With exceptions, the early works of great masters often hold a blueprint of their later work. As in nature, in most cases, the simple design precedes the complex. Picasso’s Le Picador, a bullfighter riding a horse, foreshadows the Catalan’s emblematic Guernica; Mozart tried his hands (or fingers) at sonatas before composing the more complicated symphonies; Hemingway wrote his Nick Adams short stories before tackling his first novel, The Sun also Rises. Film makers are no different. Whether they attend film school or not, the short film is usually a screen test for the ideas and techniques that later appear in their feature films. In terms of recurring themes and trademark effects, there exists an evident trail of development in the work of director Bong Joon-ho, from his early short films up to his Academy Award winning film, Parasites (2019).
Bong Joon-ho (봉준호) was born in 1969 in the city of Daegu, South Korea. He is not only a film director, but also a screenwriter, producer, politician, and sociologist. He majored in sociology at Yonsei University, which undoubtedly influenced the thematic focus in his films. As a student, Bong co-founded a film club named “Yellow Door” which consisted of students from various universities. In a recent interview in Santa Barbara, Bong revealed that the club got its name simply because the door of the club was painted yellow. As a member, he made his first films, including a stop motion short piece entitled Looking for Paradise and the 16mm film short, Baeksaekin (White Man). In the early 1990s, Bong completed a two-year programme at the Korean Academy of Film Arts where he made a number of 16mm short films. These early films proved successful, namely his graduation films, Incoherence and Memories in My Frame, which were invited to the Hong Kong International Film Festival and Vancouver International Film Festival.
One of Bong’s most notable influences as a director is Martin Scorsese whose early films, known for their gritty, edgy and very personal street-level style, such as Mean Streets (1977), clearly mark Bong’s work. Along with Scorsese’s feel for authentic locations, the American’s influence can also be seen in Bong’s use of long takes. For example, the short film Sink and Rise (2003) was shot entirely in a single long take.
Bong’s interest in a variety of genres, from noir to sci-fi, from drama to comedy, brings an interesting dynamic to his films, enabling him to go beyond the usual boundaries of each genre. Bong’s films definitely carry his distinctive signature. While not particularly violent, his films often make viewers uncomfortable with the emphasis on controversial social themes, black humour, the planting and pay-off of quirky visuals and sudden shifts in tone. Another identifying feature is the director’s use of location and spatial representation, as seen in White Man (1994), in his debut Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) and his most recent film, Parasite (2019) where vertical height stands as a metaphor for social class and the disparity between the rich and the poor. Reminiscent of Jean-Luc Godard and the French New Wave movement of the 1960s, another element of Bong’s films is his clever use of TV commercials, news and even CCTV footage to illustrate the moral crisis in society.
Studying Bong Joon-ho’s early work offers a glimpse into his development and insight into the brilliance of his later feature films. If you are not familiar with his work, then what better place to start than the beginning.
Here’s a taste…
White Man (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqmu3Ii7BMU
Incoherence (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4ZA_SRHiL4
Shaking Tokyo (2008)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMkiNUyzZc
Ryan Licata
