With the recent success of Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, Film at Lincoln Center is hoping you’re hungry for more Korean movies. This Thanksgiving season, they invite you to join them for a series that provides an overview of the origins of contemporary Korean cinema. Relentless Invention: New Korean Cinema, 1996-2003, which is co-presented by Subway Cinema in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center New York, is on now through December 4, 2019. And, like many of the genre-bending films in the program, the series is changing shape as it unfolds. Additional screenings and special guests continue to be announced.

From 1996 to 2003, Korean cinema experienced a renaissance akin to America’s New Hollywood movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Korea had become a liberal democracy, and censorship had eased. Film programs were popping up at universities. And, despite the 1997 Asia financial crisis, folks were investing in film production. Korea embraced cultural protectionism and mandated screen quotas where theaters had to show local films for 146 days per year. In 2006, the government lowered the quota to 73 days per year.

1996 also marked the birth of the Busan International Film Festival, Korea’s first international film festival. The event has since grown to be one of the most prestigious film festivals in Asia, with attendance exceeding 180,000.

It was also around this time that Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Kang Je-gyu, Kim Jee-woon and others who had spent the 80s protesting the military dictatorship began spreading their wings and making their first features. Many of these films experimented with genre and were ripe with political and social commentary.

In a recent interview Bong did with Neon’s Tom Quinn for Variety, the filmmaker reflected on Korean cinema now versus when he was making his first feature in the late 1990s. He explained, “It’s different from when I debuted with Barking Dogs Never Bite. At the time, filmmakers were freer and could take bold risks.”

As for what FLC has prepared, Relentless Invention offers a sampling of films from this period. Subway Cinema’s Grady Hendrix and FLC programmer Tyler Wilson spoke about the series on a recent episode of the Film at Lincoln Center Podcast. They discussed how difficult it was to track down prints and get screening rights. When all is said and done, the series brings together 21 features, 7 of which are 4K restorations, with most of the others screening in 35mm.

Relentless Invention is like a puzzle with each piece illustrating an important development, genre explored, or key filmmaker from the era. When they all come together, you get a clearer picture of the landscape. That’s why you should see as many films as possible (ticket packages are available!). From the rom-coms to the melodramas, the revenge thrillers to the horror comedies, there’s much to explore. Plus, Tyler added on the podcast, “A number of these films will disappear just as soon as they arrived here.”

Regarding the filmmakers in the series, most were born in the 1960s at the time of Park Chung-hee’s reign. You’ll find a contingent who has since crossed over to make American films including Boon Joon Ho (Snowpiercer), Park Chan-wook (Stoker, The Little Drummer Girl), and Kim Jee-woon (The Last Stand). New York Film Festival favorite Hong Sang-soo is also among the lineup, and Lee Jong-hyang and Jeong Jae-eun represent for the women. Notably absent are Burning filmmaker Chang-dong Lee, who MoMA feted last year with a retrospective, Kang Woo-suk, who has been dubbed the most powerful man in Korean cinema, and Kim Ki-duk, who has been under fire for sexual assault. (Yes, Korea also has a #metoo movement.)

If you go to multiple films, you may see the same actors popping up again and again. Parasite actor Song Kang-ho is in 7 films in the series, while Lee Sung-Jae, Han Suk-kyu, Bae Doona, and Shin Ha-kyun are each in 3.

Realizing that not everyone has the time and/or money to see all the films in the series, we’ve come up with some recommendations. You’ll find them below. For more information on the series and to purchase tickets, visit the Film at Lincoln Center website.

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Two from Bong Joon Ho – Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) & Memories of Murder (2003)

For Parasite fans, checking out Bong Joon Ho’s early films is a no brainer. Barking Dogs Never Bite is a genre-shifting black comedy centered on a dog that won’t keep quiet, while Memories of Murder is a comically twisted police procedural based on the true story of South Korea’s first serial killer.

FLC secured a new 4K restoration of Memories of Murder, the first screening of which is sold out, so they added an additional screening at the Walter Reade Theater for December 2 at 7pm. If you miss the screenings of Memories of Murder here, according to Variety, Neon has bought the rights to the film and plans to re-release it theatrically.

