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5 Korean Films To Watch If You Liked 'Parasite'!

Written by Emily Holshouser. Published: March 03 2020

 

Parasite, the Oscar-winning South Korean film directed by Bong Joon Ho, is objectively the best thing to happen to society as a whole in a very long time. Bong Joon Ho must be protected at ALL. COSTS.

 

Korea is home to SO MANY good films! If you liked Parasite and you wanna take a little dip into Korean cinema, sit back, relax, and we’ll give you 5 Korean gems to whet your appetite!

 

1. The Host (2006)

 

Also directed by Bong Joon Ho, The Host is the story of father’s attempts to rescue her daughter after she is taken by a terrifying monster.

 

If you thought Parasite was the first time Bong Joon Ho woke us all up and reintroduced us to nasty capitalism, think again. Like Parasite, The Host stars Song Kang-ho and shares many similarities to Parasite’s plot and tone.

 

The Host makes an excellent companion piece if you’re catching Parasite for the first time (how????) or giving it a second, or third, or sixth go-around. 

 

 

 

2. Train To Busan (2016)

 

Zombie movies are familiar to many of us, but Train To Busan is a different take on the tried-and-true genre.

 

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, Train To Busan takes place on -- you guessed it -- a train to Busan as a zombie apocalypse suddenly breaks out, threatening the safety of those on the train and making their destination a lot less inviting. A sequel to the film was just announced, making now the perfect time to watch this absolute gem.

 

Similar to Bong Joon Ho’s films, Train To Busan examines class structure and wealth in a larger-than-life context.

 

 

 

3. Mother (2009)

 

Thought we were done with Bong Joon Ho films? Nope!

 

In Mother, Kim Hye-ja stars as an unnamed mother whose son, Yoon Do-joon, is ostracized in their community because of his learning disability. When a young girl is found dead and Do-joon is thought to be the culprit, the mother sets out to prove her son’s innocence.

 

Motherhood is a commonly explored topic in film, but Mother offers a fresh, unique take on the archetype.

 

 

 

4. Okja (2017)

 

Netflix gave Bong Joon Ho every filmmaker’s dream when he set out to make Okja: a blank check.

 

Okja takes on many of the same economic issues Bong Joon Ho typically addresses, as well as animal rights issues, set against a buddy comedy and a beautiful Netflix aesthetic. The film follows a young girl named Mija and her genetically modified pet pig Okja, whose lives are turned upside down when men come to take Okja away and use her for food.

 

This film also features some familiar American faces, including Jake Gyllenhaal at his absolute weirdest.

 

 

 

5. Memories of Murder (2003)

 

Okay, so this kind of became a Bong Joon Ho movie list, but his movies are all excellent, so we still stand by all of these picks.

 

Memories of Murder is based on the true story of South Korea’s first serial killer in the late-'80s/early-'90s, and the detectives who solved the crimes.

 

Memories of Murder is notable not because it’s a great movie, but because it was also notoriously hard to track down for Americans -- those wanting to watch it had to find a rare DVD or go to an even rarer screening to get a taste of it.