My article was going to just be on Korean cinema this coming month in light of Parasite winning four Oscar’s, but I cannot exclude a few thoughts on the current situation with the Coronavirus and decided to start typing.
COVID-19
When I first posted this article 4 days ago, the number of South Koreans infected with COVID-19 was over 2,000 people. It has jumped to almost 5,000 cases. The country has done an excellent job in screening people (more than 100,000) including a pioneering car drive through method. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/02/asia/coronavirus-drive-through-south-korea-hnk-intl/index.html
Schools are closed for a few weeks, as well as churches. Here is an a decent summary from a few days ago from someone living in Busan. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/korea-watch/no-panic-here-i-am-south-korea-watching-coronavirus-spread-128697
I typically do not worry too much about often over hyped social situations in South Korea, but am concerned for my 91-year-old father-in-law and 84-year-old mother-in-law as well as numerous other family members including my niece’s newborn son and countless people I consider true friends. Those in charge of the country seem to have not restricted the movement of people which has pros and cons with respect to the potential for virus transmission, death, the economy and so on. There is no right answer and I hope the issue gets resolved as soon as possible. What people may not understand is how densely populated the country is. For perspective, South Korea is said to have 511 people per square kilometer where Japan has only 335. I would give my life for my family members, wish them well, and hope to see them very soon.
Korean Cinema
Regarding Korean cinema, I have watched numerous movies since 1998. They have continued to improve over the years, but there are many similar themes that combine humor, sarcasm and poignant moments. One minute I am laughing out loud by myself on a plane and the next a tear is trickling down my cheek. Over the last ten years I have watched more Korean movies than American if that says anything. So with that, I will provide a list of what I have seen and highlight a few favorites.
My wife and I used to enjoy the New York Korean Film Festival (NYKFF). Here is an old t-shirt I bought from the 2007 NYKFF. The NYKFF is no more and is part of the New York Asian Film Festival which showcases movies from various countries. Check it out!
Korean Movies Watched (Short List)
1993 - Sopyonje
2000 - Joint Security Area (JSA)
2001 - Bad Guy & Musa the Warrior
2002 – The Way Home
2003 - Spring, Winter, Summer, Fall and Spring, Memories of Murder & Old Boy
2004 – 3 Iron
2005 – Shadowless Sword & The King and the Clown
2006 – Forbidden Request
2008 – Babo & Treeless Mountain
2009 – Lifting King Kong
2011 - War of the Arrows
2012 – As One & The Grand Heist
2013 – The Face Reader
2014 – 4 Legendary Witches & The Pirates
2015 - Assassination & The Throne
2016 - Battle for Incheon: Operation Chromite
2017 – A Taxi Driver & I Can Speak
2018 – Little Forest, Intimate Strangers & Unstoppable
2019 – The King’s Letters, Inseparable Bros & Innocent Witness
Highlights
1. 서편제/ Sopyonje https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdjwD4jW4XY
This is a classic story that touches on Korean Pansori which I recently wrote about in detail. The movie is set in the early 1960s where a young man arrives at a small tavern in the mountain village. He is lost in memories at the sound of pansori sung by the tavern owner. Dong-Ho (Kim Kyu-Chul) is a singer of pansori, a type of Korean rap opera. He travels the rural landscape in search of Song-hwa (Oh Jung-Hae), a fellow orphan who also studied under strict pansori master Yu-bong (Myung-gon Kim). Years ago, Dong-Ho rebelled against Yu-Bong while Song-hwa remained. Oppressed by the Japanese and Western influences threatening to overwhelm native Korean culture, Dong-Ho continues his quest to discover if Song-hwa is keeping the pansori tradition alive. I enjoyed the way this movie is filmed and the story.
2. 봄 여름 가을 겨울 그리고 /Spring, Winter, Summer, Fall and Spring
The film is written and directed by the great Kim Ki-duk and is divided into five segments (the titular seasons), each segment depicting a stage in the life of a novice Buddhist monk and his older teacher. The segments are roughly ten to twenty years apart, and the action of each takes place during the season of its title. The story unfolds rather simply, but the implications of the characters' actions are silently commented upon by the presence of Buddhist symbols and iconography. I get the chills every time I see it and still enjoy the cinematography and few characters that drive home the powerful emotions.
3. 왕의 남자 The King and the Clown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfGpTWM-TNk
At the height of the 16th-century Joseon Dynasty, a pair of rural male actors including the boisterous, masculine Jang-seng and the reserved Gong-gil travel to Seoul and team up with a struggling acting troupe. When their irreverent show complete with bawdy humor mocks the famously hedonistic king, they get more than they bargained for. After being promptly arrested, they’re given a chance to spare themselves if they can make the king laugh. To everyone’s surprise, the ecstatic monarch loves the show and names the actors official court jesters, giving them more extravagant food and shelter than they’d ever imagined. But the king’s attentiveness to Gong-gil makes it quickly apparent that humor isn’t the only thing motivating his generosity. The king’s mistress, the country’s ministers and Jang-seng soon grow suspicious, and jealousy and anger spring from all sides. I really enjoyed the period shows and movies, and this one is a keeper.
4. 바보Babo
This movie was adapted from a webtoon. Ji-ho is a promising pianist who has been studying and playing abroad for years, but her career takes a blow when she is struck with stage fright. Returning home, Ji-ho is reunited with her old school friend, Seung-ryong, who, although now in his twenties, has been left with the mind of a six-year-old following an accident. Seung-ryong's only family is his younger sister, Ji-in, and he takes care of her by trying to sell toast outside her school, much to her embarrassment. Ji-in later becomes ill, and Seung-ryong's other friend, Sang-soo, falls into trouble with some gangsters. With all of his friends and family facing problems, Seung-ryong becomes an unlikely savior. I laughed and cried during this movie, and is one of my earlier favorites.
5. 전설의 마/The 4 Legendary Witches
Soo In, Bok Nyeo, Pung Geum, and Mi Oh, are four female prisoners at a correctional facility have been victims of a miscarriage of justice in different cases, which later turn out to have a common thread intertwined. They team up to challenge a big conglomerate for an exact revenge. These four women forge a bond based on their common grievances and lean on each other for support. Though they are not related, they become a family of sisters. This is a very funny movie with some touching ones mixed it as well.
6. 리틀 포레스/Little Forest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPVVVxMdBwg
Hye Won (Kim Tae Ri) left her home in the countryside to go to the big city and make something of herself. But when she can’t land a job as a teacher and also strikes out with a relationship, she decides to forget her big-city dreams and return to her rural hometown.
While reconnecting with her friends, Jae Ha (Ryu Jun Yeol) and Eun Sook (Jin Ki Joo), Hye Won also finds simple pleasures in food and the beauty of living in close harmony with nature. Can her happiness be measured using a different standard? This movie is wonderfully filmed and is based on the popular manga series by the same title written and illustrated by Daisuke Igarashi.
For another review of various Korean films for small time period, please read this. https://www.filmlinc.org/daily/lineup-announced-for-relentless-invention-new-korean-cinema-1996-2003/
Vincent L. Apa III
February 28, 2020