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21st-Century Korea
Celebrating the vibrance and immediacy of contemporary South Korean cinema.
Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning Parasite (2020) may have been many people's first exposure to South Korean cinema, but the celebrated film in fact represented a culmination of two decades' development for a prodiguous generation of cinematic talent.
Here we present a selection of modern Korean classics, including works from established directors like Park Chan-wook; but also films that were big homegrown box-office successes yet less widely seen outside Korea. All of them as deserving of wider appreciation as that achieved by Parasite.
The collection is complementary to the survey of Korean cinema presented in BFI Southbank’s two-month season of Korean cinema in partnership with Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) and Korean Film Council. The selection of films here is intended to follow on directly from the New Korean Cinema (1996-2003) strand presented in our BFI Southbank season, to highlight the cinematic achievements of the past twenty years.
The Foul KingThe Foul King
Comedy2000112 minsDirector: Kim Jee-woon
Kim Jee-woon’s hilarious comedy, starring Song Kang-ho (Parasite) as a wimpy bank clerk who turns his hand to competitive wrestling.
SleepSleep
Horror202394 minsDirector: Jason Yu
A recently married couple find their lives turning upside down as a result of the husband’s nocturnal behaviour.
OldboyOldboy
Thriller2003120 minsDirector: Park Chan-wook
Park’s wilfully grotesque fable about an abductee trying to fathom the mysteries of his past.
A Bittersweet LifeA Bittersweet Life
Action and Adventure2005120 minsDirector: Kim Jee-woon and Doo Hong Jung
A hitman becomes the target in this ultra-stylish neo noir from Kim Jee-woon.
The ChaserThe Chaser
Crime2008125 minsDirector: Na Hong-jin
A disgraced ex-cop has twelve hours to stop the release of a serial killer in this acclaimed, multi award-winning cult classic.
The HousemaidThe Housemaid
Thriller2010107 minsDirector: Im Sang-soo
An enigmatic housemaid and her wealthy, totalitarian employer begin an affair that will have disastrous consequences for them both.
JSA: Joint Security AreaJSA: Joint Security Area
Thriller2001109 minsDirector: Park Chan-wook
Gunfire breaks out in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea in this gripping thriller from Park Chan-wook.
The HandmaidenThe Handmaiden
Crime2016146 minsDirector: Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Stoker) channels Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, to create a sumptuous twisty psychological thriller full of erotic intrigue.
Lady VengeanceLady Vengeance
2005115 minsDirector: Park Chan-wook
Following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy, Park Chan-wook completes his thematically linked trilogy of revenge.
Beasts Clawing at StrawsBeasts Clawing at Straws
Crime2022109 minsDirector: Kim Yong-hoon
The lives of ten strangers collide when a cleaner finds a bag stuffed with money in this slick, jet-black comedy that unspools like a Korean Pulp Fiction. Starring Academy Award winner Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari).
Echoes in Time: Korean Films of the Golden Age and New Cinema
Discover more Korean cinema in our major, two-month season at BFI Southbank.