The legendary South Korean director, Bong Joon-Ho, has 7 feature films that all
have completely different plots but still feel like they operate in the same world.
One distinct trait of Bong’s films is they are very genre fluid, often switching back and forth
between so many different feelings. This being the most evident in his Oscar winning behemoth
Parasite that moves rapidly between comedy and drama and thrilling moments, but it never feels
helter skelter, it all combines into something uniquely his. This is in part because of his love
for genre films which he describes as “running through his veins” but also having a feeling of
“wanting to reject them and tear down their conventional boundaries” when making his films.
This is also evident in a film like “The Host” which has direct homages
to classic monster movies, but rejects your expectations for what that type of film can be.
Another of his defining characteristics is just how meticulous he can be, with the planning and
storyboarding of a project typically being 4 years in the making, Bong Joon-Ho knows exactly what
he’s looking to get out of a shoot and typically where he wants to shoot. And that where can lead
to a lot of places, like in his record setting film Memories of Murder which topped the number
of locations utilized during filming, this decision gives the film so much more mystery
to it as each location has a new energy it brings to his thriller. Even in this obsessively well
thought out directing he still allows his actors to be free to interpret the roles and encourage
improvisation. This allowance for change gives his projects this unique controlled chaos,
with the best example being the off the wall performances from Song Kang-Ho. One recurring
theme in these is the rebellious nature of most of his characters against systems of oppression,
Bong grew up majoring in sociology and was a member of the South Korean democracy movement
of the late 80s. After serving for two years and then graduating he struggled to make a living
off making films, at times not even being able to afford rice to eat. While these experiences
are tied to his films Bong still describes his films as not political, but cinematic,
“always wanting to shoot films that deliver that sense of cinematic excitement, that’s something I
prioritize”, while also recognizing the important context for his filmmaking stating “I make films
in South Korea… I can’t really separate these characters from their history and social context,
so naturally it leads into political commentary”. This is most clear in his film Okja which while a
fun adventure is not without it’s grounded harsh reality that we all know too well,
but with the priority being it’s cinematic quality it never feels like it’s teaching
you a lesson on the world’s harsh realities. But more than anything, Bong Joon Ho’s most
notable quality is his ability to bring you into his own world, with exuberant
amounts of feelings you get out of it, only to leave you left asking what it all meant.