Screenings:
Barking Dogs Never Bite
Friday, November 29, 4:30pm (Walter Reade Theater)

Memories of Murder
Thursday, November 28, 2pm (Walter Reade Theater)
Monday, December 2, 7pm (Walter Reade Theater)
Tuesday, December 3, 1:15pm (Francesca Beale Theater)

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The Day a Pig Fell in the Well (1996)

One of Korea’s most revered and prolific filmmakers, Hong Sang-soo is often referred to as the Korean Woody Allen, minus the controversy. His films tend to be dialogue-driven dramedies that explore the complicated nature of relationships. Hong’s debut, The Day a Pig Fell into the Well, is more serious than his subsequent features. The film weaves together the stories of four characters who are each seeking fulfillment in their lives.

Screening:
Wednesday, November 27, 8:30pm (Walter Reade Theater)

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Joint Security Area (JSA) (2000)

Before Park Chan-wook went on his three-pronged revenge spree (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Old Boy, and Lady Vengeance), he made an award-winning film based on Park Sang-yeon’s novel DMZ. The story involves the death of two North Korean soldiers in the DMZ and the South Korean solider that stands accused. As the situation between North and South is tense, a female officer from neutral Switzerland is brought in to investigate. Joint Security Area won 4 Grand Bell Awards, Korea’s Oscar equivalent, including Best Film and Best Actor for Song Kang-ho.

Screening:
Thursday, November 28, 7pm (Walter Reade Theater)

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Nowhere to Hide (1999)

Filmmaker Lee Myung-se is more focused on movement than storyline in this innovative, highly stylized, visually stunning action thriller. Nowhere to Hide‘s plot revolves around two detectives who embark on a 72-hour manhunt to catch a killer. The film, which screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, is actually Lee’s sixth feature, which makes him one of the more seasoned filmmakers of the time screening in the series. A 4K restoration of Nowhere to Hide screens with actor Park Joong-hoon in the house for a Q&A.

Screening:
Saturday, November 30, 7pm (Walter Reade Theater)
UPDATE: A screening has been added on Thursday, December 12, 9pm (Walter Reade Theater) (tickets)

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Rainbow Trout (1999)

Park Jong-won’s Rainbow Trout is one film in the series that you will kick yourself for not catching. This rare gem is a Deliverance-style horror flick about a group of city dwellers that head to the country for a weekend getaway. However, their vacation quickly takes a nasty turn. Rainbow Trout is Park’s fifth feature, coming after his acclaimed films The Eternal Empire and Our Twisted Hero.

Screenings:
Wednesday, November 27, 6:30pm (Walter Reade Theater)
Friday, November 29, 2:30pm (Walter Reade Theater)

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Save the Green Planet! (2003)

Filmmaker Ari Aster fittingly remarked when he introduced Jang Joon-hwan’s Save the Green Planet! on the opening night of Relentless Invention, “This is a movie that should not work but it does really beautifully.” Ari has credited Jang’s film as being an inspiration for Midsommar. So if you’re a fan of his Florence Pugh-starring relationship revenge thriller, this should definitely be on your list of films to check out.

Cycling through genres at breakneck speed, Save the Green Planet! might be the craziest film you’ll ever see. Fearing aliens are on the verge of destroying the planet, Byeong-gu sets out to stop them. With his girlfriend in tow, his first move is kidnapping a businessman he believes to be one of the extraterrestrial invaders. Things take so many twists and turns from there, we’d rather not spoil this darkly funny shapeshifter that blends sci-fi, romance, horror, and action into one glorious masterpiece. The series screens a 4K restoration. Note, subtitles have not yet been added to the restoration, so the theater projects them underneath the screen.

Screening:
Tuesday, December 3, 6:30pm (Francesca Beale Theater)

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Take Care of My Cat (2001)

A highlight of the 2002 edition of New Directors/New Films, Jeong Jae-eun’s debut feature is a coming-of-age drama that centers on five young women who have recently graduated from high school and are off to start their adult lives in the industrialized port city of Incheon. Take Care of My Cat, which gets its name from a stray cat the friends adopt, gets brownie points for its soundtrack and inventive use of text messaging.

Screenings:
Wednesday, November 27, 4:15pm (Walter Reade Theater)
Sunday, December 1, 1pm (Walter Reade Theater)

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Untold Scandal (2003)

Korean filmmaker E J-yong’s contribution to the series is a period drama loosely based on the French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses. E reworks the story landing it in late 18th century Korea where a bored Lady Cho makes a bet with her cad of a cousin to seduce a 16-year-old virgin. Untold Scandal was a huge box office success in Korea and screened in New Director/New Films in 2004. Director E J-yong will do an extended introduction of the film when it screens in the series on Saturday, November 30.

Screenings:
Saturday, November 30, 2:30pm (Walter Reade Theater)
Tuesday, December 3, 9pm (Francesca Beale Theater)