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- Think Locally, Laugh Globally
- by Christopher Weatherspoon / Dec 12, 2017
- Korean Comedic Films With Universal Themes Find Fans Abroad
The South Korean film industry has become well known for its bloody revenge tales and military action thrillers. These days, with international ticket sales becoming more important to film studios, Korean media companies are pushing their sleekly produced films abroad to attract more fans. However, unlike effects laden films that can simplify their stories to explosions and action sequences for the purpose of geoarbitrage, comedies often face difficulties being exported. Appealing to an international audience can be a challenge for comedic films as many rely on cultural elements that do not always translate well to foreign viewers. However, in the past few years, as Korean films and culture have continued to grow in popularity worldwide, so has interest in Korean comedies, many which manage to appeal to a wide audience.The dreaded family gathering: The Bros
Andong prides itself for being the “Capital City of Korean Spiritual Culture”. Though these days the southeastern Korean city is best known for its folk village, traditional cultural festivals, and localized braised chicken dish, centuries ago, Andong was the center of Confucianism on the Korean peninsula. So of course this would make it an ideal setting for a film with a plot that involves themes of filial piety and respect for one’s elders, or in the case of CHANG You-jeong’s The Bros, the lack thereof.LEE Seok-bong (Don LEE, aka MA Dong-seok) and LEE Joo-bong (LEE Dong-hwi) are brothers who have not seen each other in quite some time. Older brother Seok-bong is a history teacher and aspiring archaeologist who has spent himself into debt buying excavation equipment. Joo-bong is a once promising executive at an architecture firm who needs a win after recent failure. Tragedy strikes when their father dies and the two brothers are forced to return to their hometown of Andong for the funeral and family reunion. While arguing in the car, the two accidentally hit Aurora (LEE Ha-neui), an odd woman suffering from memory loss who reveals historical family details to the brothers that might solve all of their problems.The Bros was adapted from the stage play musical Brothers Were Brave which was also written and directed by CHANG. Though some elements were changed to help the script better fit the medium of film, elements of the story’s stage play origin remain. The film features a large supporting cast to add color, and the plot, which is rather straightforward, relies heavily on dialogue and situational comedy.CHANG You-jeong is a well-known playwright with several hit stage musicals to her name. The Bros is the second feature from CHANG following her debut, the 2010 romantic comedy Finding Mr. Destiny, which was also adapted from one of her stage plays. Don LEE is seeing his stock rise quickly. Earlier this year he starred in the action film THE OUTLAWS, which is currently the 3rd highest grossing domestic film of the year. LEE will next appear in Lotte Entertainment’s big-budget, fantasy epic Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds. Meanwhile LEE Dong-hwi recently starred in the Korean adaption of HBO television drama Entourage and appeared in the hit action film Confidential Assignment while LEE Ha-neui had appearances in Fabricated City and Heart Blackened , the latter is a remake of Chinese crime thriller Silent Witness (2014).The Spinster’s biological time bomb: Familyhood
Go Joo-yeon (KIM Hye-soo) is beautiful, successful, wealthy, and famous. Single and childless, the fashionable, older starlet spends her time causing problems for her loyal and talented stylist Pyung-goo (Don LEE) and dating handsome, much younger men. However, after discovering her boy-toy has also been dating a younger woman, Joo-yeon has a breakdown and decides it is time for a change. She makes plans to start a family, though her age and wild social life make this a difficult task. Enter Dan-ji (KIM Hyun-soo) a teen living a meager life and dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. When the two meet by chance, Joo-yeon gives Dan-ji an offer she can’t refuse: $100,000 for the baby. The news of Joo-yeon becoming mom causes her popularity to skyrocket, but when she embellishes her story of being a expectant mother, people become suspicious.As the Korean title Goodbye Single, Director KIM Tae-gon’s Familyhood is a sweet, heart-warming comedy. KIM hit the scene in 2009 with horror film, The Pot and followed it up with the coming of age drama Sunshine Boys (2013). Though his three features belong to different genres, KIM’s recurring use of contemporary Korean social issues as plot devices makes for compelling storytelling. In The Pot, KIM depicts a world of greed and religious fanaticism, both relevant, domestic issues. With Familyhood, KIM examines the dual issues of unwanted teen pregnancy and the hardships of being an aging, unwed, childless ‘Ajumma (a married, or marriage aged woman)’ spinster, both considered horrible fates by Korean society. KIM Hye-soo manages to portray the glamorous, self-centered Joo-yeon with just the right balance of outrageousness and heart to keep the character likable but never boring. Meanwhile KIM Hyun-soo’s Dan-ji’s pathos adds balance and depth to the film. Last but not least, cast against type, Don LEE’s straight-man Pyung-goo plays a wonderful foil to Joo-yeon, keeping the over-the-top actress grounded and helping to reveal that she is not as one dimensional character.A day in another man’s shoes: Luck-Key
