Set in a futuristic world in the span of nearly 5 years, the film is about a man who joins a space expedition towards a snowy planet that is to be colonized as he signs for a job that would kill him multiple times where his 17th variation makes a discovery about the planet they are colonizing. It is a film that does not play into a certain genre as it blends all sorts of genres from science fiction, satire, suspense, drama, and action as it explores a man who takes a job to escape from loan sharks as the ship is ruled by a politician who plans to rule the colony as he would also bring in a cloning device on his ship although the cloning device is deemed illegal on Earth. Bong Joon-Ho’s screenplay has a lot of layers in its narrative as it is largely told from the perspective of its titular character (Robert Pattinson) as he is a man that has endured a lot of bad luck from the death of his mother as a child as he blames himself for what happened and the trouble his childhood friend Timo (Steven Yeun) has put him in through involving loan sharks.
In taking on the job as an expendable, Mickey would endure a series of odd jobs in which he would be killed or become a lab rat for diseases and such as he would be cloned through a printing machine of sorts though it is a method that is illegal on Earth. The expedition is run by the politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette) in the hopes that he can bring hope to humanity on a new planet although he is revealed to be an idiotic narcissist while Ylfa is the smarter of the two but is also arrogant and obsessed with bad gourmet cooking. Mickey would find friends during his journey including a girlfriend in the security officer Nasha (Naomi Ackie) but becomes annoyed with people asking him what it is like to die. Even as they land on the planet where Mickey makes a discovery about its inhabitants after getting injured on the job and left for dead by Timo. Upon his return, Mickey, in his 17th variation, learns about something else that is happening that is considered forbidden as it explains why Earth is not fond of the idea of cloning. All of this leads to revelations about what Marshall wants to do and the trouble he is creating on the planet he wants to colonize.
Bong’s direction is grand in not just its unique setting and blend of genres but also in its approach to satire. Shot at the Leavesden Studio in Britain, Bong’s creates a world that is chaotic where much of the action takes place inside a spaceship. The usage of close-ups and medium shots in these cramped and claustrophobic rooms that Mickey, Nasha, and others live in do play into this idea of class as the Marshalls live in a spacious and lavish room with the finest food and decors that represents this disconnect that the Marshalls have with everyone else in the ship. Bong also uses wide shots to get a look into the Marshalls’ room as well as the dining hall and scenes on the snowy planet known as Niflheim as it is a key element in the film’s second half as well as the first scene of the film where Mickey 17 is left on a ravine injured where Timo leaves him for dead. It is also the moment where Mickey would discover the original inhabitants of these creatures that look like bugs but something different in their interiors as they were designed by Bong and creature designer Jang Hee-chul.
Bong’s direction also play into this sense of absurdity in the many ways Mickey would die as well as the atmosphere of the spaceship as it has an offbeat presentation of how bureaucracy works as there are also odd things that happen in the film. Even as there is a guy in a pigeon suit (Tim Key) who would come in to be a reporter as a mascot for Marshall. The film does take a serious tone in its third function as it relates to the inhabitants of Niflheim and what Marshall wants to do although Mickey is in a far more complicated situation as it relates to why Earth banned cloning and re-printing humans. Even as he becomes a bigger liability where it leads to Marshall waging war with the inhabitants of Niflheim although they have no issues with humanity. Still, Bong plays into the many fallacies of politics as well as what happened when people put their faith in someone who is an imbecile forcing a regular person to do what he can to save humanity from themselves. Overall, Bong crafts a witty and riveting film about a man who dies constantly on the job during a four-year expedition to colonize a planet for an imbecilic politician.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of lighting for the interior scenes inside the spaceship with low-key lighting for the rooms that Mickey and others live in to the artificial look of the Marshalls’ suite. Editor Yang Jin-mo does excellent work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts and jump-cuts to play into the action and suspense along with some stylish cuts for some of the humor. Production designer Fiona Crombie, with set decorator Alice Felton plus supervising art director Jason Knox-Johnston and senior art director Darren Tubby, does amazing work with the look of the interiors of the spaceship including the rooms, dining hall, lab, and garage as well as the caves at Niflheim. Costume designer Catherine George does fantastic work with the costumes from the ordinary jumpsuits many of the people at the spaceship wear to the posher clothing that the Marshalls wear.
Hair & makeup artist Anita Burger does terrific work with some of the makeup that Kenneth Marshall has in his TV appearances including a somewhat-heightened tan on his face. Visual effects supervisors Dan Glass, Arudra Jaykar, and Kelvin McIlwain do incredible work in the look of the planet and the exterior of the spaceship as well as the movement of the body parts from the creatures at Niflheim. Sound designer Eilam Hoffman and sound editor Choi Tae-young do superb work with the sound in the way the creatures sound as well as layers of sound effects for scenes inside the ship as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Jung Jae-il is great in its piano orchestra presentation with elements of bouncy percussions and string arrangements that play into the film’s offbeat tone while its music soundtrack features pieces from Nino Rota, Elliot Smith, Georg Friedrich Handel, and a hilarious original from Jung and Sharon Sung Jae Choi that the Marshalls sing that is full-on camp.
The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Milo James as a young Mickey, Ian Hanmore as a loan shark Timo and Mickey owes money to, Ellen Robertson as Kai’s girlfriend Jennifer, Tim Key as the man in a pigeon suit, Thomas Turgoose as a security officer who likes to carry a bazooka, Angus Irmie as a security officer known as Shrimp Eyes, Stephen Park as the head security officer Zeke who becomes concerned with what the Marshalls are doing and other activities involving drugs, Holliday Grainger as a Marshall representative whom Mickey meets early in the film about becoming an expendable, Cameron Britton as the science team leader Arkady who is a stooge for Marshall, Patsy Ferran as the scientist Dorothy who cares about Mickey’s well-being, Anna Mouglalis as the voice of the head creeper creature from Niflheim, and Edward Davis as a political figure who was part of the reprinting program who went too far in his studies as he is seen in a flashback.
Daniel Henshall is terrific as Marshall’s personal assistant Preston as this smarmy man who is willing to goad his boss into anything and film it to boost his boss’s ego. Anamaria Vartolomei is fantastic as the security officer Kai Katz as a woman who is one of Mickey’s friends as she would cope with events that shaped her while also making a discovery that makes her uneasy. Steven Yeun is excellent as Timo as a childhood friend of Mickey who would constantly put him in trouble as he would get a job as a pilot for the ship where he constantly finds a way to advance his position as well as taking part in illegal activities involving drugs. Naomi Ackie is brilliant as Nasha as a security agent who becomes Mickey’s girlfriend as she deals with his own issues while also becoming aware of Marshall’s idiocy where there is a great moment where she calls him out in front of his face into how stupid he is.
