South Korea had a very productive decade with its movie industry. It came off with big earners like Shiri and JSA. With rapidly improving film quality and the advent of digital video and DVD media, Korean movies had a boom in the early 2000s. Like other Asian countries, Korea also tried to ride the Asian horror bandwagon with productions of its own, such as 2002's Phone and 2003's A Tale of Two Sisters.
Korea also made waves with its Romantic Comedies. Films like My Sassy Girl, Windstruck and Sex is Zero were screened in across Asia. Some films were picked up by Hollywood for remake purposes, but were relatively unsuccessful compared to their counterparts. Along with TV series (arguably one of South Korea's largest media exports to Asia,) music and what have you, this began what constituted the Hallyu, or Korean Wave.
Korea would continue to break its own domestic box office records year after year. Nationalistic war epics like Taegukgi and Silmido, historical films like The King and the Clown, monster films like the Host, and grand spectacles like Tsunami and D-War would dominate the box office. This would continue well into 2009, but by this time, Korean cinema had its own share of troubles.
With the global recession, less people were going to cinemas. The screen quota system, having regulated the showing of non-domestic films on Korean screens, saw its power reduced to allow for more Hollywood films to be shown. Low sales of DVDs had almost killed that industry. Although there were still a lot of good films during the latter parts of the decade, the volume of productions lessened. TV dramas had more pull, and were more profitable in the long run due to its format.
Korean film gained international popularity, with major wins at major film festivals. Of note was Jeon Do-yeon's much deserved win at Cannes, as with Oldboy's win at the same film festival. Many others would win accolades in Venice and Berlin. The country's own Pusan film festival would become a major film event in the region over this decade.
The end of the decade saw a shift in Korean film production and contemporary Korean film. Although the occasional blockbuster or genre film will still be there, more and more directors are taking fresh and inventive approaches to the art, and more creative films from this powerhouse in the Asian film community are in the wings, waiting to be made.
For this decade (+1,) my favorite films are:
Oldboy - Although all great films I had to pick only one of Park Chan-wook's vengeance trilogy to leave space for the others, and I think this one is the film representative of this body of work. Oldboy is a fantastic film that punches you in the face the first time you see it.
My Sassy Girl - This film is the definitive example of a wave of Asian romantic comedies that swept through asia for much of the early decade. Director Kwak Jae-yong liked this film so much, he would spend the rest of the decade making nothing but similar films to this one, ranging from more serious fare (The Classic) to rehashes of his original story (Windstruck and Cyborg She) to adaptations of other similar works (My Girl and I.)
Failan - speaaaking of romance, how do you make a love story about two people who have never met in person, ever? The fact that people's lives are affected by others in such simple and profound ways is the point of this film, and is heartbreaking in its final result.
Il Mare - not really a standout film, but one of my favorite non-comedy romantic films from Korea of the decade. The music, the story, the chemistry between the characters, it was perfect. I guess it just came at the right time in my life. Remade in Hollywood as The Lake House.
Memories of Murder - a police procedural that takes in all of the societal issues and bureaucracies of the day. Based on a true story.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring - Kim Ki-duk has made a lot of movies this decade, with almost one movie a year until tapering off around 2008. This one remains one of his simplest films, with almost no dialogue. The cyclical story that was based upon Buddhism is still universal. Life, unto death.
The Chaser - If Oldboy was like a punch to the face, this film is like a hot girl kicking you in the balls. The Chaser brings equal heaps of suspense and pathos thanks to Kim Yoon-wook, who gives the performance of his life in this film.
Welcome to Dongmakgol - numerous films have been made regrarding the tensions between North and South Korea, who are still technically at war after more than fifty years. This film, lighthearted and whimsical as it is, paints a picture of a simple, naive world full of innocence, and how war changes everything.
The Host - not your ordinary monster movie. Again Jong Boon-ho gives us a relatively entertaining mainstream story, while still addressing societal issues. The true enemy in the Host is not the monster that stalks in the shadows; we are.
Cruel Winter Blues - This is a finely acted film that like Il Mare will probably not be remembered by many, but came to me at just the right time. It's a lonely story of disconnection and the desire to reach out to someone. A real hard luck tale, but worth the watch.
