What Makes Korean Cinema So Special and Why Everyone Is in Love With It

Published on 2024/08/28

Korean cinema has always had fans, raised on Park Chan-wook's "Oldboy" and Kim Ki-duk's exquisite works. But in the past, its audience outside of its native country was limited to a narrow layer of movie buffs.

The mass audience had little interest in these authors: the public was scared off by the trademark cruelty and specific comedy of their films. However, in 2016, the debut zombie thriller "Train to Busan" by director Yeon Sang-ho was released and immediately changed the rules of the game.

It turned out that the movie about zombies can be at the same time sharp, silly and moderately funny. But also tape struck people sincerity, which is rarely found in Western cinema: the director's passion for the theme felt in every frame.

Recognition of just one film triggered a snowball effect. After "Train to Busan", other Korean directors' works gradually gained popularity. In the same year, "Oldboy" author Park Chan-wook returned with "The Handmaiden". Two more years later, Lee Chang-dong's "Burning" based on Murakami's story received the highest critical acclaim at Cannes.

Finally, Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" triumphed at the 2020 Oscars. In total, the tape received six gold statuettes and became the first foreign-language film in the history of the film academy, awarded as the film of the year.

And the phenomenal success of "Squid Game" and "The Silent Sea" showed that Korean TV series are more than just soap operas about relationships between cute young guys and girls.

What makes Korean movies so unusual

Korean movies are fundamentally different from Western movies. Their authors do not shy away from doing things differently from their overseas counterparts. This is also due to the fact that cinematography in the country was formed quite late and with minimal influence of the genre conventions we are accustomed to. And these are the peculiar features for which Korean cinema is so beloved all over the world.

1. You never know how it will end

In Korean cinema, genre boundaries are blurred, and it's often difficult to predict what will happen on the screen in the next second. For example, the same "Parasite" or "Squid Game" is a crazy cocktail of several genres at once: drama, thriller, detective, and sometimes, unexpectedly, even comedy.

And this can be said about literally any movie, from the classic "The Isle", which opened the world of Kim Ki-duk, and ending with the recent horror Lee Kwon's "Door Lock". Korean cinema manages to be both violent and sweet, gory and funny at the same time. It would seem that the combination comes out paradoxical, but how much charm and novelty is in it!

For example, Kim Jee-woon's western "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" borrows genre tropes from the West and dilutes them with pure Asian humor, which we'll touch on later. The result is a movie that is unlike anything else, and is likely to shock the unprepared viewer. But this crazy mix will definitely be remembered.

Korean films are renowned for their unpredictable and twist-filled narratives, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats until the very last moment. Whether it's a psychological thriller or a dramatic mystery, you never know how the story will unfold or where it will lead. Just like discovering 300 free spins no deposit in a game of chance, the unexpected turns in Korean cinema add an exhilarating element of surprise that leaves a lasting impression.

2. The visuals are not only beautiful, but also work for the meaning

Koreans are real masters of aesthetically staged shots. But at the same time, external beauty helps the director to reveal the ideas behind the movie. Here again we can return to "Parasite". They serve as a perfect illustration of how each location in the picture can work as an allegory, reflecting a variety of meanings.

When watching the movie, you can't even immediately notice that the story is told with the help of subtle details. Heroes, for example, often have to overcome the stairs, referring to the steps of the social hierarchy. The poor have to climb down to get to their house, and the rich have to climb up the hill to enter the house of the rich. The difference in the social status of the characters is also conveyed by the colors: the wealthy house is decorated in warm colors, while the poor slum is painted in shades of blue and green.

An even more vivid (literally) example is the famous images from "Squid Game". One of the reasons for the frenzied popularity of the series is its memorable visual style. The show drew attention at the stage of launching the trailer: future viewers were attracted by the contrasting turquoise tracksuits of the players and crimson uniforms of the guards.

And these colors were chosen for a reason. First, the clothing of the participants refers to the sports uniform, which must be worn by students in kindergartens in Korea during physical education classes. Secondly, the green and pink shades are opposite to each other on the color wheel, reflecting the players' fear of the guards and their drastically different roles.

3. Koreans know how to arouse the viewer's interest, not disgust

As we have already written above, Korean films of the previous decades were not for the faint of heart. To illustrate, we can recall "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" (2002) and "Oldboy" (2003) by Park Chan-wook or "I Saw the Devil" (2010) by Kim Jee-woon. These are truly violent stories where the characters are constantly torturing and cutting each other.

Modern directors are also no stranger to showing self-mutilation on screen: even the mainstream "Squid Game" was not without crushed fingers and bleeding wounds. And at first glance, this approach should only scare away the audience.

But it's not that simple. Hollywood authors are often prevented by censorship from showing explicit scenes on the screen. Korean directors are emotional and open. Therefore, they are much easier to deal with the topics of sexual perversion or cruelty, which are taboo in Western culture.

In addition, because of their mentality, Koreans tend to hyperbolize everything they can. If they show suffering in movies, they do it as authentically as possible, in close-up, savoring the most unpleasant or intimate details.

4. The emotions of Korean actors are easy to read and understood by everyone

This trademark Korean expression can also be seen in the acting of the actors. Western audiences are used to a more restrained style, so the overacting characteristic of Korean cinema may surprise you at first. But here it is the norm: the actors portray anger, surprise or delight for 11 points out of 10, unnaturally talk and pretentiously suffer.

Korean actors are often criticized in the West for their hypertrophied approach to performing roles, but still it is often impossible to tear yourself away from their game. After all, in the naked emotions can be seen sincerity, and this can not fail to attract.

In addition, expressive play is a universal language, understandable to viewers anywhere in the world.

5. Korean movies reveal the theme of social inequality

In Korea, inequality and unemployment are rising at a shocking rate. It is therefore not surprising that almost every other movie metaphorically addresses the economic gulf between the rich and the poor.

For example, in "Parasite", Bong Joon-ho vividly shows how Korea's hierarchical system of society forces people to parasitize each other. Previously, the director directed the post-apocalyptic thriller "Snowpiercer", where the action unfolded in a strange train: in the first cars lived the rich, and in the last - the proletariat.

The director of "Train to Busan", Yeon Sang-ho, also inserted a social commentary into the movie: if the characters had stuck together, disregarding class barriers, it would have been possible to do with less loss.

In "Squid Game", no one forced the heroes to become participants in a game of survival. They were all just stuck in a terrible system, mired in debt and trying to survive. And that's a very relevant problem not just for Korea, but for the world.

That said, there is hope for positive change lurking in many Korean works (even in the same "Parasite"). Moreover, some directors manage to really change the world around them with their movies.

But at the same time, there is hope for positive change in many Korean works (even in "Parasite"). Moreover, some directors manage to really change the world around them with their movies.

For example, the director of "Squid Game" Hwang Dong-hyuk in 2011 made the drama "Silenced" about physical and sexual abuse of children at school. The film was based on a real case, and the perpetrators did not receive the punishment they deserved.

The film caused such a public outcry that, amid heated discussions about the movie, the authorities were forced to abolish the statute of limitations for sexual offenses against children and persons with disabilities.

6. Rarely is a Korean film without humor

And from the point of view of a Western viewer, the occasional humor that pops up from time to time may seem inappropriate or unnecessary.

In short, if you're tired of American or European movies or just want something new, you need to get involved with Korean cinema right away. There are plenty of reasons for this: it is original, paradoxical and popular. But most importantly, South Korean authors are extremely talented, and their works delight with energy and an unfocused look.