Toni Collette is incredible as Ylfa Marshall as Kenneth’s wife who is this woman that wants to create gourmet cooking that she can make money of as well as crave power where Collette has an element of camp that adds to her performance as she is monstrously hilarious. Mark Ruffalo is amazing as Kenneth Marshall, as this political figure who wants to colonize a planet in the belief that he will save humanity except for the fact that he is a narcissistic imbecile who craves attention while Ruffalo speaks in a way that is over-the-top as it adds a level of hilarity to his performance. Finally, there’s Robert Pattinson in a tremendous performance as Mickey Barnes and the many variations he would take including Mickey 17 as this ordinary man who takes the job where he makes himself expendable where he would be cloned and re-printed as a lab rat while doing odd jobs that are considered deadly. Pattinson’s performance is also full of joy in how shy he is as he speaks in an odd way while he would speak more menacingly as another variant as it is one of Pattinson’s finest performances of his career.
Mickey 17 is a spectacular film by Bong Joon-ho that features a phenomenal leading performance from Robert Pattinson. Along with its ensemble cast, grimy visuals, its satirical approach to social standings and political idealism, and a fun music score. The film is an engaging and witty genre-bending film that explores a man who dies constantly for someone’s own idea of power only to become a rebel and realize that man’s ignorance and stupidity over everything. In the end, Mickey 17 is a sensational film by Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother (2009) - Snowpiercer - Okja - Parasite - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2025
(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival)
The film revolves around an environmentalist who becomes the new CEO of a beef manufacturing company as she announces the breeding of a new super-pig where 26 specimens are sent to various places all over the world and to see what would be the outcome of those pigs in 10 years in the hope to end world hunger. Yet, the film is more about the bond between a young girl and a pig living in the mountains in South Korea as the pig Okja is discovered by this corporation hoping to use it for a special presentation and then kill it for profit. It is a film that explores not just animal rights but also a corporate CEO wanting to do something right despite the fact that she’s doing the wrong thing in covering up lies with the aid of a zoologist/TV show host who has become emotionally and mentally unstable. Add a group of animal activists and other corporate interests as this young girl is pulled in different directions over her beloved Okja.
The film’s screenplay by Bong Joon-ho and Jon Ronson explore the many complexities of the cattle industry and its war with animal rights activists with this pig in the middle and a young girl in Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) just trying to save it and bring it back home. Still, the characters that Joon-Ho and Ronson create aren’t typical of what is expected as the CEO of the Mirando corporation in Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) is trying to clean up the company’s image and to make it do good despite the fact that she’s covering up lies and remove the troubled legacy that her father and twin sister Nancy have created. The corporate face of the company in zoologist/TV host in Dr. Johnny Wilcox (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a wacky eccentric who has become troubled as well as guilt-ridden for the role he’s playing when Mirando makes some drastic decisions. The animal rights activist group known as ALF lead by Jay (Paul Dano) is trying to maintain some dignity in helping Mija but also doesn’t want to lie to her even though one of his fellow activist in K (Steven Yeun) lies in order to get the mission to save Okja when the pig is sent to New York City for this presentation with Mija also being an unwilling participant from the Mirando corporation.
Joon-ho’s direction is quite grand in the way he presents this world of corporate interests and their need to exploit an animal for profit as it is set in New York City and nearby areas as well as Seoul, South Korea and mountains near the city though much of the film is shot in parts of Seoul and Vancouver. The film opens with a scene in a factory where Lucy Mirando is trying to get people to see that her family’s past is going to be removed for a new future as it is presented in grand fashion with wide and medium shots. Still, Joon-ho maintains a simplicity in the scenes set in the mountains with its small ponds, waterfalls, and forests that Mija and Okja like to play in as it is this world of peace while they live with Mija’s grandfather in this simple home though they have access to TV and internet. When Okja is given to the corporation with Mija’s grandfather given a big payout for raising the super-pig, Joon-ho showcases Mija’s determination to retrieve Okja in Seoul as it has these unique tracking shots in some elaborate chase scenes inside a building, an underground mall next to a subway, and in a highway are among these moments where Joon-ho infuses action, suspense, and humor.
With the character of Okja being a major sense of importance to the film thanks in part to work of one of the film’s visual effects supervisors in Erik de Boer, who did the character design, where the actors not only get to interact with this creature but also play into the stakes of the film. Notably where Joon-ho brings the character to New York City as there’s a chilling scene with Okja and Dr. Wilcox at a lab that is disturbing with ALF watching in another location as it play into Dr. Wilcox’s guilt in the corporate role he plays but also in how disturbed he is in doing his job. There is also this sense of disconnect that Joon-ho showcases as it relates to Lucy Mirando about how she approaches business and how her sister Nancy did thinks as the latter is all about money and getting shit done while the former is about image. The sense of humanity also comes into play into its third act with Okja and Mija in the middle as it play into Lucy’s own desire for hope despite the lies she’s hidden yet is followed by a much darker reality that is closer to Nancy’s vision. Yet, there is something hopeful through Mija’s own simple actions but also her own understand about how the world works. Overall, Joon-ho crafts a witty yet heartfelt film about a farm girl trying to save her super-pig from a corporation that wants to kill it for profit.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of naturalistic lighting and lush colors for the scenes in the mountain with low-key lights for the scenes at night while aiming for something a little bit more stylish for the scenes set in New York City in terms of its lighting including the scenes at the factory at night. Editor Yang Jin-mo does excellent work with the editing as it does have some unique fast-cuts for some of the chase and action scenes while also being straightforward in its approach to drama and suspense. Production designers Ha-jun Lee and Kevin Thompson, with art directors Jung-yoon Bae, Deborah Jensen, and Gwendolyn Margetson plus set decorators Susan Bode, Won-Woo Cho, Louise Roper, Yeonghee Seo, and Suk-ki Song, do amazing work with the look of the places in New York City including the Mirando logo and the factory where the super-pigs are forced to stay in the third act as well as the little home Mija and her grandfather live in. Costume designers Se-yeon Choi and Catherine George do fantastic work with the stylish clothes that Lucy Mirando wears as well as the wacky clothing of Dr. Wilcox, the guerilla-inspired gear of ALF, and the simplistic look of Mija.
Hair/makeup designers Hyunkyu Hwang and Sharon Martin do nice work with the look of Lucy Mirando in her quirky presentation from the braces on her teeth in the first scene to her hairstyle that is different from the look of her sister. Special effects supervisor Kyung-soo Park, along with visual effects supervisors Erik de Boer, Angela Ji, Jun Hyoung Kim, and Jeon Hyoung Lee, do terrific work with not just the design of Okja but also some set-dressing for some scenes in the film as well as the presentation of the chase sequence. Sound editor Tae-young Choi and sound designer Dave Whitehead do superb work with the sound in the way Okja sounds, with voice work from Lee Jeong-eun, as well as how certain objects sound including the cattle prod. The film’s music by Jaeil Jung is incredible for its unique mixture of flamenco, classical, and electronic pieces as it adds to the suspense and drama while music supervisor Jemma Burns cultivates a fun soundtrack that features music from the Isley Brothers, John Denver, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Osvaldo Pugliese.
