Korean movies best Psychological Films: A List of the Masterpieces of Korean Cinema!
Cinemas around the world are presenting more and more every year on the artistic and human level, and this applies not only to American cinema but to all cinemas of the world exclusively and without discrimination.
Of course, Korean cinema has gained a wide reputation in the recent period, especially in the past five years, as it presented dark works and artistic-realistic touches that can rarely be matched by Hollywood works, and thus it deserved its place in the artistic world. But what about Korean psychological films that have been able to destroy people’s confidence in themselves and their families? Well, that’s what we’re talking about today!
On today’s list, we bring you what’s really worth watching. Today in Aragik Fun we will talk about a group of Korean psychological films that are considered one of the strongest in the history of cinema in that country in particular. Some plots can make you suspicious of the people closest to him, and other plots show you that life is not as beautiful as you think it really is.
Manipulating the human self is the specialty of what we offer today, and therefore it is not recommended to bring popcorn and soft drinks when enjoying the menu films, because you will be tempted by revenge on the world in these films, and of course… Revenge is a dish that is eaten cold!
It is worth noting that the following list, due to the dark works it contains, is not recommended for children or adolescents, in addition to the presence of some works that contain scenes of blood and violence that may be disturbing to some people and inflame post-traumatic stress disorder, so watch with great care.
Korean movies best Psychological Films: A List of the Masterpieces of Korean Cinema!
Oldboy
- Production year: 2003
- Regulatory Rating: R
- Directed by: Park Chan-wook
- Written by: Park Chan-wook
- Starring: Choi Min-Sik, Yoo Ji-Tae, Kang Hye-Jung
- Producing Company: Medusa Film
- Film rating on IMDb: 8.4. overall
- Film rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 81% overall.
When talking about Korean psychological movies that can gnaw at the bones of your soul, this movie is definitely worth talking about. It’s one of the classics, and it talks about Oh Dae-Su, a man who finds himself out of confinement after 15 years of isolation from the outside world. But is the prisoner voluntarily? actually no; Where he was kidnapped for those long years and imprisoned in a small hotel room for years after years, in which the kidnapper provides food, drink, clothes, and even entertainment tools to him. What’s the reason? nobody knows.
what is the result? Nobody knows either. But one day everything changes, now the shaggy and lonely man is free, released, and now searching for the one who made his life a living hell on earth. But who would hate him to the point of being denied death in peace in the hotel room closer to the filth of a landfill than to normal homes? Well, that’s what you will know when you watch the movie.
The film’s release in 2003 was a bombshell, garnering dozens of sober positive reviews from art critics around the world, and Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 81% rating based on many critical reviews. Independent art critics have given the film astonishing individual reviews, some giving it 4/5 describing the film as shocking and painful, and others giving it full marks, describing the experience as unparalleled in the world of Korean cinema.
Korean movies best Psychological Films: A List of the Masterpieces of Korean Cinema!
I Saw the Devil
- Production year: 2010
- Regulatory Rating: R
- Directed by: Kim Ji Wong
- Written by: Park Hoon-jung
- Starring: Lee Byung Hun, Choi Min Sik
- Producing Company: SHOWBOX Co., Ltd – FandangoNow
- Film rating on IMDb: 7.8 . overall
- Film rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 81% overall.
It’s not as classic as the past, but it undoubtedly deserves a place in the compilation of the best Korean psychological films of all time in the history of non-English-speaking cinema.
You might think the movie is not psychological at all due to the action plot it revolves around, but don’t worry, there are plenty of psychological twists and turns along with the story.
The film talks about a serial killer whose bloodlust has reached a point where separating adults and children is a thing of the past. One of his victims is a poor girl who is the daughter of a retired policeman in Korea. While the father grieves over his dead daughter, her fiancé (who is a secret agent for the country) decides to track down this criminal himself and achieve justice on earth with his own hands while the competent authorities do nothing. Throughout the story we follow the journey of a young detective, searching for the killer of his fiancée. Will he ever find it? Or is there something hiding in the dark?
The film has received very good reviews from various critics and deserves its place on today’s list.
Korean movies best Psychological Films: A List of the Masterpieces of Korean Cinema!
The Man from Nowhere
- Production year: 2010
- Regulatory Rating: R
- Directed by: Lee Jeong Bum
- Written by: Lee Jeong Bum
- Starring: Won Bin, Kim Sae Ron
- Producing Company: CJ Entertainment
- Film rating on IMDb: 7.8 . overall
- Movie rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 100% overall.
