Korean cinema’s most notable phenomenon in 2010 was various tests experimented on genre films. Significant changes had occurred to popular genres and genre film directors too showed certain change in their way of thinking. If genre is where desires collide and interact in excuse of public expectations, such change has quite an implication on dynamics of future genres. In the midst of overall market recession, preferring genre films has become more evident leading to diversification and experiments of genres. Meanwhile hard works of directors working on art films that are perhaps timeless stand out too. The holiday season is not so warm for most filmmakers in Korea but those directors who’ve established excellent results at international film festivals will feel differently. In particular, new films by internationally recognized auteurs had each raised sharp and meaningful issues and displayed aesthetic challenges.

Korean genre films in 2010 had boldly took the risk of overcoming traditional approach of genres and even tried to lead taste of the public one step ahead. One thing that shouldn’t be neglected here is that genre, which once was regarded as cinematic fiction or a matter of taste, has shown strong will to communicate with the contemporary world. The fact that genre film directors attempted to take such notion of the times, based on awareness of current desperate conditions, is also notable.

In this regard, it was mystery thrillers that have led the change in genres and consistently created issues. The trend of thrillers that has heated up the cinema world since a few years ago has reached its peaks this year. Thriller has been a non-mainstream genre that was a true outsider in genre economics before. Yet it has rapidly expanded its vision and depth in quantity and quality, almost making it seem like it’s part of the mainstream. This year alone, more than 10 films, including  No Mercy, Man of Vendetta, The Outlaw,  Moss,  The Man From Nowhere,  I Saw the Devil, Bedeviled, and  Midnight FM, were released in the theaters, and their commercial and critical success were quite an issue. There were many disputes on account of thriller’s distinctive characteristics, where authenticity of the way this genre perceives reality, description of enhanced violence and provocative scenes caused controversy and commotion in the movie scene.

As to why thriller is attracting so much attention over other popular genres, it makes sense to find the reason from this restless times. It is believed that dark vision of current Korean society is what makes up the subject of mystery thrillers, and major works of the genre that dominated the market this year supports this opinion. KANG Woo-suk’s Moss, LEE Jeong-beom’s  The Man From Nowhere, RYOO Seung-wan’s  The Unjust, and JANG Cheol-soo’s  Bedeviled all directly brought forward gloomy prospects of modern day Korean society. These films with accomplishments that can’t be neglected follow the rules of the entertainment genre, but also ask for acute reflection on how pursuit of greed could betray common knowledge and rationality has ruined this world to a great extend. These films take despicable power games (The Unjust,  Moss), wickedness human beings are born with (Bedeviled), or incompetence of state power that has failed to manage peace and order of the community (The Man From Nowhere, The Unjust) and blame them for crisis of community shadowed with darkness. It isn’t too difficult to foresee destruction of those who engage in inhumane actions desperately blind to keep their benefits and empowered by collapsing social security net and public power that’s indifferent to justice.

Recently, the main subject matter of thriller genre is mostly composed of revenge tale. The fact that cinematic narrative reflecting desire of the public intends to describe the world of resentment and punishment in a gloomy, self-destructive tone can be interpreted as an indicator saying a massive evil energy is ruling a corner of our consciousness. Otherwise, the screens won’t be flooding so much with such terrorizing pledge of revenge promising anyone who goes against one’s interest will have their life taken away. Behind such pessimistic view over the genre exist a glimpse of paranoia on contemporary Korean society. Those devils on screen who are unhesitatingly shameless are described as diabolic beings enjoying misfortunes of others, numb to their heinous acts. Face of the devil is found at a village commanded by the rules of power and greed that were witnessed in every era and place (Bedeviled,  Moss), from chain of power games where ruler and ruled, harmer and harmed can’t be differentiated any more (The Unjust), at world of crime business teeming with impudent devils (The Man From Nowhere), or from the vicious serial killer who’s beyond reason (I Saw the Devil,  Man of Vendetta,  The Unjust).

While distinctive emergence of thrillers among other individual genres stand on one side, in regards to dynamics of genres combination and integration among genres are notable on the other side. Instead of blindly following the traditional norms of genre, genre mixture and application that skillfully put together public desire has been active, resulting in quite a few accomplished works. Leading the box office first half of the year, JANG Hun’s  Secret Reunion casts a male duo for a mixture of intelligent thriller and action genre, while CHOI Dong-hoon’s WOOCHI intertwined history, fantasy and melodrama into one.  The Servant with its reinterpretation of traditional narrative, The Man From Nowhere delicately fused melodrama and thriller, and Bedeviled with modern explanation of Korean style vindictive horror film were all popular.  Villain & Widow, the newest film by SON Jae-gon, who already proved possibility of mixed genres with My Scary Girl, made an epoch in the field by expertly blending in screwball comedy, slapstick, melodrama and suspense.

While experiments and challenge of genres has bared certain results looking from the popular commercial films’ point of view, clear prominence of films made by Korea’s most respected auteurs provide clues as to where Korean cinema is headed. IM Kwon-taek’s 101st film Hanji that received high expectations from both in and out of the country is still yet to be released, but those directors firmly supported by film festivals and cinephiles like HONG Sangsoo and LEE Changdong have presented new films true to their reputation. One of the notable phenomenons was that there were many efforts to make timely reinterpretation of Korean cinema masterpieces from modern directors, such as IM Sang-soo’s The Housemaid and KIM Tae-yong’s Late Autumn. Besides these recognized artists, rookie JANG Chul-soo who caused a sensation with his maiden work  Bedeviled  has taken blood thirsty narratives of the genre and expressed in his own unique way, and such emergence of a future artist has the film scene much excited.  

Among them, the one that has shown the most eminent performance was HONG Sangsoo. This man, who’s becoming more energetic as time passes by, is incredible as there is no sign of slacking off often found with directors with similar length of filmography. He has proven that he can still go strong by picking up Un Certain Regard award at the 63rd Cannes with Hahaha, and his zeal for creativity ceases to stop as he released Oki’s Movie, which was completed with ultra low budget in indie film production style. Two films certified HONG’s unstoppable artistic challenges by setting a standard for structural cinema through its delicate and detailed observations (Hahaha), and at the same time showing extremely opposing tendency by concentrating on desire of constitution or dismantlement of the structure (Oki’s Movie). Even similar to an aspect of prompt speed race, the way HONG makes his movies is unprecedented, and his name overrules those honorable Asian film directors who have conquered the world cinema during the last decade, such as Thailand’s Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Japan’s KOREEDA Hirokazu and Taiwan’s TSAI Ming-liang.  

Being awarded for screenplay at the Cannes once again with Poetry followed by his previous film Secret Sunshine, a Cannes family member LEE Chang-dong too joined the celebrity group who receives international attention whenever he completes a new film. Poetry  in particular is an advanced version of LEE’s cinematic ethics that was shown in Secret Sunshine. Cruel reality repeated through the story and method of looking straight into this reality have been a topic LEE Chang-dong’s film have held on to for the last few years. Through this film that has made most use of charms of the senior actress YUN Jung-hee, LEE Chang-dong once again brings up the controversial issue on ethics of reproduction through camera.