The casting by Jenny Jue is phenomenal as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Lee Jeong-eun as the voice of Okja and a woman in a wheelchair, Lee Bong-ryun as a Mirando receptionist at the Seoul office building, Choi Woo-shik as an indifferent Mirando driver in Seoul, Yoon Je-moon as a Mirando representative who checks on Okja’s health, Byun Hee-bong as Mija’s well-meaning grandfather who is reluctant to give Okja away, Devon Bostick and Daniel Henshall as two activists for ALF in their respective names in Silver and Blond, and Shirley Henderson in a funny performance as Lucy’s assistant Jennifer who oversees some of the publicity detail involving Mija and Lucy for the big event. Giancarlo Esposito is superb as a Mirando executive in Frank Dawson who keeps an eye on Lucy for Nancy while trying to understand what she’s trying to do as well as see if she can succeed. Steven Yeun and Lily Collins are fantastic in their respective roles as ALF activists K and Red with the former being a tech genius who is also Korean as he helps translate for Mija while the latter is a weapon experts of sorts though she has no intentions in harming anyone while also having some funny things to say.
Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent as the wacky Dr. Johnny Wilcox as a zoologist/TV host who is the face of Mirando as someone who speaks in a somewhat high-pitched voice as he is also disturbed in his love for animals to the point that he becomes consumed with guilt and troubling behavior. Paul Dano is brilliant as Jay as a leader of ALF who is trying to do things the right way and help Mija while not wanting to make her uncomfortable as he’s a well-meaning activist that is aware of the compromises that he has to make. Tilda Swinton is amazing in a dual role as twin sisters Lucy and Nancy Mirando as she provides a lot of quirks and upbeat energy into the former as someone trying to reinvent the company’s image while the latter is only seen briefly as someone that is more of a pessimist and a better understanding of business. Finally, there’s Ahn Seo-hyun in an incredible performance as Mija as a young farm girl who cares for this massive super-pig as she deals with Mirando’s intentions for the pig as she does what she can to save him as it is this understated and somber performance from Seo-hyun who provides a lot of the heart in the film.
Okja is a phenomenal film from Bong Joon-ho. Featuring an incredible ensemble cast, themes of activism and animal rights, dazzling visuals, a sumptuous music score, and mixture of genres. The film is definitely a witty and compelling film that explores a young girl trying to retrieve her pet and her understanding about a world that is just trying to clean itself up despite their dirty methods. In the end, Okja is a sensational film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother (2009 film) - Snowpiercer - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2021
Directed by Bong Joon-ho and screenplay by Joon-ho and Han Jin-won from a story by Joon-ho, Parasite is the story of a poor family whose adult son gets a job as a tutor for rich woman and her family as they scheme to take jobs as highly qualified individuals. The film is an exploration of social classes where a poor family gets a look into the world of the rich and try inhabit that world while making an unsettling discovery. Starring Song Kang-Ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, and Chang Hyae-jin. Parasite is a riveting and intoxicating film from Bong Joon-ho.
The film is the simple story of a poor family whose son is given a job from a friend of his to tutor a teenage girl from a rich family as he would befriend the family and get his parents and sisters jobs pretending to be highly-qualified workers. It’s a film with a simple premise yet it is more of an exploration of different social classes and how one family yearns to have the life this rich family have as they still struggle with living in a small apartment in a poor environment. The film’s screenplay by Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin-won follow the life of the Kim family as they share this small and cramped apartment trying to get by through odd jobs including making pizza boxes for a local pizza company. When a friend of Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) in Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon) arrives with a gift for the Kim family in a scholar rock as well as giving Ki-woo his job as an English tutor for a teenage girl as he’s going away to study abroad. Ki-woo accepts his friend’s offer while Ki-woo’s sister Ki-jeong (Park So-dam) creates false documents about Ki-woo’s credentials as a tutor.
Ki-woo meets Yeon-gyo Park (Cho Yeo-jeong) whose husband Dong-ik (Lee Sun-kyun) is a revered architect while their teenage daughter Da-hye (Jeong Ji-so) is struggling in high school as Ki-woo helps her as he gets accepted by Yeon-gyo. Noticing the Park’s youngest son in Da-song (Jung Hyeon-jun), Ki-woo suggests in getting an art tutor/art therapist to help with Da-song as Ki-jeong poses as the art teacher. Through a series of events, Ki-jeong gets the Park’s chauffer Yoon (Park Geun-rok) fired so that her father Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) can get the job while his wife Chung-sook (Chang Hye-jin) eventually becomes the housekeeper following a scheme to the get the Park’s longtime housekeeper Moon-gwang Gook (Lee Jung-eun) fired. Just as the Kim family seems to enjoy their new life and finding ways to improve their own lifestyle, a secret within the house starts to emerge as it would shatter everything they worked for. Even as it forces Ki-taek to come to terms with the life he wanted and the life he already has but also a growing disconnect between the two world of the rich and poor.
Joon-ho’s direction is definitely entrancing in not just the world and home the Park family live in but also the dilapidated environment of the Kim family. Shot on location around Seoul and parts of Jeonju, the film definitely play up to this world between the lower-working class of the Kims and the upper-class world of the Parks. Joon-ho does use wide shots to not just a scope of the locations but also how vast the home of the Parks is that includes a big living room and backyard while much of Joon-ho’s compositions are tighter with medium shots and close-ups at the home of the Kims. Notably in the lack of space as well as the fact that there’s always a drunk person who urinates in front of their home onto a pile of garbage. Joon-ho’s usage of tracking shots add to the atmosphere of the Parks’ home in the way characters move from room to room as well in some of the film’s suspenseful moments.
Joon-ho also adds this air of tranquility in the home of the Parks where the Kims would inhabit all of its splendor during a day when the Parks are out of town. It is a moment in the film as it play into the Kims’ desire for a life that is better but know that it is only fleeting when a major discovery occurs within the house as it changes everything. It also raises questions into the idea of social divide as it intensifies when the Kims come home and things go on as if nothing happened. All of the planning that Ki-woo had created with his family suddenly become questioned with Ki-taek also wondering about the Parks and their lifestyle in contrast to the life he and his family has. Joon-ho maintains this atmosphere of social disconnect as its climax is about a family trying to understand its identity as well as the identity of the home they’re inhabiting as it lead to chaos. Overall, Joon-ho crafts an evocative yet eerie film about a poor family inhabiting the world and home of a rich family.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it help create some different color schemes such as the usage of low-key and grimy lighting for the scenes at the home of the Kims and their surroundings that is in sharp contrast to the more naturalistic exteriors at the Park’s home with some unique lighting for the interiors at their home. Editor Yang Jin-mo does amazing work with the editing as it help play into some of the drama and suspense with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylish cuts while using rhythmic cuts for some of the film’s humorous moments. Production designer Lee Ha-jun and set decorator Cho Won-Woo do excellent work with the look of the home of the Park family with its spacious living room, stylish kitchen, a highly-organized garage/basement, and clean bedrooms that is the opposite of the grimy and claustrophobic home of the Kims. Costume designer Choi Se-yeon does fantastic work with the costumes from the clean-cut and stylish clothes of the Parks to the more ragged look of the Kims while they would wear more posh-like clothing upon working with the Parks.