Honorable mentions: A Tale of Two Sisters, 3-iron, This Charming Girl, the rest of the Vengeance Trilogy, Thirst, JSA
I Wish I Could Have Seen: Secret Sunshine, Mother (I'll get to this ASAP hehe)
Korea also made waves with its Romantic Comedies. Films like My Sassy Girl, Windstruck and Sex is Zero were screened in across Asia. Some films were picked up by Hollywood for remake purposes, but were relatively unsuccessful compared to their counterparts. Along with TV series (arguably one of South Korea's largest media exports to Asia,) music and what have you, this began what constituted the Hallyu, or Korean Wave.
Korea would continue to break its own domestic box office records year after year. Nationalistic war epics like Taegukgi and Silmido, historical films like The King and the Clown, monster films like the Host, and grand spectacles like Tsunami and D-War would dominate the box office. This would continue well into 2009, but by this time, Korean cinema had its own share of troubles.
With the global recession, less people were going to cinemas. The screen quota system, having regulated the showing of non-domestic films on Korean screens, saw its power reduced to allow for more Hollywood films to be shown. Low sales of DVDs had almost killed that industry. Although there were still a lot of good films during the latter parts of the decade, the volume of productions lessened. TV dramas had more pull, and were more profitable in the long run due to its format.
Korean film gained international popularity, with major wins at major film festivals. Of note was Jeon Do-yeon's much deserved win at Cannes, as with Oldboy's win at the same film festival. Many others would win accolades in Venice and Berlin. The country's own Pusan film festival would become a major film event in the region over this decade.
The end of the decade saw a shift in Korean film production and contemporary Korean film. Although the occasional blockbuster or genre film will still be there, more and more directors are taking fresh and inventive approaches to the art, and more creative films from this powerhouse in the Asian film community are in the wings, waiting to be made.
For this decade (+1,) my favorite films are:
Oldboy - Although all great films I had to pick only one of Park Chan-wook's vengeance trilogy to leave space for the others, and I think this one is the film representative of this body of work. Oldboy is a fantastic film that punches you in the face the first time you see it.
My Sassy Girl - This film is the definitive example of a wave of Asian romantic comedies that swept through asia for much of the early decade. Director Kwak Jae-yong liked this film so much, he would spend the rest of the decade making nothing but similar films to this one, ranging from more serious fare (The Classic) to rehashes of his original story (Windstruck and Cyborg She) to adaptations of other similar works (My Girl and I.)
Failan - speaaaking of romance, how do you make a love story about two people who have never met in person, ever? The fact that people's lives are affected by others in such simple and profound ways is the point of this film, and is heartbreaking in its final result.
Il Mare - not really a standout film, but one of my favorite non-comedy romantic films from Korea of the decade. The music, the story, the chemistry between the characters, it was perfect. I guess it just came at the right time in my life. Remade in Hollywood as The Lake House.
Memories of Murder - a police procedural that takes in all of the societal issues and bureaucracies of the day. Based on a true story.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring - Kim Ki-duk has made a lot of movies this decade, with almost one movie a year until tapering off around 2008. This one remains one of his simplest films, with almost no dialogue. The cyclical story that was based upon Buddhism is still universal. Life, unto death.
The Chaser - If Oldboy was like a punch to the face, this film is like a hot girl kicking you in the balls. The Chaser brings equal heaps of suspense and pathos thanks to Kim Yoon-wook, who gives the performance of his life in this film.
Welcome to Dongmakgol - numerous films have been made regrarding the tensions between North and South Korea, who are still technically at war after more than fifty years. This film, lighthearted and whimsical as it is, paints a picture of a simple, naive world full of innocence, and how war changes everything.
The Host - not your ordinary monster movie. Again Jong Boon-ho gives us a relatively entertaining mainstream story, while still addressing societal issues. The true enemy in the Host is not the monster that stalks in the shadows; we are.
Cruel Winter Blues - This is a finely acted film that like Il Mare will probably not be remembered by many, but came to me at just the right time. It's a lonely story of disconnection and the desire to reach out to someone. A real hard luck tale, but worth the watch.Honorable mentions: A Tale of Two Sisters, 3-iron, This Charming Girl, the rest of the Vengeance Trilogy, Thirst, JSA
I Wish I Could Have Seen: Secret Sunshine, Mother (I'll get to this ASAP hehe)
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