A screenshot from "Oldboy" / Courtesy of ShowEast
It’s fascinating to me just how much and how little my international students know about Korea and its culture. Many of them will talk passionately with me about each member of NCT, recount the various releases of Seventeen, and provide opinions about the ongoing saga between Bang Si-hyuk and Min Hee-jin. Then, these very same students will look pensively at the board and ask, “Professor, what does BoA mean?” or “Who is Lee Hyori? Is she an actor?”
With this in mind, I decided to show my Korean Cinema students Park Chan-wook’s 2003 masterpiece "Oldboy" yesterday. I think Park is one of the true greats of Korean art. Yes, people will talk about RM’s latest solo work as a 4-star production and "Itaewon Class" as edgy and progressive. But none of these truly compares to what director Park has produced over the years. A long list of breathtaking movies, memorable characters, and scenes and moments that stay with you years, decades even, after watching them.
With it being July 5th, a date heavily featured in the movie, I decided it was our fate to watch it together. I had previously omitted it from courses because I was worried it was too provocative to show in a university classroom. None of the class had seen it and only a few had even heard of it. I provided a disclaimer before we began: anyone that felt uncomfortable during the movie was welcome to leave the class. A few looked at me with a smirk, as if........