Hair/makeup designer Young Kim Seo does nice work with the look of the characters including the more refined look that the Kims would sport upon working for the Parks. The special effects work of Jung Do-ahn and Park Kyung-soo, with visual effects supervisor Jeong Ho Hong, do terrific work with the special effects that is mainly bits of set dressing that include some of the sunny exteriors at the Parks’ backyard as well as some shots from the cellphones the characters often carry. The sound work of Choi Tae-young is superb in creating the atmosphere in the film’s locations as well as the air of ambiance at the home of the Parks that is removed from some of the chaos in the city along with some of the more disturbing moments that would occur during its third act. The film’s music by Jung Jae-il is incredible for its somber piano-based orchestral score as it play into the sense of wonderment as well as some of the melancholia that occurs along with some eerie moments of suspense as it is a highlight of the film. Music supervisor Park Hyoshin provides a wonderful soundtrack that features some classical pieces as well as contemporary music that plays in the background including a song co-written by Joon-ho in the film’s final credits.
The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Park Seo-joon as Ki-woo’s friend Min-hyuk who gives Ki-woo his tutoring job, Jung Yi-seo as the pizza place manager, Park Guen-rok as the chauffer Yoon, and Park Myung-hoon as a mysterious man that Da-song thinks is a ghost. Lee Jung-eun is terrific as the housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang as the Parks’ original housekeeper who has a strange allergy while is also involved with a big mysterious secret at the house while Jung Hyeon-jun is superb as the Parks’ youngest child in Da-song who is fascinated by Native Americans and creates some unique drawings. Jeong Ji-so is wonderful as the Park’s teenage daughter Da-hye as young girl trying to learn English as she is pursued by Min-hyuk yet starts to fall for Ki-woo. Lee Sun-kyun and Cho Yeo-jeong are fantastic in their respective roles as Dong-ik and Yeon-gyo Park as the rich couple with the former as a revered architect and the latter as a simple housewife who is trying to run a household as she is easily swayed by the Kim’s scheme.
Park So-dam is excellent as Ki-jeong as the Kim adult daughter who is good at creating forged documents and such while also knows about art as she teaches Da-song about art while making observations about his work. Chang Hyae-jin is brilliant as Chung-sook as the Park matriarch who spends much of her time cleaning while being the one to discover a major secret at the house. Choi Woo-shik is amazing as Ki-woo as the Kim adult son who is smart but unable to pass exams where he takes the tutoring job for a friend while he would scheme his way to get his family to get work only for things to become troubling. Finally, there’s Song Kang-ho in an incredible performance as Ki-taek as the Kim patriarch who is hoping to get his family out of their life as he would eventually fill in as the Park chauffer where he enjoys the job but becomes troubled by what he discovered at the Park family home as he later deals with the disconnect between his family’s world and the Park’s family lifestyle.
Parasite is a tremendous film from Bong Joon-ho. Featuring an incredible cast, dazzling visuals, an intriguing study of social classes and lifestyles, a mixture of comedy and suspense, and an intoxicating music score by Jung Jae-il. It’s a film that explore this unique world of social classes as well as a poor family trying to inhabit the world of the upper class while being reminded of where they come from. In the end, Parasite is a spectacular film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother (2009 film) - Snowpiercer - Okja - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2020
One of the figures of a movement in the late 1990s/early 2000s known as the Korean New Wave, Bong Joon-ho is a filmmaker that is known for making dark films that refused to be defined into any genre. Never wanting to pigeon himself from making one particular type of film, Joon-ho would reinvent himself by going into one genre and then into another. Even as he is someone who is willing to find some glimmer of hope in worlds that are very dark and complicated. While he’s only made a small number of films so far in his career, he is one of international cinema’s most exciting filmmakers working today.
Born on September 14, 1969 in Daegu, South Korea, Bong Joon-ho was part of a revered family in South Korea as his grandfather was a noted author and his father was a designer. Through his family, Joon-ho would become interested in the world of film as he already made up his mind to become a filmmaker at a young age as he would become part of a film club during the late 1980s as a sociology student at Yonsei University. Through the films of Edward Yang, Shohei Imamura, and Hou Hsiao-hsien, Joon-ho would craft his own ideas into film projects upon attending the Korean Academy of Film Arts in the early 1990s. It was during that time where Joon-ho would create his own short films in 16mm as one of them in Incoherence (which can be seen here) as it would get him work writing screenplays for other filmmakers and work as an assistant director for some of these films.
More can be read here at Cinema Axis.
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Bong Joon-ho and screenplay by Joon-ho and Park Eun-jyo from a story by Joon-ho, Madeo (Mother) is the story of a woman who becomes very protective of her shy, mentally-challenged son when he becomes accused of murder as she seeks to find the truth. The film is a strange and dark story that relates to a mother helping out her adult son as she copes with what he might’ve done while trying to see if something else really happened. Starring Kim Hye-ja and Won Bin. Madeo is an eerie yet evocative film from Bong Joon-ho.
When a young, mentally-challenged man who has trouble remembering things is accused of murdering a young woman. The man’s middle-aged mother comes to his aid to see if he really did kill this woman as she goes on her own journey to seek the truth once the police and a lawyer she hired were either unable or disinterested in helping them. It’s a film that is a simple mystery-drama but it’s also a film about a complex mother-son relationship where a woman has been raising her adult son who isn’t able to comprehend the things he does as Do-joon (Won Bin) does odd things like collect golf balls with his trouble-making friend Jin-tae (Jin Goo). For Do-joon’s mother (Kim Hye-ja), she is convinced that Jin-tae is absolute trouble as she would immediately suspect him for the murder of this young schoolgirl that Do-joon is accused of.
The film’s screenplay is quite loose in terms of its structure and narrative as it more plays into the journey this woman would take to find out the truth. Even as she constantly asks her son various questions about what happened that night yet he has a hard time remembering. While the police believe that he is the killer and the mother hires an attorney that is more concerned with giving Do-joon a reduced sentence instead of proving his innocence. The lack of effort only prompts the mother to find the truth yet things are very complicated as she copes with her son in jail as it is the focus of the film’s first half as well as initially suspecting Jin-tae. The film’s second half becomes more about the victim and what was she doing on the night she was killed as things become more complex as the mother may have proof that her son didn’t do it as there are those that did want this young girl dead because of her seedy reputation.
Bong Joon-ho’s direction is quite mesmerizing not just in its locations where it’s set in these rural city areas near mountains and fields but also in the way Joon-ho captures these moments that are entrancing to watch. Even in some of the simplest moments in some of his close-ups on the characters and how he frames them as it plays into a woman constantly in worry as well as trying to see if there’s some justice. Joon-ho’s approach to wide and medium shots along with tracking and dolly shots not only play into some of the drama but also suspense as it relates to the mother’s search for the truth. Joon-ho’s approach to suspense definitely plays into unconventional rhythms as he is more about uncovering these intricate moments of suspense while using bits of flashbacks to unveil clues and such.
Joon-ho usage of flashbacks as it relates to what happened in the murder not only plays into the mother’s own understanding of what she is encountering but also some of the bigger questions into what really happened. Especially when the mother meets this mysterious man she had previously encountered as he is either involved or knows something. Some of the images that Joon-ho would create play into some of the drama and sense of terror while there’s also some elements of black comedy. Even as it relates to Do-joon and his antics while he also takes great offense to being called a “retard” which also plays into what might’ve happened. For the mother, it forces her to face some realities she didn’t want to deal with but also cope with the severity of what happened on that night. Overall, Joon-ho creates a gripping yet intoxicating film about a mother trying to prove her son’s innocence over a murder.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of lights for some of the film‘s nighttime interior/exterior scenes with some naturalistic looks for some of the daytime scenes and the settings in the forests. Editor Moon Sae-kyung does brilliant work with the editing with stylish usage of jump-cuts and dissolves to play into the drama and suspenseful moments of the film. Production designer Ryu Seong-hie does excellent work with the look of the home that Do-joon and his mother live in along with the building rooftop the girl’s body was found.
