Bong Joon-ho: Dissident Cinema

(Hardback)

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The first illustrated critical monograph of Academy Awardwinning writer/director Bong Joon-ho, the visionary behind films such as Parasite, Snowpiercer, Okja, and The HostBrilliantly illustrated and designed by the London-based film magazine Little White Lies, Bong Joon-ho examines the career of the South Korean writer/director, who has been making critically acclaimed feature films for more than two decades. First breaking out into the international scene with festival-favorite Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Bong then set his sights on the story of a real-life serial killer in 2003s Memories of Murder and once again won strong international critical attention, winning Best Director at San Sebastian Film Festival. But it was 2006s The Host that proved to be a huge breakout moment both for Bong and the Korean film industry. The big-budget monster movie, set in Seoul, premiered at Cannes and became an instant hitSouth Koreas widest release ever, setting new box office records and selling remake rights in the US to Universal. Bongs next feature, Mother (2009) also premiered at Cannes, once again earning critical acclaim and appearing on many "best-of" lists for 2009/2010. But it was Bongs first English-language film, Snowpiercer (2013)set on a post-apocalyptic train where class divisions erupt into class warfarethat brought his work outside of the South Korean and film festival markets and onto the stage of global commercial cinema. After a short sidestep with 2017s Okja, which became a center of controversy due to its being produced and released by Netflix, despite A. O. Scott calling it "a miracle of imagination and technique," it was Bongs 2019 black comedy/thriller Parasite that took his career to new heights, winning the Palme dOr, with a unanimous vote, as well as Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. Parasites jarring shifts in toneencompassing darkness, drama, slapstick, and black humorand its unsubtle critiques of late capitalism and American imperialism are in conversation with Bongs entire body of work, and this mid-career monograph will survey the entirety of that work, including his short films, to flesh out the stories behind the films with supporting analytical text and interviews with Bongs key collaborators. The book also explores Bongs rise in the cultural eye of the West, catching up readers with his career before his next masterpiece arrives.

Author Bio

Karen Han is a Korean American culture writer and screenwriter whose work can be found in outlets such as the New York Times, the Atlantic, Vanity Fair, VICE, the Village Voice, New York magazine, and Slate. She has also appeared on television and radio as a critic on Good Morning America, Amanpour, NPR, and WNYC. She lives in Los Angeles. David Lowery is a filmmaker whose work includes Pioneer, A Ghost Story, Petes Dragon, and The Green Knight.