The Hallyu Wave has been on the rise for the past few years and credit for that goes to internationally well known k-pop groups like BTS and Blackpink. Although for this wave, the ones having the biggest impact on the world are K-pop and K-dramas, Korean movies are also not far behind. With Bong Joon Ho directed Parasite winning the Academy Award for best picture in 2019, it seemed like the world started to take notice of this new form of art. The amazing cinematography and the extremely talented actors contribute a large part to this success. Not only can they convey art and emotions through a coloured screen, but even through a black and white lens. Having said that, here are a few Korean black and white movies you should definitely add to your watchlist.
1. The Housemaid
The Housemaid was directed in 1960 by master movie-maker Kim Ki Young, and is not to be confused with its 2010 remake. This thriller was immediately accepted by the Korean audience upon its release and became a huge success. The story is about a piano teacher who employs a maid for his pregnant wife, to help and assist her around the house. This arrangement however takes an unexpected turn as the story progresses. Similar to a lot of Korean movies, it brings in the concept of class ambition.
2. A Resistance
A 2019 historical drama film, A Resistance is a gut-wrenching and heart-breaking portrayal of a 17-year-old beloved independence activists. Set in the backdrop of the Japanese occupation of South Korea during the early 90s, the movie was made for the anniversary of the start of the national protest movement known as the March 1st Movement.
3. Grass
Barely over an hour long, Grass is a 2018 drama film directed, written and produced by independent filmmaker Hong Sang Soo. Similar to the common elements usually found in his film like domestic realism, Grass revolves around the story Kim Minhee, a patron of a café in Seoul. She sits and observes the people coming into the shop, who are going on about their daily lives, and draws inspiration from them for her writing.
4. Merry Christmas Mr Mo
Merry Christmas Mr Mo is a 2016 tragic comedy made by debutant director Lim Daehyung. The movie is about a widower who gets diagnosed with cancer. His dying wish is for his movie director son and her girlfriend to direct and shoot a movie, which was his own goal before he received the bad news. For the movie, he gives them a screenplay he himself wrote, titled “Man Who Swallowed A Bomb”.
5. A Quiet Dream
Written and directed in 2016 by Korean-Chinese filmmaker Zhang Lu, A Quiet Dream made its premiere in the 21st Busan International Film Festival. The protagonist in this drama film is a woman who runs a bar and simultaneously takes care of her unconscious paralysed father. The movie has quite a few minutes provided by the three men who frequent the bar in an attempt to woo her.
6. Hotel By The River
Another Hong Sang Soo picture on the list, Hotel By The Winter is set against a wintry backdrop. A struggling poet fearing he’s a few steps away from death, invites his sons to visit him for a reunion, at a hotel. At the same place, a new single woman and her friend are staying. The poet feels infatuated towards the women and is compelled to discover more about them. A thoughtful look into mortality and love, this film perfectly captures human emotions and their intimate interactions.
7. Donju: The Portrait Of A Poet
A 2016 biographical period drama, Donju: The Portrait of a Poet is about the life and death of Yoon Donju. The story follows his dreams and aspirations of becoming a poet even in during the harsh circumstance of Japan occupying Korea. Eventually he gets put to jail by the Japanese government for taking part in the Korean Independence movement.
8. My Home Village
The first film made in the then newly independent Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is also the only North Korean movie in this list. This 1949 movie is set during the time period when Korea got liberated from Japanese colonial rule. It also shows the revolutions partaken by the low class farmers and peasants against their oppressors and Japanese imperialists.
9. Jiseul
Set against the backdrop of the Jeju Uprising in 1948, Jiseul is 2012 war drama film. The film doesn’t talk about the overall uprising but instead focuses on a small village which got affected the most. This forgotten true story is about the villagers who has to hide underground because of an eviction order sent out by the US military officials stationed in South Korea.
10. The Day He Arrives
The day he arrives is a 2011 drama film directed by Hong Sang Soo. The story revolves around the protagonist who is a professor in the film department at a provincial university. He goes to a village in northern Seoul to meet a senior and close friend who works as a film critic. However on reaching his friend doesn’t respond to his calls but he somehow ends up spending 3 days in the village. This movie touches upon the topic of “time” in an interesting manner, which is what makes it worth watching.