Costume designer Choi Se-yeon does nice work with the costumes as it‘s very casual for the look of the characters including the mother. Visual effects supervisor Yi Zeon-Hyoung does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects that relate to some of the violence that occurs in the film. Sound designer Cho Ye-jin does fantastic work with the sound to play into the suspense and terror that looms in the film along with key moments that play into the drama. The film’s music by Lee Byung-woo is incredible for its somber yet lush orchestral score that plays into the suspense and drama along with some themes for the latter as it relates to the mother.
The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Yoon Je-moon as a detective leading the case who knows Do-joon, Mun Hee-ra as the young woman Ah-jeong who would be killed, Kim Gin-goo as the girl’s grandmother, Yeo Moo-yeong as the lawyer hired to help Do-joon, Chun Woo-hee as a young student that Do-joon and Jin-tae know, Jeon Mi-seon as a friend of the mother who helps her in the case, and Lee Young-suck as a mysterious man whom the mother encountered on a rainy day. Jin Goo is excellent as Do-joon’s friend Jin-tae who is this troublemaker that the mother initially suspects as he plays a key part into solving the mystery over what happened.
Won Bin is brilliant as Do-joon as this mentally-challenged young man who isn’t sure what happened on the night he was suspected of murder as it’s a role that is a bit comical but it’s more serious as it plays into someone trying to remember. Finally, there’s Kim Hye-ja in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as this woman who does acupunctures and cuts herbs who tries to figure out if her son is innocent as it’s a very eerie and intoxicating performance to watch.
Madeo is an outstanding film from Bong Joon-ho that features a riveting lead performance from Kim Hye-ja. The film isn’t just a compelling suspense-drama but also a film that plays into a mother trying to find the truth about her son. Especially as she faces a world where she is forced to take matters into her own hands. In the end, Madeo is a sensational film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Snowpiercer - Okja - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Bong Joon-ho and written by Joon-ho, Song Ji-ho, and Derek Son Tae-woong, Barking Dogs Never Bite is the story of an unemployed professor who kidnaps dogs and abuse them while a young woman who lives in the same apartment building goes on the search to find them. The film is based on a famous folklore story in Europe that is very popular in Asia as it is a strange mix of black comedy and terror. Starring Lee Sung-Jae, Bae Doona, and Byun Hee-bong. Barking Dogs Never Bite is a strange yet whimsical film from Bong Joon-ho.
A series of mysterious disappearances from dogs caused by a graduate student eager to become a professor prompts a young woman, who lives in the same apartment building, to go on a search to find them. It’s a film that plays into a man driven to the edge in his own personal and professional life that he would do such a thing. Much of the film takes place in this apartment building where there’s a rule about not having dogs live there as Ko Yun-ju (Lee Sung-jae) is shocked that there are people who live with dogs. That irritation adds to the growing troubles as he is trying to get a job as a professor through some dishonest means. The film’s screenplay does portray Ko as a man with sympathy as he is married to a cruel pregnant wife in Eun-sil (Kim Ho-jung) as his acts to take it out on dogs play into someone that is just being pushed to the edge.
The disappearance of a dog prompts a lowly office worker in Park Hyun-nam (Bae Doona) to do something in the hopes of getting a hefty reward and some attention to get out of her dull life. The script plays into Park’s willingness to try and be on TV but it often comes into elements of humiliation as well as moments of some very dark yet offbeat humor. Even as Ko would encounter things in an attempt to find a dog as it plays to strange events and stories that goes inside the apartment. Some of it is played for laughs while other moments are just dark with elements that mixes both. All of which play into two people trying to deal with the chaos of their lives as well as the harsh realities they want to escape from.
Bong Joon-ho’s direction is very stylish not just in his use of tracking shots but also in the compositions he create. Especially in his usage of close-ups and medium shots that play into some of the drama as well as eerie scenes that play into Ko’s struggle. Even in moments where he tries to redeem himself but would often encounter certain things like a janitor (Byun Hee-bong) telling a tenant about a chilling story Joon-Ho creates this air of suspense that would loom throughout the film. Joon-ho also creates some dazzling usage of crane shots as well as chase scenes where Park would chase Ko, though she has no idea who she is chasing, in the apartment building where a lot of steadicams are used to capture the action as the apartment building itself is a character in the film. Some of which are comical but it also plays into moments that are very dark as Joon-ho also knows how to stage the drama for a moment where Ko would lose a dog as it would bring Ko and Park together to find it.
There’s also these dark moments as it relates to the struggles that Ko would endure as it relates to his own uncertain future as it includes this sequence about what Ko would have to do to get a job as a professor. It is a moment that is quite chilling as it plays into the added pressure that Ko is dealing with as he would take it out on dogs. The film’s third act would have Ko not only come to terms with his own actions but also in dealing with the unhappiness he is having in his life. Joon-ho’s approach to compositions become far more intriguing as he would mix elements of fantasy and reality for a few scenes as it relates to what Park wants for herself but there is still elements of reality that she is forced to accept. Especially for Ko who copes with some of the aspects of his own life but wonders if he is willing to move on from it. Overall, Joon-ho creates an engaging yet witty film about two people dealing with the dark aspects of reality.
Cinematographers Jo Yeong-gyu and Cho Yong-kyou do amazing work with the cinematography as it‘s very colorful for some of the daytime exteriors while using some low-key lights and such for some eerie interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Lee Eun-soo does fantastic work with the editing to create some offbeat rhythms for the humor and action along with elements of jump-cuts and slow-motion cuts for some of the intense moments including the chase sequence. Production designer Hang Lee does excellent work with the look of the apartment rooms to present the personality of the characters as well as the places they go to.
Costume designer Choi Yun-jung does terrific work with the costumes from the yellow hoodie that Park wears to the casual look of Ko. Visual effects supervisor Jung Sung-jin does nice work with some of the minimal visual effects as it relates to a few key stunts and moments involving the dogs. Sound mixers Choi Tae-young and Oh Weon-chul do superb work with the sound to create elements of suspense as well as eerie moments that play into Ko‘s troubled state of mind including the sounds of barking dogs. The film’s music by Jo Seong-woo is brilliant as it is this lively mix of jazz with bits of classical as it plays into some of the film’s humor and dramatic moments as it’s one of the film’s highlights.
