite, there are no obvious bits that tell you outright that the film is about the divide between the rich and the poor, but you can feel it in the interactions between the characters – from Ben’s slimy condescension toward Jong-Su and Hae-Mi, casually showing them how carefree he is, to Jong-Su’s helplessness as he watches the girl he loves being waved around by Ben like a trophy. Burning is a very slow, very subtle movie that is kind of meant to be experienced rather than watched.