Bong Joon-Ho: Dissident Cinema

Brilliantly illustrated and designed by the London-based film magazine Little White Lies, Bong Joon-ho examines the career of the South Korean writer/director, who has been making critically acclaimed feature films for more than two decades. 

First breaking out into the international scene with festival-favourite Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), and the story of a real-life serial killer in 2003’s Memories of Murder, it was 2006’s The Host that proved to be a huge breakout moment both for Bong and the Korean film industry, premiered at Cannes became an instant hit—South Korea’s widest release ever. Bong’s next feature, Mother (2009) also premiered at Cannes, once again earning critical acclaim and appearing on many “best-of” lists for 2009/2010. Bong’s first English-language film, Snowpiercer (2013) followed on its heels, bringing his work outside of the South Korean and film festival markets and onto the stage of global commercial cinema. It was Bong’s 2019 black comedy/thriller Parasite, simultaneously scaled back—the film is mostly set in just two locations, with two Korean families taking centre stage—and took his career to new heights, winning the Palme d’Or with a unanimous vote, as well as history-making Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.

This mid-career monograph will survey the entirety of that work, including his short films, to flesh out the stories behind the films with supporting analytical text and interviews with Bong’s key collaborators. The book also explores Bong’s rise in the cultural eye of the West, catching up readers with his career before his next masterpiece arrives.