The film’s phenomenal cast includes some notable small roles from Kim Jin-goo as an old lady with a Chihuahua, Kim Roi-ha as a mysterious man who lives in the apartment basement, Go Soo-hee as Park’s friend Yoon, and Byun Hee-bong as the maintenance man who would cook food in the basement as he would tell a chilling story to a tenant that Ko would listen to. Kim Ho-jung is wonderful as Ko’s pregnant wife Eun-sil as she is quite cruel to him by making him break walnuts and spending money on things as there’s aspects about her that doesn’t make her a total bitch. Bae Doona is remarkable as Park Hyun-nam as this young and aimless woman who sees an opportunity to find dogs in the hopes to get some kind of reward as she also copes with the downside of the real world. Finally, there’s Lee Sung-jae in a riveting performance as Ko Yun-ju as this grad student who is desperate to become a professor as he becomes unhinged by all kinds of pressure as he would take it out on dogs as he becomes troubled by his actions and hopes to find some form of redemption.
Barking Dogs Never Bite is a sensational film from Bong Joon-ho. Armed with a fantastic cast and a story that is offbeat yet captivating, it’s a film that manages to be dark and weird. Yet, it’s also a film that plays into the world of humanity and the pressures they’re put upon to better themselves but in ways they’re unable to cope with. In the end, Barking Dogs Never Bite is a tremendously odd yet thrilling film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film)) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother - Snowpiercer - Okja - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the play by Kim Kwang-rim, Memories of Murder is the story of two detectives who are trying to uncover the mystery of a series of real-life murders that occurred from 1986 to 1991 in South Korea. Directed by Bong Joon-ho and screenplay by Joon-ho and Shim Sung-bo, the film is a mystery that revolves around the real-life killings that gripped a nation as two men try to understand why these people are killed and who did. Starring Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roi-ha, Park Hae-il, and Byun Hee-bong. Memories of Murder is a gripping yet evocative film from Bong Joon-ho.
Based on the real-life murders that occurred in South Korea from 1986 to 1991 that gripped a nation into panic. The film revolves two very different detectives who work with each other to solve the case of these grisly murders that often occur on a rainy night where a young woman is wearing red as she is then seen dead and tied up. During the course of the investigation where false leads and incompetence lead to uncertainty, questions begin to arise about the motives as well as odd clues which then leads to a few breaks but also questionable tactics from these two very different detectives. It’s a film that isn’t just about an investigation but also two very different men who come from different backgrounds as they have to work together to do something right.
The film’s screenplay begins with this discovery in the middle of a very rural small town in South Korea as its local detective Park (Song Kang-ho) is trying to lead the investigation as his inability to really get anything going forces his leaders to bring in the more experienced Inspector Seo (Kim Sang-kyung) from Seoul to aid him and Park’s partner Cho (Kim Roi-ha). Though there’s tension between the more reasonable Seo and the more aggressive Park, the two do bond once it becomes clear that the crime is far more complex. It’s a script that is more about two men who come together in this investigation as both of them would use unconventional methods to try and get answers. Seo is a man who relies on documents, facts, and actual clues while Park is more about instinct as he and Cho are notorious for beating up suspects to get answers. Even as they target oddballs such as a mentally-challenged man (Park No-shik) which proves to be troubling as the media gets wind of these tactics.
Once the killings become more gruesome as it leads to various questions involving a major suspect (Park Hae-il) based on descriptions by a few witnesses. It plays into not just the film’s third act but also some major changes into the two detectives as they’re forced to deal with the impact of not just these killings but also in how some of their own methods can turn against them. Something that Seo would struggle with while Park would have a struggle of his own that becomes more existential as well as questions into what could’ve been.
Bong Joon-ho’s direction is truly mesmerizing for the way he opens the film in a very unconventional way. It starts off very innocently as it is shot in these plain fields in rural South Korea that looks like a very different and calm world until a group of kids run towards a police car where Park looks inside this drain where a body is inside. It sets the tone for what is to come as it also showcases Park as this very odd individual who is more driven by instinct rather than skills. Some of the direction involve some very dark yet comical moments involving Park and Cho who would often do things to get answers from suspects. Much of it plays into Park and Cho trying to be the badass cops that the media will love but their antics doesn’t produce results. Some of the compositions are straightforward yet have an ethereal quality in terms of the close-ups of the plain fields as well as some amazing wide shots with the use of crane cameras.
By setting it in this rural small town, Joon-ho creates something that is intimate not just in its police station but also in the small town while using some wide shots to create something that is also big. The moments of the killings are quite suspenseful where Joon-ho knows how to play with its rhythms and the impact of these scenes. Even as the film gets darker to the point that it becomes more about Park and Seo dealing with the consequences of these murders and their attempts to find answers. The film would then have this epilogue involving one of the men as it plays into many aspects about the real killings as well as the fact that some things don’t go away. Overall, Joon-ho creates a very captivating yet harrowing film about detectives trying to find a serial killer.
Cinematographer Kim Hyung-hu does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the naturalistic yet beautiful look of the plain fields as well as some of the lighting for the scenes at night including the interrogation room and the pathway where some of the killings occur. Editor Kim Sun-min does amazing work with the editing as it plays to elements of styles from slow-motion cuts to offbeat rhythms for its element of suspense and its dark humor. Production designer Ryu Seong-hie does excellent work with the look of the police station as well as some of the homes of the characters.
Sound editor Lee Seung-yeop and sound mixer Lee Byung-Ha do fantastic work with the sound to play into the sense of terror as well as the drama which includes some chilling moments in the murder scenes. The film’s music by Taro Iwashiro is superb for its mixture of soaring yet brooding orchestral music and some eerie electronic pieces that plays into the drama and suspense as well as a Korean pop song that becomes a key aspect into the mystery.
The film’s cast features some notable small performances from Go Seo-Hee as female officer who finds a clue that proves crucial to the cast as she would also talk to a witness while Jeon Mi-seon is terrific as Park’s wife who would also give him suggestions to find something. Park No-shik is excellent as a mentally-challenged suspect who seems to know more than the detectives realize while Park Hae-il is fantastic as another suspect who fits some descriptions as he is a very ambiguous character. Song Jae-ho is superb as a chief sergeant who leads the case early one while Byun Hee-bong is amazing as the new chief who runs the investigation as he wonders why they couldn’t get any more results.
Kim Roi-ha is brilliant as the crazed cop Cho Yong-koo as a guy who is very aggressive as he is so eager to get answers as he is this wildcard that proves to be a little much for his partner at times. Kim Sang-kyung is incredible as Inspector Seo Tae-yoon as this educated-based detective from Seoul who aids in the investigation as his methods prove to be helpful early on despite tension with Park while coming to terms over the gruesomeness of the murders. Finally, there’s Song Kang-ho in a phenomenal performance as Detective Park Doo-man as this detective who leads by instinct as he tries to figure out what to do as he starts off as this incompetent and aggressive detective while proving to have methods that work as he later copes with the events around him as he deals with his own future as a cop.
Memories of Murder is a tremendously dark yet exhilarating film from Bong Joon-ho. Armed with a great cast as well as some spellbinding technical achievements, the film isn’t just one of Joon-ho’s finest films but also a key film in the Korean New Wave of the 2000s. Even as it manages to take the mystery-suspense genre and add ideas that feels new and exciting. In the end, Memories of Murder is an outstanding film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - The Host - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother - Snowpiercer - Okja - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer is post-apocalyptic film set in an ice age where survivors are living on a train as the poor and hungry rebel against the elite as they try to take over the train. Directed by Bong Joon-Ho and screenplay by Joon-Ho and Kelly Masterson from a screen story by Joon-Ho, the film is a futuristic dystopia where class is being separated as it all takes place inside a train. Starring Tilda Swinton, Chris Evans, John Hurt, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Alison Pill, Song Kang-ho, Go Ah-sung, and Ed Harris. Snowpiercer is a thrilling yet mesmerizing film from Bong Joon-Ho.
