P E R S O N A L P R O F E S S I O N A L P R A C T I C E : OUAN502

Towards the end of summer I developed quite a strong interest in South Korean cinema. I found that there was a wide range of different genres that wouldn't be seen in western cinema and that more often than not they're adapted and modified versions of western story arcs. There is key elements that I've noticed which differ from films made by other countries. Through watching quite a few South Korean films of varying genres I've established that in particular the way thriller and crime genres are produced I feel is some of the best work that has come from that area of cinema. Films such as Memories of a Murder, I Saw the Devil and The Man From Nowhere come to mind as incredibly well made films, even doing well internationally with audiences. One of the most well known films to come from South Korea was the 2003 film Old Boy directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Choi Min-sik, one of South Koreas most famous actors, and has also starred in Hollywood films such as Lucy. Other directors I've discovered that have created work I've liked are, 'Bong Joon-ho', director of Memories of a Murder and Mother, also 'Lee Jung-beom', director of The Man From Nowhere.

I think the reason I' drawn to these films in particular is most notably the genre and story that they all have. Essentially they are all variations of the crime/thriller genre with hints of other genres in there, such as mystery or drama. I also find them very raw in how they're shot. Specifically Memories of a Murder is a film that to my knowledge contains no visual effects and the portrayal of scenes and staging is simply produced through excellent cinematography and working with the actors to show relationships, whilst guiding the audience through the use of ensemble staging. Compared to films within the same genre, South Korean films have a distinct feel and look to them that is unique and different to what I'm personally used to - perhaps this is why the films I've watched from these particular directors appeal to me. They have an original and 'fresh' feel to them, in that I haven't encountered anything like it through the thriller genre in other countries cinema. Another reason foreign cinema and in this case South Korean cinema can appeal to someone from a western background such as myself is the culture difference. Throughout the many films I've watched I'm quite consistently being caught of guard by the actions of certain characters and the way the relationships work between characters. I believe this is quite possibly a feature of the culture and due to the contrast to what I'm used to it feels alien and in some cases surprising, but at the same time means for unexpected actions and dialogue from various characters within the film. This can be seen in children, parental figures, authority figures such as policemen and teachers to name a few.

There is however a mid way point between the two cultures, and that can be seen in foreign directors creating films for western audiences. Stoker is a 2013 film directed by Chan-wook Park, director of films such as Old Boy and Lady Vengeance. Stoker was Park's first English film and after seeing his other films before this, I was concerned that this would be a watered down version of his work. Although the film did feel slightly dialled down in some areas, it was just as stylish, artistic, and controversial as his previous successes - and minus the actors felt like a film from his native South Korea. It's undoubtedly different to a film such as Old Boy, containing much less violence and feels more subtle, but it works all the same and is just as symbolic and shocking in parts as his previous work. Often South Korean films can be provocative and contain things such as sexual themes or gore in large amounts if that is the basis of the story. It's hard to tell if this is a cultural thing or a restriction placed upon directors by studios and distributors but this film managed to uphold some common themes in Park's work. His 2009 film Thirst was based around vampirism and it appears, to me atleast, that it is no coincidence that this idea and the connotations continue on into his other work. 'Bram Stoker' author of the 1897 novel, Dracula felt like inspiration for the name, and he often uses the idea of vampirism to look at loss of innocence, and sexuality in the form of lust. This can be seen in both the story and the dialogue, and the film as a whole was an interesting piece of cinema showing a South Korean director's take into a story based in an American culture. I also felt the subject matter contain in the story was a perfect match for Park, who is no stranger to controversial themes. There really is some quite 'perverted' moments in the film, even if done subtly and almost entirely non-explicitly. The inclusion of this type of theme made me feel like the studio he was working with respected him as a director and that their goal wasn't to have him westernise his vision as a film maker.