Jae-sung (LEE Joon) is a failed actor living in poverty. Hyung-wook (YOO Hae-jin) is a ruthless, wealthy contract killer. As fate would have it, a literal slip-up at the neighborhood spa finds the two men switching places, with Jae-sung getting the keys to Hyung-wook’s Maserati and luxury penthouse and Hyung-wook waking up in the hospital with amnesia, eventually coming to the conclusion that he must be Jae-sung. The two men begin to adapt to their new lives, with Jae-sung sparing no expense while enjoying his new life of luxury, and Hyung-wook becoming a popular television actor and local chef. Of course, this being a comedy film, the amnesia eventually wears off, leaving Hyung-wook to clean-up the messy situation the best way he knows how.Adapted from the 2012 Japanese film Key of Life, Luck-Key is a good-natured, silly comedy. Though the plot involves a contract killer, the movie is family friendly and the story-line sticks to the familiar for feel-good films. YOO is likable as the amnesiac assassin Hyung-wook, and the actor does a fine job of displaying his ability to do comedy, drama, and action. Meanwhile, LEE Joon manages to make loser Jae-sung a character worthy of some level of sympathy and happiness.Luck-Key is the 2nd feature from LEE Gae-byok, and the first in 10 years since his debut feature The Beast and the Beauty (2005). YOO has been on a tear lately at the Korean box office having starred in A Taxi Driver and Confidential Assignment, the top two grossing domestic films of 2017. He will star in the upcoming historical drama 1987: When the Day Comes (2017). LEE Joon, who recently went on hiatus to begin his mandatory, 2 years of military service, most recently appeared in Seoul Station (2016), YEON Sang-ho’s animated prequel for his international zombie blockbuster TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016).If I knew then what I knew now: Miss Granny
OH Mal-soon (NA Moon-hee) is a stereotypical Korean ‘ajumma’. The grandmother and widow is loud, pushy and entitled. She dotes over her son Hyun-chul (SUNG Dong-il), spoils her grandson Ji-ha (JIN Young), terrorizes her rival Oh-bok (PARK Seung-tae) and constantly stresses out her daughter-in-law Ae-ja (HWANG Jung-min). When Ae-ja is hospitalized, doctors suggest that the fiery Mal-soon placed at a home for the elderly, until the daughter-in-law has regained her strength. Distraught from the news, Mal-soon goes for a walk and comes across a camera shop. She decides to take a photo to capture herself before she gets any older. The photographer promises to take 50 years off of her life.From the film’s opening sequence comparing women to athletic equipment, to its touching ending, Miss Granny is a wonderful achievement in storytelling, mixing comedy, genuine characters, and social issues. Most people see Miss Granny as a 180 degree stylistic turn for director HWANG Dong-hyuk following the release of his child sexual abuse drama Silenced (2011). However the film is similar in the sense that it makes a point of directly asking the audience to think address the issues of a disenfranchised group, this time being the elderly. HWANG manages to accomplish the holy grail of film programming, covering all four quadrants with his body-swap tale of geriatric defiance. SHIM Eun-kyoung (Sunny, 2011) makes the film as the Oh Doo-ri. Shim’s mimicry of ajumma behavior manages to walk the fine line of comedic realism without crossing over into caricature, providing audiences with an archetype character that every Korean person is familiar with. However, HWANG’s masterful performance would not have been possible without the older version of the character being masterfully established by veteran actress NA Moon-he (I Can Speak).Miss Granny was a sleeper hit when it was released for the Lunar New Year in 2014. The film has recorded 8.6 million admissions and currently sits as the 13th highest grossing Korean film of all time. When all is said and done, Miss Granny just might become the (grand) mother of all Korean films that have been adapted for local audiences internationally. Since its release the film has gone on to become a big hit worldwide and has seen local adaptations produced for China, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia, with additional versions planned for India, Germany, the United States and Mexico.
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