The Japanese occupation of Korea was a time of oppression and theft, but there is some debate about whether Japanese institutions and facilities contributed to the country’s development. This article focuses on the impact of Japanese colonization on Korea’s development and the scars it left behind. From the 19th to the 20th century, various European powers, the United States...
How does the Korean film “OASIS” portray true love and growth through disconnection and communication?
The Korean film “OASIS” explores the boundaries between disconnection and communication, reality and fantasy, and how the two main characters grow as human beings through the love of an ex-convict and a severely disabled person with cerebral palsy, who are marginalized by society. The film combines gritty realism with fantastical elements to deeply explore the authenticity of life. ...
Movie Review – Castaway on the Moon (How can two marginalized people rediscover hope in life through each other?)
Castaway on the Moon, directed by Lee Hae-joon, is a film about two Kims who are marginalized in modern society and escape from their respective isolated worlds to discover each other and rediscover the meaning of life. Through the symbol of drifting, the film delicately depicts the isolation and alienation that modern people experience and the struggle to recover from it. The Kims’...
How does the symbol of fire and the uncertainty of its existence reveal the inner lives of the characters in Lee Chang-dong’s film Burning?
In Lee Chang-dong’s film Burning, the symbol of fire and the uncertainty of its existence reveal the emotions and actions of the characters, which leads the audience to explore the ambiguity of reality, memory, and belief. In this article, I will discuss two aspects of Lee Chang-dong’s film Burning. The meaning of the title Burning On the surface, “Burning” refers to two...
Was Mother’s twisted motherhood a desperate struggle to save Do-joon or a dance of oblivion to deceive herself?
The movie Mother explores a mother’s extreme mothering to protect her son, and how that mothering is twisted into guilt and a desire for oblivion. Mother commits murder to cover up her son’s sins, and then attempts to turn a blind eye to her own sins by performing a dance of oblivion to deceive herself. Through this process, the film explores how motherhood can be taken to extremes...
Why do we feel that Park Chan-wook’s ‘Sympathy For Lady Vengeance’ is a paradoxical thriller?
Park Chan-wook’s “Sympathy For Lady Vengeance” breaks the mold of the traditional thriller with its paradoxical setting, beautiful mise-en-scene, and unrealistic elements of a clean-cut female protagonist taking revenge. The complex emotions and themes of maternal and paternal love and revenge make this movie stand out from other thrillers and evoke a unique emotional response...
Korean Movie Review – LOVE, LIES (Why couldn’t the gisaengs fulfill their dreams of becoming artists?)
This article expresses my disappointment and disappointment with the Korean movie ‘LOVE, LIES’, which is about the downfall of prostitutes in Joseon during the Japanese occupation, who are unable to fulfill their dreams and are only interested in men’s love. The movie I watched this time was one of the few screenings that I chose simply because it featured my favorite...
Korean Movies – What are the Melodrama Genre Characteristics of ‘Failan’?
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the genre characteristics of the Korean film Failan. My personal view on the genre classification of melo-romance films Every information search starts with the Internet, but the conclusion that the Internet, which I trusted with my information search, gave me was very curious indeed. When I searched for the movie “Failan” in the...
The Korean film Eunkyo asks – Why do we put each other in boxes?
The South Korean film Eunkyo explores the complex relationship between three characters bound by age and social stereotypes, and shows how Lee Seong-yo, Seo Ji-woo, and Eunkyo define themselves and others. The tragedy of unconventional relationships makes us examine our preconceptions and prejudices. My time is free these days. I could spend time with friends at night, but I started...
How did the South Korean movie “Gwanghae, the Man Who Became King” captivate 10 million viewers?
The South Korean movie “Gwanghae, The Man Who Became King” is a great example of both popularity and artistry. Aside from screen monopolization and volume, the movie has a lot going for it in South Korea, which is enough to attract 10 million viewers. Kwang Hae-gun is the second son of an ancestor, whose mother is Gong Bin Kim. He is the son of a concubine, not the son of a...