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South Korean medium have become popular parts of outside pop polish , with grand - pop and K - dramas attracting countless fans around the orb . The state ’s movies have likewise captivated hearing from all Nation , with South Korean cinema ’s bluff storytelling , productive characters , and innovative filmmaking techniques pull together attention from devotee and critics , not to cite award - kick in bodies .
From twisty thriller likeOldboyandMemories of Murderto global sensations likeParasiteandDecision to Leave , South Korean cinema has become a basic for cinephiles . Its best movies cross a variety of genres and come from dissimilar coevals , with each one highlighting all the unlike aspects and unique component that make the country ’s cinema worth discovering and keep .
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7. Burning (2018)
aim by Lee Chang - dong , Burningisa must - see psychological thrillerwith a deceptively uncomplicated plot of ground . The cinema follows Jong - su ( Yoo Ah - in ) , a young draw a bead on writer who reconnects with his childhood Quaker , Hae - mi ( Jeon Jong - seo ) . Hae - mi asks Jong - su to take care of her cat while she move to Africa , but upon her return , she introduces him to Ben ( Beef‘s Steven Yeun ) , a rich human she met during her trip . Jong - su soon becomes suspicious of Ben ’s intentions and human relationship with Hae - mi , especially as they get a line about the stranger ’s gonzo hobby .
6. The Handmaiden (2016)
The Handmaidenis a gorgeous psychological thriller position in thirties South Korea . In it , a vernal Nipponese heiress , Lady Hideko ( Kim Min - hee ) , foregather her new handmaid , Sook - Hee ( Kim Tae - ri ) . Unbeknownst to Lady Hideko , Sook - Hee is part of a scheme orchestrated by a witching conman posing as a count , Fujiwara ( Ha Jung - woo ) , who mean to slip her heritage . What nobody expects is the genuine sexual love that Lady Hideko start out to develop for Sook - Hee , who begins to find conflicted about the plan .
Director Park Chan - wook is known for his talent for ocular storytelling , withThe Handmaidenbeing among the greatest example of his science . away from being a visually sensational cinema , the thriller is also full of pleasurably dark witticism and astonishingly intense and emotional delineation of romance , treachery , and sexual desire . It ’s a fashionable and provocative work full of surprises that can shock or impressment , depending on who ’s watching .
5. Oldboy (2003)
Director Park Chan - wook’sOldboyis a renowned neo - noir natural process thriller centered on a adult male name Oh Dae - su ( Choi Min - sik ) , who is one day kidnapped and then mysteriously imprisoned in a cell for 15 days for seemingly no reason . Upon his sudden acquittance , he makes it his delegacy to discover who was responsible for his suffering , only to encounter himself walk into a conspiracy that could be much bad than his labour .
Oldboyis one of themost crimson action pic ever , with its flawlessly choreographed fight sequences and blooming interaction involve straining being unflinching all throughout . One particular hall scenery has become popular for the exhilarating mode Oh Dae - su get down several goons with a hammer . Of course , the 2003 movie is best known for its infamous plot twist , which go out viewers with an incredibly distressful end that they wo n’t see coming .
4. Memories of Murder (2003)
Before the international hit that wasParasite , music director Bong Joon - ho was already craft intriguing thriller likeMemories of Murder . The 2003 neo - noir crime thriller is rivet on a mussy investigating lead by detectives Park Doo - Isle of Man ( Song Kang - ho ) and Seo Tae - yoon ( Kim Sang - kyung ) following grisly murders in rural South Korea . They cannonball along against the clock to becharm the unknown serial orca who targets vernal charwoman .
Memories of Murderis difficult enough to follow at time , but it becomes even more unsettling when viewers learn that it ’s based on a actual string of crimes from the 1980s known as the Hwaseong sequent murders . Anexpertly made crime movie , Memories of Murdergreatly benefits from Bong Joon - ho ’s direction , as the film maker steep it with his trademark meticulous visuals and a ton of dark humor that does n’t take away from the sombreness of its chronicle .
3. The Wailing (2016)
The Wailingis a genre - fall apart work by director Na Hong - jin , with the 2016 film revolving around a modest village harass by a mysterious illness and a serial of savage slaying . Police officeholder Jong - goo ( Kwak Do - South Korean won ) look into the outre and grievous events but presently meet a minacious shaman ( Hwang Jung - min ) and a mysterious stranger ( Jun Kunimura ) rumored to be behind the pandemonium .
Director Na Hong - jin ’s moving-picture show is a fantastic blending of several repugnance and thriller subgenres , as it ’s a possession , zombie , law procedural , drama , and even comedy all at once . It ’s a slow - tan movie that showcases familiar repulsion image used in unfamiliar path , making full use of apt ethnic credit and even mythology to weave its suspenseful story . Whichever way audiences want to take care at it , The Wailingundeniably offer a altogether original see experience that horror fans will especially apprise .
2. The Housemaid (1960)
One of South Korea’sclassic movies deserving streaming today , 1960’sThe Housemaidis a provocative domestic horror film that follows the pandemonium that unfolds after a in-between - class crime syndicate hires a young housemaid , Myeong - sook ( Lee Eun - shim ) . She before long has an outlaw affair with the crime syndicate ’s patriarch ( Kim Jin - kyu ) , leading to a series of lurid and tragic event that cause the entire family to unscramble .
Directed by Kim Ki - young , The Housemaidwas a groundbreaking and subversive masterpiece that dispute societal and sex norms in South Korean society . Its sexually predatory femme fatale is a smartly written and wondrous portrayed fiber that incarnate the unfair pressure level put on charwoman , peculiarly those from lower - category background signal . Unsurprisingly , these themes aid the moving picture halt up incredibly well , with its substance remaining relevant in any country today . It also engender a trilogy that would explore similar subjects , with its sequels titledWoman of FireandWoman of Fire ’ 82 .
1. Parasite (2019)
Parasiteis a modern chef-d’oeuvre that needs no introduction . A sarcasm , thriller , and clowning , it tells the story of the Kim kinfolk , who are used to poverty but soon find a way to temporarily take to the woods it and experience the manner the other side lives . Each family phallus achieve this by posing as a skilled worker for the affluent Park sept , which is a scheme that seems unflawed for a while , at least until the center revelation .
The influentialthriller with an ill-famed twistquickly move around conductor Bong Joon - ho into a household name follow its premiere in 2019 . After gaining external acclaim , Parasitealso broke new ground in Hollywood by becoming the first ever non - English - language movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture . The cinematic landmark has incur legion accolades and praise for its novel rust - the - rich narrative state with stylistic visuals , witty , dark humor , and scathing societal commentary .