Set in an ice age in the middle of the 21st Century where survivors of the ice age live inside a train. The film is about a rebellion led by the poor who live on the tail-end of the train as they trek through their way to front to confront the mysterious creator of the train. It’s a film that explores not just class structures where the poor is forced to suffer and eat protein bars, unaware of its true substance, while enduring all sorts of abuse as the only person from the front they meet is the train minister Mason (Tilda Swinton). For a young man in Curtis (Chris Evans), it’s all too much for him to take as he would lead the rebellion with the help of his mentor Gilliam (John Hurt) where they free the gates designer Minsu (Song Kang-Ho) and his daughter Yona (Go Ah-sung) only to encounter all sorts of horrors of the train they’ve been living in.
The film’s screenplay does begin with bits of exposition about how the ice age had begun all due to an experiment, that was to combat global warming , suddenly went wrong and led to this dystopia where its survivors live on the train. Yet, that is only in the first few minutes as it fast-forwards 2031 where Curtis and his friends Edgar (Jamie Bell), Tanya (Octavia Spencer), and Andrew (Ewen Bremner) are planning a revolt where both Tanya and Andrew want to retrieve their respective child who had been taken by an associate of the train’s creator Wilford (Ed Harris) who is seen by Mason and the elite as a god. For Curtis, seeing friends die and children taken away as well as the horrors he had experienced has him wanting to confront Wilford as the journey he and his friends take becomes an arduous one where they see things that don’t make sense as it shows how oppressed they are.
Yet, Mason is just a spokesperson for the elusive Wilford as she is eventually taken hostage to take Curtis and his band of rebels to the train and its different compartments. Upon these encounters with the compartments, there are these strange ideas of satire in the way Wilford’s teachings are handled as it has this very offbeat approach to dark humor. A lot of it is quite absurd yet it adds that film’s approach of dystopia where everyone has to be in the train in order to survive or else endure the horrors of what is outside as the ice age is still happening. There are images of what is outside the train as it on the same track for an entire year that spans all over the world in this massive track that goes from continent to continent. All of which plays into a world where there maybe no hope yet Curtis believes the answer to that hope is at the front of the train and its engine.
Bong Joon-Ho’s direction is very chilling in the way he maintains a sense of atmosphere as it’s shot almost entirely inside a train. There are a few wide shots in the film yet much of the compositions that Joon-Ho creates are focused on medium shots and close-ups along with some unique camera angles to play into the sense of terror and suspense. At the same time, there’s an element of claustrophobia as some of the compositions are very tight as is the train compartments where the poor cluttered inside to showcase the tension that is building up. Some of which involve these very gruesome images of violence where Joon-Ho brings in a lot of shooting styles from hand-held to more controlled approaches of action and suspense while also creating some moments that is all shot in one take
There is that sense of build-up into each compartment that Curtis and his character go through as Joon-Ho creates these set pieces inside the train compartments that are very surreal as well as off-putting. Some of which is played for laughs such as this very strange scene where Curtis and his gang encounter a schoolteacher (Alison Pill) who is a very cartoonish character just like Mason in some respects. Of course, things become more dangerous and deadly where it would play into not just Curtis’ motivations into meeting Wilford but also the chance to know why he was put into these situations. Curtis’ meeting with Wilford is very climatic but also filled with a lot of revelations into Wilford’s own motivations that showcases a lot about humanity and its fallacies. Overall, Joon-Ho crafts a very intense and provocative film about a revolt inside a train in a futuristic ice age.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo does amazing work with the cinematography from the grimy look and lighting in some of the compartments such as the tail end to the array of lighting styles to play into the different look of the compartments to showcase its offbeat and surrealistic tone. Editors Steve M. Choe and Changju Kim do brilliant work in the editing in creating some very unique rhythms to play into the film‘s action, drama, and dark humor along other stylish cuts from slow-motion and such to play into its action. Production designer Ondrej Nekvasil, with set decorator Beata Brendtnerova and art director Stefan Kovacik, does superb work with the design of the train compartments from the very drab and stuffy look of the tail compartment to the very different settings of the compartments to play into its offbeat tone.
Costume designer Catherine George does excellent work with the costumes from the ragged look of the poor to the more colorful and cartoonish look of the rich. Hair/makeup designer Jeremy Woodhead does nice work with the look of the Mason character in her very weird presentation from her hair and teeth that makes her more like a cartoon than a serious authority figure. The visual effects work of Kang Changbae and Eric Durst is spectacular for not just the look of the train in its exteriors but also in some of the action set pieces as well as what Earth looked like in its ice age. Sound designers Sung Rok Choi, Timothy Nielsen, and Dave Whitehead do fantastic work with the film‘s sound from the way the train sounds inside and out to the some of the atmosphere in the different train compartments. The film’s music by Marco Beltrami is wonderful for its orchestral flourishes along with some bombastic, electronic-based pieces while some of the film’s soundtrack includes a classical piece by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as a song from Cream.
The casting by Jenny Jue and Johanna Ray is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Paul Lazar as the maker of the mysterious protein bars, Tomas Lemarquis as a Wilford agent known as Egg-head, Marcanthonee Reis as Tanya’s five-year old son Tim, Steve Park as an officer of Mason, Emma Levie as a strange associate of Wilford, Clark Middleton as a poor painter who makes portraits for his friends, Vlad Ivanov and Adnan Haskovic as Mason’s muscle-men, and Luke Pasqualino as the mute fighter of the rebellion known as Grey. Ewen Bremner is terrific as the angry yet resourceful Andrew while Alison Pill is very funny as the offbeat teacher who tries to teach children the ideas of Wilford.
Ed Harris is excellent in a small yet very memorable role as the mysterious Wilford as a man who runs the train as he believes that he can save the world. John Hurt is amazing as the aging rebel leader Gilliam as he would guide Curtis into leading the rebellion as he hopes to confront Wilford himself. Octavia Spencer is brilliant as Tanya as the woman of the group who aids Curtis so she can retrieve her son. Tilda Swinton is great as the train minister Mason as she is this very cartoonish and offbeat character that tries to assert authority but is really a slimy coward. Jamie Bell is superb as Curtis’ sidekick Edgar who aids him in every way while doing a few funny things yet proves to be very reliable in every situation. Go Ah-sung is fantastic as the clairvoyant Yona as this young woman who can see through the gates while being an emotional compass of sorts in the film as she deals with the different worlds she’s never encountered.
Song Kang-ho is phenomenal as the drug-addicted gate designer Namgoong Minsu as a man who can open gates while making some realizations of his own about what is happening in and out of the train. Finally, there’s Chris Evans in a remarkable performance as Curtis Everett as a rebel leader who had seen and endured so much as he decides to take charge and confront Wilford as it’s a role filled with command but also anguish over some of his decisions as it’s a truly Evans in one of his best roles to date.
