Le Cinéma de la Nouvelle Vague Coréenne

So if you're wondering why my title is in French, it is not out of some fancy arthouse desire for attention really but more out of the fact that it was kind of this random occurrence that just happened.

If you haven't googled it already, the title translates to "The Cinema of The Korean New Wave". The Korean New Wave has been on my mind as of late. I've seen quite a few of the new wave films recently like Burning (2018) and Parasite (2019). Upon seeing them again, I begin to notice aspects of the film and the story itself that I hadn't before. I even have a notebook where I write about it now. With a pen. To think filmmaking has gotten me into note-taking. I mean if that isn't a sign to keep going, I don't know what is.

So let's talk film history for a bit. The Korean New Wave was largely influenced by one film in particular. It's hard to imagine that a single film is responsible for a film revolution. But it is. The Korean film industry was hampered by intense political and social censorship which limited the kind of films that filmmakers could make. Except for a brief moment in time in the year 1960 when South Korea experience a fleetingly brief period of freedom from censorship. Then came the film The Housemaid (1960) directed by Kim Ki-Young. A film that the future generations of New Wave directors would synonymously credit with the rise of Korean Cinema.

The Housemaid (1960) directed by Kim Ki-Young.

In the words of a fellow trailblazer and new wave director, Bong Joon Ho,

"It's a crime melodrama about a woman's sexual desires as well as a social and political commentary on Korean society at that time, and the changing social class.

(Bong Joon Ho, Criterion Collection Interview, 2013)

The Korean New Wave is as one might describe, a creative reaction to the ever-changing cultural and political landscape of South Korea. Others theorise that the Korean New Wave was born thanks to South Korea's highly debated screen quota laws on foreign films which limits the number of foreign films that can be seen in South Korea at any given time in theatres. This is a law that continues to this day.

The Directors of The Korean New Wave

Kang Je-Gyu

In 1999 Kang Je-Gyu's North Korean spy thriller Shiri (1999) hit theatres with now-famous actors Choi Min-Sik (Oldboy) and Song Kang-Ho (Parasite) in the lead roles.

The film was Korea's Infernal Affairs (2002) and of course, we all know the remake, Martin Scorcese's The Departed (2006).

Shiri was South Korea's first true, homegrown blockbuster with over 6.5 million people going to see it. Eclipsing even Titanic (1997) which stood at only 4.5 million.

Shiri (1999) directed by Kang Je-Gyu.

Park Chan-Wook

This man is easily one of the most influential Asian directors to ever live. His accomplishments in the pursuit of cinema are breathtaking as they are seminal.

Fresh off his 2022 Best Director win at Cannes Film Festival for his erotic crime thriller, 'Decision To Leave'. Park Chan-Wook further cements his legacy as one of the main pillars of the Korean New Wave.

My personal favourite of his films is the classic film that had a not-that-great American remake, Oldboy (2003).

Oldboy (2003) directed by Park Chan-Wook.

Bong Joon-Ho

He's been one of Korea's most prominent directors for a good while now, although many of course associate him with his Best Picture-winning film, Parasite (2019).

He maintains the ever-present social commentary of the Korean New Wave style with a lot of his films talking about class and social standing. His films have resonated with audiences all over the world with Quentin Tarantino helping to spread the word about his films in the western hemisphere.

Parasite (2019) directed by Bong Joon-Ho.

I can't cover every single director of The Korean New Wave so you'll have to settle for my favourites. These three have made films that I can't believe are not commonplace in theatres. But then again, you never really know the value of something when there's too much of it going around.

I wrote this as a form of therapy to release all this pent-up information in my brain to free up space for more things. I can't help but be fascinated by the background of this particular filmmaking revolution in Asia that is now taking over the world. It's my hope that a new revolution in filmmaking will start anew. One in its infancy. I feel like that'll be one of the great blessings of living. To be front and centre in a cause you believe in.

I appreciate everyone who made it to the end of this blog post. I apologise for being inconsistent as I'm getting ready to start directing myself so as you can imagine my priorities are temporarily occupied in that arena. See you at the next one! Au revoir!