Five Classic Kim Ki-duk Movies

As indicated by the honors his films have garnered on the festival scene, Kim Ki-duk is widely regarded as Korea’s top independent filmmaker, perhaps one of the most important contemporary Asian film directors. He is notable for his quirky art-house cinema that frequently figuratively displays portrayals of realism.

Kim’s artistic endeavors center on the interplay of eroticism, brutality, and dominance—both nasty and savage—while also being sensitive and often displaying mysticism, as evidenced by the five masterpieces listed below. Check them out if you haven’t already.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (2003) 

Kim conducts a spiritual interrogation of a young Buddhist apprentice (Seo Jae-kyong) under the guidance of a monk (Oh Yeong-su) through each of the titular seasons of his life—from puberty to old age—at a secluded monastery in the Korean woods. As a teenager, he gives in to sexual cravings and physically pursues a female guest at the monastery before escaping with her (to adopt a contemporary lifestyle he isn’t acquainted with).

As you soak in the subtle Buddhist allegory and symbols woven into the narrative to consider the implications of the protagonists’ decisions, you can acquire a zen-like experience. Here’s a bit of trivia: Kim himself portrays Seo’s character during his final years.

3-Iron (2004) 

3-Iron, according to author Hye Seung-chung, examines “issues of marginality, voicelessness, and invisibility” in South Korea. In the film, Jae Hee plays Tae Suk, a young drifter who develops feelings for Lee Seung-yeon’s portrayal of Sun Hwa, a neglected wife.

The plot is an interesting combination of elegance and enticing incomprehensibility that puts an artfully tangled love triangle to rest. In the epilogue, we see Sun Hwa’s husband, Min Gyu (Hyuk Ho-kwon), gearing up for a potential reunion with her, alongside Tae Suk being let out of jail. By avoiding Min Gyu’s detection, Tae Suk reunites with Sun Hwa at her residence. She hugs Min Gyu and says, “I love you,” but kisses Tae Suk over Min-gyu’s shoulder. When the husband leaves for work, the wife and her lover are shown standing on a scale while the caption “It’s hard to tell whether the world we live in is either a reality or a dream” appears on the screen.

Time (2006)

In South Korea where cosmetic surgery is a popular and flourishing industry, director Kim’s Time is an unsettling yet creative chronicle about a desire for transformation and attractiveness that motivates people to turn to cosmetic surgery.

The story follows Seh Hee (Sung Hyun-ah), a woman who goes to great lengths to have a new face surgically implanted and Ji Woo (Ha Jung-woo), her lover, who falls in love with the new face while not realizing it is the same woman. Additional self-doubt and hatred are brought on by this. Seh Hee wonders if her new face has been welcomed then does that mean an abandonment of the first? When she is completely enmeshed in doubts and anxieties, Ji Woo is forced to make a desperate decision of his own.

Pieta (2012)

Pieta is far too gory, horrific, and melancholy to leave you devastated, shattered, and terrified. It focuses on a loan shark (Lee Jung-jin as Lee Kang-do) who is pushed to re-examine his violent conduct after a mysterious woman (Jo Min-su as Jang Mi-seon), professing to be his long-lost mother, enters his life.

With a slew of Biblical parallels sprinkled throughout, the artistically inclined Korean thriller takes its title from the Italian Pietà (which relates to representations of the Virgin Mary carrying Jesus’ body). Graphic sex, a bloody rape scene, suicide, ruthless killing and other atrocities are all featured in the film. And perhaps that is the whole point of the much-revered Pieta.

Mobeius (2013)

In the movie Moebius, a mother (Lee Na-ra as Lee Eun-woo) castrates her son (Seo Young-ju) after becoming insane due to her husband’s (Cho Jae-hyun as Jo Jae-hyeon) adultery. Given the director’s inventive and creative genius, the movie made me consider how dangerous a narrative could be. For the rational mind, its complexity might simulate a thrill ride! Mobius is perverse and extremely challenging to fathom.

As reported by Korean media, while discussing his thoughts on the film, director Kim stated, “We are not free from physical desire for our entire life. And because of it, we either self-torture, maltreat or become maltreated. And in the middle of all this lies our genitals. The question ‘what is a genital?’ is the initiating point of this film. The film is personal to me in a way. For instance, in the film, the character experiences orgasm by rubbing a rough stone against his skin. During my military service, I had severe athlete’s foot and had rubbed the skin with a stone until it bled. It was painful, but at the same time I felt a strange pleasure from it and, just like in the film, I felt an awful pain after it. I realized that our entire body is a sexual organ…”