Six essential Korean directors
21.07.2023 - 08:03
/ roughguides.com
Despite the best efforts of Psy, K-pop seems destined to remain a niche market in the western world. The South Korean film industry, on the other hand, has had a strong international reputation for several years now. As with most global cinema, interest in South Korean films has been skewed towards directors rather than actors, and some have become true doyens of the international film festival circuit. Forget Gangnam Style, says Martin Zatko, here are six of the best Korean directors to keep an eye on.
Superstar “enfant terrible” Kim has some serious form, having won prizes at the Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals for dark, brooding and often controversial works such as Samaritan Girl and 3-Iron (both 2004). Those interested in visiting South Korea will get a taste for the country's wonderful countryside in the relatively light Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003), a mesmerizingly beautiful film set in and around a floating Buddhist monastery.
Another big-hitter on the international scene, Park directed stylish, highly violent Oldboy (2003), a mystery thriller generally regarded as the most iconic work of contemporary South Korean cinema. An American remake, directed by Spike Lee, is set to hit the screens later this year. Oldboy formed the central chunk of Park’s acclaimed “Vengeance Trilogy”, which also included Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005). With all this violence and revenge in the air, it’s no surprise that Quentin Tarantino is a big Park Chan-wook fan.
Hong’s acerbic, art-house films come thick and fast – it’s little wonder that some dub him the Korean Woody Allen. While other famous South Korean directors have headed to Hollywood to solidify their international reputations, Hong chose a different form of cinematic fusion, bringing French actress Isabelle Huppert to Korea for In Another Country (2012), a delightful slice of rural life punctuated with cigarette smoke and uncomfortable conversations. Woody Allen again, then.
No relation to Hong Sang-soo, Im Sang-soo is a master at courting controversy – perhaps to an even greater degree than Kim Ki-duk. His best-known work is The President’s Last Bang (2005), a black comedy about the last days of Park Chung-hee, South Korea’s dictatorial president of the 1960s and 1970s. The film resulted in lawsuits from Park’s family – including his daughter, current Korean president-elect Park Geun-hye. However, Im’s films (and his infamy) are usually more sexual than political, and a fine example is the hilarious A Good Lawyer’s Wife (2003), which revolves around a woman and her relationship with a teenage boy.
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Lee has only directed a handful of films since his 1997 debut Green Fish, but