Time Out's The Best Korean Movies of All Time

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Loved Parasite? Dig deeper into Hallyuwood’s awesome back catalogue

Written by James Balmont
Contributors Phil de Semlyen & Matthew Singer
Tuesday 10 May 2022

Contrary to believe in some corners of the west, South Korean cinema existed long before Parasite and Squid Game. Sure, Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 Oscar-winner might represent the pinnacle of the country’s movie industry – and the massive success of Netflix’s Squid Game confirmed it as a worldwide player in streaming too – but its history runs much deeper. For decades, Korean filmmakers have been producing thrilling, imaginative work with a distinctive vision, subverting genre conventions along the way.

Entering its renaissance era in the early 2000s, charged by films like Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy and Joon-ho’s The Host, Korean movies became known for their ultraviolence and political invective, but dig into the canon and you’ll find a wide range of complex emotions expressed in many different ways. Where to start? Well, here: with some of the best Korean movies ever made.