Although directors like Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook only recently became known to Western audiences, South Korean cinema was in its golden age during the 2000s. The late 1990s was when many of its most prominent directors, like Bong, Park, and auteur Lee Chang-dong, came of age and were active in the film industry, but it was the decade after that these directors truly hit their stride.
While Parasite won many Oscars and achieved global acclaim, it’s important to note that the Korean government had a blacklist with 10,000 names that included directors like Bong, Park, and Lee. Essentially, this list was a compilation of individuals who actively disagreed with the government. For the film directors in particular, this meant that many of their movies were less likely to receive funding or be nominated for international awards like the Oscars. In fact, the Korean Film Council admitted they denied funding to filmmakers in the past due to their political stances.
Regardless of governmental intervention (or, in some cases, restriction), South Korean cinema and art persevered. The movies released during the 2000s paved the way for contemporary films, like Parasite and Train to Busan, and carved a niche in the industry that allowed for something uniquely Korean. Full of realism, brutal imagery, and "han," the Korean concept of deeply-embedded regret, rage, and sorrow, these films were extraordinary and definitively set the tone for what was to come out of the nation. Here are the best Korean films of the 2000s, ranked.
6 Secret Sunshine
Secret Sunshine came out in 2007 with a lot of press. Director Lee Chang-dong, known for having the first Korean film to make the Oscar shortlist for Best Foreign Film, returned after five years of hiatus and government work to make Secret Sunshine. A widow’s (Jeon Do-yeon) young son has gone missing, and she finds solace in the town’s mechanic (Song Kang-ho). Jeon Do-yeon won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in Secret Sunshine; her performance as the mother was heartbreaking. Lee’s films are praised for their complex, humanistic stories and this movie unfolds on the screen like visual poetry. The camera quietly and delicately spectates Jeon’s descent into grief, faith, and acceptance of how difficult life is.
5 The Chaser
Na Hong-jin’s most well-known film was The Chaser before his 2016 movie The Wailing. Eom Joong-ho (Kim Yoon-seok) is a former police officer gone rogue; he now is a pimp who, at the beginning of the film, is missing two of his sex workers. When he comes into contact with a serial killer, it quickly descends into a cat-and-mouse game where the predator becomes the prey. The Chaser turns what starts small and morphs into a larger, more complex situation while never losing focus. It also questions the degrees to which someone is truly bad or moral.
4 3-Iron
The late Kim Ki-duk is known for his really strange—sometimes violent—movies. 3-Iron is one of his earliest films, but it’s also one of the most popular Kim Ki-duk movies. A mute man (Jae Hee) lives by breaking into homes each night while its occupants are away on vacation. His usual plans go awry when he misjudges a home, leading to him meeting an abused housewife (Lee Seung-yeon). These two loners begin to engage in a relationship that teaches them to love despite the world’s cruelty. 3-Iron is relatively tame violence-wise compared to Kim’s later work but is still pretty complex when breaking it down. Socioeconomic status is explored through its characters, and through the use of silence, it seems as if they are unable to speak against their situation.
3 The Host
Bong Joon-ho’s The Host is the monster film that the world never knew it needed. American scientists dump formaldehyde into Seoul’s Han River, creating a massive monster that hunts and eats humans for sport. This was based on a true event; the American military did dump large amounts of formaldehyde down the drain instead of disposing of it properly. Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) helps run the family business with his father: a snack stand by the river. Park seems slow, someone who won’t get anywhere in life, but when the monster kidnaps his daughter, his entire family rallies together to get her back. The Host manages to capture Bong Joon-ho at his best. It's funny, heartbreaking, and a critique of class and social issues present in Korean society. Song Kang-ho’s performance as Park Gang-du is incredible—he perfectly captures the image of a man haunted by both mental and physical demons.
2 Oldboy
Oldboy is one of the most notorious movies in Korean film history; it even spurned a failed American remake by Spike Lee. Oldboy is the second entry in Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy, and while it’s not as bloody as the first film in the series, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, it’s still pretty out there violence-wise. Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) has been kidnapped and held in a room for fifteen years, and when he’s finally released he has a taste for revenge. What made Oldboy so unique at the time is the way it purposefully utilized violence. Unlike many American films, there was a reason behind everything on the screen. It wasn’t distasteful—it made sense for the story and message it was trying to tell. It’s comedic and tragic, the lingering story of a man trying to redeem the time he’d lost.
1 Memories of Murder
Memories of Murder was only Bong Joon-ho’s second feature film, but it may still be his best. A serial killer is on the loose in Korea’s countryside, and a local detective (Song Kang-ho) is overwhelmed on what to do next. With his partner, he joins forces with a Seoul detective. But as the murders continue, they’re all at the end of their wits. Memories of Murder is a crime film, but it’s also a movie about humanity. In real life, the serial killer was only recently caught, but these three men are ready to sacrifice everything to find out the truth. They crack jokes and live regular lives outside of the investigation, which is the perfect balance to the dark atmosphere that lingers over the reality of the situation.