Five Movies About South Korea’s Social Class To Watch After Parasite
While some might have considered Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar win a longshot, students of South Korea’s Modern Cinema have known for a while that Bong was a special kind of filmmaker. Bong, since his first major feature film Memories of a Murder, has always blended absurd political spectacles with the every day lives of the underprivileged. But once you’re done with Bong’s films, you might be wondering what to watch that will give you the same sharp critique of class structure and society. Below are five films sure to sate your desires.
Chilsu and Mansu (1988)
The struggles of the middle class worker in 80s South Korea has never been better portrayed than the story of Chilsu and Mansu, a directorial debut for Park Kwang-su. The story follows two men, Chilsu and Mansu, and their struggles with work and life while painting Hollywood billboards. While the main story centers around Chilsu and Mansu’s family problems and difficulties finding good work, the political unrest between workers and the authoritarian government serves as an eloquent backdrop to highlight the social climate of 1980s South Korea.
The Housemaid (1960)
While you might be tempted to reach for the more readily available 2010 remake of this film, I implore you to check out the original iteration. The 1960 version of The Housemaid, directed by Kim Ki-young, follows the story of a middle class family experiencing the domestic horror of a devilish housemaid seducing the man of the household and becoming pregnant by him. I won’t spoil the rest of the story, but the political message is clear: greed and other immoralities can especially prey upon you as you gain in social status.
Peppermint Candy (1999)
Directed by Lee Changdong, Peppermint Candy is considered one of the most quintessential films of Modern Korean Cinema because of its portrayal of one man’s journey through the trials and tragedies related to South Korea’s rapid modernization.
Pieta (2012)
Perhaps his magnum opus, if you don’t count Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring, Pieta won Kim Ki-duk the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice International Film Festival. The film follows the story of a brutal loan shark debt collector and the tragic circumstances of several other poor people living in one of the few remaining slums of the neighborhood. It’s an extremely dark look at poverty and the desperate things people do to survive it.
Breathless (2008)
In a similar vein as Pieta, Breathless also follows a loan shark/gangster, but director Yang Ik-june has a potentially brighter perspective on possible futures. There’s also, in general, a lighter melodramatic touch to the storytelling that feels less heartbreaking despite the tragic ending.
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