Over the past three weeks, learning about the history and roots of Korean cinema, rewatching familiar films, discovering new ones, and engaging in class discussions about symbols, themes, and hidden meanings has completely changed the way I view cinema. One thing that stands out is the unique and innovative blend of genres in Korean films, which isn’t often found in typical Hollywood movies. In many American films, genres are straightforward. For example, The Conjuring is a classic horror film, and The Notebook is the go-to for romance. However, Korean cinema often blends multiple genres to elevate the story and deliver a deeper, more layered message about Korea’s history, culture, and societal issues.
As it is discussed in Rediscovering Korean Cinema, two of the most important genres in early 1960s South Korean film history were family dramas and historical dramas (Lee 43). Even in recent films like Parasite (2019), director Bong Joon Ho holds onto the family drama aspect, and also incorporates relating topics of loyalty, sacrifice, and social class. At the same time, he combines dark comedy, drama, and thriller genres to highlight political and social issues, such as the widening gap between rich and poor in Korean society (Lee 54). Unlike many movies I have watched, Korean movies like Parasite makes you think beyond the surface of what is bluntly portrayed in the movie. The scenes of the Kim family’s cramped living conditions symbolize Korea’s income inequality, while the Park family’s disdain for lower-class people reveals the discrimination and dehumanization of the poor. The movie’s subtle remarks to American education and culture also point to Korea’s historical relationship with the U.S., which illustrates how American influence has shaped aspects of Korean identity. When I first watched Parasite, I didn’t fully grasp why it was considered such a good movie. It wasn’t until I revisited the themes and symbols that I realized how Bong Joon Ho used his cinematic directing to blend genres and craft a film that is suspenseful, realistic, and full of dark humor, while simultaneously critiquing social issues in Korea.
This innovative genre blending is a trend in many Korean films. The Handmaiden, for example, merges psychological thriller, drama, romance, and historical genres. After watching it for the first time, I was shocked by how much the film packed into one narrative. I felt mixed emotions because it incorporated Korea’s relationship with Japan, multiple plot twists, and challenged societal norms including an LGBTQ love story. In Chapter 10 of Theorizing Colonial Cinema, it discusses how “post colonial education and the mass media served to erase collective memories of unwelcome colonial intimacies” (Kwon 249). Park Chan Wook’s use of genre in The Handmaiden defies traditional norms. For example, Japanese culture is glamorized through architecture and clothing, which was controversial given the painful history between Korea and Japan. By incorporating LGBTQ themes in a society that remains conservative on the topic, the film pushes boundaries not just in storytelling but in the cultural conversation as well. The innovative genre mix allows the film to challenge and reinterpret Korea’s past and present, which makes it even more groundbreaking.
Two of my favorite Korean films, The Call and Train to Busan, also use this genre-blending technique to explore deeper themes. The Call mixes mystery, thriller, horror, and sci-fi, and offers a story that takes place between two different time periods. It not only keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, but it also reveals changes in Korea’s law, governance, and technological progress. Train to Busan combines zombie horror, action, and drama to deliver a powerful message about government authority, social inequality, and the tension between corporate life and family values. The film, similar to The Host, critiques the government’s response to crises and highlights the sacrifices the citizens must make in life-or-death situations. Directors like Bong Joon Ho use genre in innovative ways by drawing inspiration from Hollywood but also adapting it to reflect Korean realities. This method, like rearranging “Lego pieces” of familiar genres, allows filmmakers to tell stories that not only entertain but also uncover the deeper truths of Korean society (Klein 880).
Korean cinema’s unique approach to innovative genre blending offers something fresh for the eyes and also inspires meaningful thinking in the heart. This kind of special filmmaking leaves many audiences often in awe (at least I do), and even if the themes aren’t immediately clear, there is always something bigger to uncover. I believe this is exactly what makes Korean films so rewatchable. As mentioned in Sliding through genres: The Slippery Structure in South Korean films, the blend of genres and tone used in Korean cinema production "force us to re-think our position towards the movie as well as towards ourselves," (Utin, P. (2016)). They encourage viewers to look beyond the surface, learn more about Korean culture and history, and appreciate the art of filmmaking on a whole new level. This innovative mix of genres is what sets Korean cinema apart, which makes it both intellectually stimulating and deeply engaging for audiences around the world.
Klein, C. (2008). Why American studies needs to think about Korean cinema, or, transnational genres in the films of Bong Joon-ho. American Quarterly, 60(4), 871–898. https://doi.org/10.1353/aq.0.0041
Kwon, N. A., Odagiri, T., & Baek, M. (2022). Theorizing colonial cinema: Reframing production, circulation, and consumption of film in Asia. Indiana University Press.
Lee, S. (2019). Rediscovering korean cinema. University of Michigan Press.
Utin, P. (2016). Sliding through genres: The Slippery Structure in South Korean films. Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema, 8(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/17564905.2016.1171566