5 Amazing Movies By Bong Joon-Ho

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho just won the best director award for Parasite in the 92nd Academy Awards. This movie has been a favorite of critics, audience and award judges alike. It was nominated for 6 categories at Oscars and won four of them including Best Picture. Parasite, after word-of-mouth recommendation, has become a must-watch for people all around the globe. Here we bring you 5 Amazing Movies By Bong Joon-Ho that are a must-watch if you are looking for a spellbinding cinematic experience.

Apart from Director, Bong himself is a beloved personality, an excellent writer and an internet sensation. Fans are now getting more and more into his work and South Korean movies. Bong has a signature style of satire, dark humor and thrilling plots which make his work stand out of the usual scripts.

Parasite has won the Best Picture at Oscar but there are other 5 Amazing Movies By Bong Joon-Ho(and one more movie as an honorable mention in this list) that gathered significant attention and they are as follows :

#1 Parasite

This is less a movie more a mirror. Bitter but true. Parasite is the only foreign movie that won the “Best Picture” award in Oscar’s history. This pitch-black modern fairytale takes you through the strange and astonishing things that include Intrigue, violence, gore, and humor. The movie revolves around the devoid lives of Kim and his family which is no less than a nightmare. On the other hand, there is a rich family, the park that has wealth in abundance and lives a luxurious life. Be it fate or something, Kim’s and the park family’s lives collide and the later’s easy and deceived life is threatened with exposure, of course by Kim and his family.

#2 Mother (Madeo)

Mother is another quality Bong hit. A mysterious movie with black humor and an Oscar-worthy performance by Hye-Ja Kim(mother). The story follows a single mother whose only reason for existence is his 27-year-old son Do-Joon. Despite being an adult, he is naive and dependent on his mother. He is not normal and sometimes behaves in a foolish way which is often dangerous. One day walking through the empty street at night, Do-Joon encounters a young girl who follows him and then suddenly disappears into the alley. The next day she is found dead in a building and Do-Joon is charged with the killing. His mother desperately searches for the criminal because of whom his son is accused of the horrific murder.

#3 Snowpiercer

A surprising, shocking yet a mirror showing the true picture of irresponsibility to the people living in this generation. This sci-fi epic by Bong Joon-Ho is an eye-opening movie awakening us to have a clear thought about the world we are living in. The story revolves around a failed experiment that was aimed to solve the problem of global warming but end up finishing life on earth. However, the survivors board on Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the earth by a perpetual-motion engine. The train sections are divided into upper class to the lower class people where the later revolt to get themselves to the front of the train (where upper-class people resided) and spread the wealth around.

#4 The Host

The Host is one hell of a monster movie, a horror thriller, and a science fiction with a touch of family comedy. The film revolves around a family of Hee-bong, a man in his late 60s, his two sons, of which elder one is Gang-du who is incompetent, his wife left him long ago and he has a daughter, Hyun-Seo. Hee-bong’s younger son, Nam-il is an unemployed whiner. Hee-bong also has a daughter, Nam-Joo who is a medalist in Archery. They and other residents of the town lived a very simple and peaceful life until one day a huge monster appears from the river of Han to spread panic and macabre. The monster takes away Hyun-Seo but the family is determined to not letting their beloved girl go without a fight.

#5 Memories of Murder

Based on the true story of a serial killer, this crime film involves subtle mystery, thrill and dark humor. The story goes back to 1986 when two women were found dead and raped in the province of Gyunggi. The two women were killed by choking them using their corsets. Two local detectives, Park Doo-Man and Cho Yong-Koo are assigned to find the barbarous murderer. However, they are stupid enough to find the culprit. So, a detective, Seo Tae-Yoon from Seoul appears and team up with the detectives for the investigation. But things remain mysterious until a third woman is found dead in the same way and that is from where the pattern emerges which leads to the assassin.

Honorable Mention

Okja

This mind-boggling movie gives us a satirical message in favor of Animal rights. Okja, a giant fascinating pig lives with her companion Mija in the vicinity of the magnificent mountains of Soth Korea. They lived a blithesome life until a greedy CEO of multinational conglomerate Mirando Corporation, Lucy plunges into their lives with her rapacious intentions for Mija’s dearest friend. Lucy wants to use Okja as the poster animal for its revolutionary meat products. Mija, Being a devout comrade pluck up the courage to rescue Okja and bring her home. This movie delivers a powerful message with respect to protecting animal rights.

~~ Piyush K