Snowpiercer is an outstanding film from Bong Joon-ho. Armed with a great ensemble cast as well as captivating themes on humanity, dystopia, and class structure. It’s a film that manages to do a lot of things where it’s not just an action film with brains but it’s also quite funny at times as it hits all of the marks and more. In the end, Snowpiercer is a sensational film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother - Okja - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Bong Joon-ho and written by Joon-ho and Baek Chul-hyun, The Host is the story of a family trying to rescue a young girl from a monster that was snatched up just as their city is being ravaged by this monster. The film is a monster movie of sorts as it’s also a story about a family coming together to save their one of their own while dealing with the chaos surrounding their city with claims of a viral epidemic happening. Starring Song Kang-ho, Byeon Hee-bong, Boona Dae, Park Hae-il, and Go Ah-sung. The Host is a thrilling yet captivating monster film from Bong Joon-ho.
On a typical day near the Han River in Seoul, Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) is a narcoleptic man who runs a snack bar with his father Hee-bong (Byeon Hee-bong) while caring for his adolescent daughter Hyun-seo (Go Ah-sung). While delivering food to some customers near the river, Gang-du and fellow locals notice something coming out of the river as a monster appears wreaking havoc around the area as Hyun-seo was suddenly taken by the monster as Gang-du tries to save her. The monster reaches national attention as Gang-du and Hee-bong are taken to a building where a mass funeral is held as Gang-du’s former activist brother Nam-il (Park Hae-il) and national archer sister Nam-joo (Boona Dae) arrive as they’re consumed with grief over Hyun-seo. The family is then taken to the hospital as Gang-du has come in direct contact with the monster believing that the monster is carrying a virus.
While in quarantine, Gang-du receives a call from his cell phone as he hears Hyun-seo’s voice as he realizes that she’s alive as he wants to leave the hospital to save her. The rest of the family wants to join in as they learn that she’s somewhere in a sewer as they all make an escape from the hospital as they buy weapons to track down the monster. With the help of a map of the sewers near the Han river, the family tries to find Hyun-seo and the monster. Meanwhile, two brothers in Se-jin (Lee Jae-eung) and Se-joo (Lee Dong-ho) look for food in the area as they’re attacked by monsters where Se-joo is at the sewer with Hyun-seo as they’re the only survivors. After an encounter with monster that leaves the family splintered and Gang-du captured, all hope seems to be lost until Nam-il finally traces Hyun-seo’s call. When Gang-du learns some revelations about the virus and what the government is going to do, he makes another escape to rejoin the family to save his daughter.
Since the film is a monster movie of sorts, it’s really about a family coming together to save one of their own as it strays from a lot of typical premises with the genre. By focusing on this very dysfunctional family where it’s led by an aging snack-bar owner, the family consists of a not-so-bright man who often sleeps a lot, a college graduate who used to be an activist as he’s turned to alcoholism, and a young woman who is a skilled archer but is very slow in her delivery. When they come together to save a young girl, they do whatever they can to find her and kill the monster while they’re being surrounded by this chaos about a viral epidemic around them.
The film’s screenplay does play with a lot of the schematics that is expected in a monster movie but it’s also a movie that also plays into satire about the way governments handle crazy incidents and these viral epidemics that makes people go crazy. In the midst of all of this craziness is a monster on the loose that is eating up people while eventually taking two kids that are still alive from the attack as they try to escape from the monster. Aside from the victims, the family end up becoming the most rational people as they try to find Hyun-seo anyway they can as they later deal with all sorts of tribulations in their quest to find her.
Bong Joon-ho’s direction is definitely vast in its ambitions as he shoots the film on location in Seoul and at the Han River. While it is clear that he’s making a monster movie, Joon-ho is interested in making something that is typical as he’s more concerned about the family where he often has intimate moments where the family gather around to discuss their plans and also about each other. Even as there’s scenes in the sewers where Hyun-seo tries to see what is going on and to find a working cell phone to talk to her family. Joon-ho would employ a lot of stylistic shots to create these moments that includes close-ups, group shots, and some very telling moments such as Nam-joo walking under the bridge to continue her search.
The direction also has a lot of moments that involve TV news reports as it establishes a lot of what is happening as it indicates that something isn’t right where it leads to a climatic moment involving protesters. It’s part of the film’s political commentary that reveals the sense of negligence that is involved with these situations as it is further established by the film’s opening scene involving an American doctor and his Korean assistant. Even as another American would end up playing a key part of the story that would drive Gang-du to escape a second time and save his daughter leading to a much bigger climax involving the monster and family. Overall, Joon-ho creates a truly intense and engaging film that does a lot more than what it is expected in its genre.
Cinematographer Kim Hyung-ku does wonderful work with the film‘s photography from the brooding lighting schemes in the sewer scenes to the exterior settings in the rain to play out the film‘s melancholic mood. Editor Kim Sun-min does brilliant work with the editing to play up the element of suspense and drama as well as using some stylish jump-cuts in a scene between Hyun-seo and Se-joo. Production designer Ryu Seong-hie does nice work with the few set pieces created such as the hospital rooms and the snack bar trailer that Gang-du and his father work at.
Visual effects supervisor Kevin Rafferty does some excellent work with the look of the monster as it does have this larger-than-life presence that plays a lot into the film‘s story. Sound designers Coll Anderson and Sean Ganhart do terrific work with the sound from the chaos that surrounds the crowd scenes as the monster attacks to the more intimate moments between the family. The film’s music by Lee Byung-woo is fantastic for its orchestral-driven score to play up the suspense and drama as it features swelling string arrangements and bombast as it’s definitely one of the film’s highlights.
The casting by John Jackson is superb for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Scott Wilson as a U.S. military doctor, Yoon je-moon as a homeless man Nam-il meets, Lee Jae-eung as Se-joo’s older brother Se-jin, and Lim Phil-sung as a friend of Nam-il who lets him into the building to trace Hyun-seo’s phone call. Lee Dang-ho is very good as the young boy Se-joo who deals with being captured by the monster as he starts to get ill from hunger. Go Ah-sung is excellent as Hyun-seo who deals with being captured by the monster as she tries to get out and help Se-joo.
Park Hae-il is wonderful as the frustrated Nam-il who tries to deal with his own alcoholism and the screw-ups that happens as he later becomes a more competent person as the film progress. Boona Dae is great as Nam-joo who tries to deal with her own flaws as an archer while becoming more determined to get the job done. Byeon Hee-bong is terrific as the family patriarch Hee-bong who rallies the family to come together while ensuring that they have to stick together for the sake of Hyun-seo. Finally, there’s Song Kang-ho in a marvelous performance as Gang-du as he is the one character that many believe couldn’t get things done but his determination to save his daughter makes his performance an unforgettable one as he goes through everything to find the monster with the help of his family.
The Host is an incredible film from Bong Joon-ho that features an outstanding ensemble cast and a premise that is truly compelling to watch. It’s a film that definitely does a lot more than what the monster movie promises while it’s also a film that explores the world of family and the political corruption they have to deal with while trying to save one of their own. In the end, The Host is a remarkable film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - Tokyo!: Shaking Tokyo - Mother - Snowpiercer - Okja - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
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