It seems that mentioning Korean psychological films will not come out of 2010 easily, as this film is also produced in the same year as the previous film.
The film tells the story of a former special agent who runs errands for money and prestige, but due to his discharge from the service, decides to live his life for a young girl and her mother; Her mother is a drug smuggler through a group of petty dealers who are not allied with the big dealers (and they are clearly hostile).
One day she entrusted the former client with a shipment of drugs without letting him know the truth. When the big dealers found out what the mother was doing, she kidnapped her and her daughter, and now the client has to make a completely unexpected drug delivery to another party to free the mother and daughter.
Mostly the story will not end with a positive outcome as we think, as we are facing one of the strongest works of a group of Korean psychological films since the dawn of that country’s cinema. The film has received good reviews and is currently considered one of the most famous and increasingly popular films on the famous IMDb site.
Midnight FM
- Production year: 2010
- Regulatory Rating: R
- Directed by: Kim Sang Man
- Written by: Kim Sang Man, Hwi Kim
- Starring: So Ae, Yu Ji-tae
- Producing Company: Lotte Entertainment
- Film rating on IMDb: 6.5 overall
- Film rating on Rotten Tomatoes: None
Yeah, 2010 again guys…
Want Korean psychological movies to make your mood as bad as possible? This movie is very much what you want, my dear.
The movie unnaturally plays on the nerves and can terrify you psychologically as if you were reading one of the famous Stephen King novels. This is because the story revolves around a young woman who works as an anchor on a night radio program in Korea, and today she is doing her last show before taking her sick daughter the next morning to the USA for treatment.
While she is at work, she has left the little girl with her sister to watch her at home, but a strange man breaks into the apartment and hits the sister with a heavy object, and now the little girl is completely gone from before his eyes.
The assailant starts texting the mother, ordering her to follow his instructions and not divulge the matter to anyone or else he will kill the older sister. Who is this man and what does he want? Well, this you will know when watching the movie, which has achieved great popularity in Korea and is considered one of the icons of dramatic action in Korean cinema exclusively.
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
- Production year: 2002
- Regulatory Rating: R
- Directed by: Park Chan-wook
- Written by: Park Chan-wook
- Starring: Song Kang Ho, Ha-Kyun Shin, Bae Donna
- Producing Company: CJ Entertainment
- Film rating on IMDb: 7.6 . overall
- Film rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 54% overall.
This work is not only within the constellation of Korean psychological films but also within the constellation of films that can hurt you so much.
The story begins in Seoul, the capital of Korea. One of the workers in an electronics store, who is completely deaf and signs, suddenly has to deal with his sister’s failing health, she needs a kidney immediately or she will die. He decided to donate his kidney to her, but his blood type was not suitable. In one intimate session with his girlfriend, she persuades him to kidnap the daughter of the shopkeeper he’s recently fired.
This is because he cooperated with organ dealers to provide his kidney in addition to ten million won, and they will give him the kidney that matches his sister’s blood type. But with time and when he began to implement, fates took him in curves full of violence, blood, and psychological oppression.
Will the boy reach his goal and his sister will be fine? The film received acclaim from everyone, but with some sharp criticism at times, but it remains one of the most important works in Korean cinema to this day.
No Mercy
- Production year: 2010
- Regulatory Rating: R
- Directed by: Kim Hyung Joon
- Written by: Kim Hyung Joon
- Starring: Sol Kyung-gu, Ryu Seung-bum
- Producing Company: CJ Entertainment
- Film rating on IMDb: 7.5 overall
- Film rating on Rotten Tomatoes: None
Back to 2010 because… why not?
The list of iconic Korean psychological movies is not over yet guys, there are plenty more to come, and they are all definitely worth watching.
No Mercy… This is the title of the film centered on a science investigator at the National Institute of Scientific Investigation – NISI in South Korea. A juvenile investigator tries to track down a crazy serial killer who has a fond habit of killing his victims, namely beheading and leaving the body unidentified.
Due to this habit, it is difficult to identify the victims and make the connection, but one day an ecologist comes to the surface and says he has some clues that might lead the detective to his destination, will he succeed and catch him and end this cursed nightmare forever?
The film achieved very remarkable profits at the time of its release, as more than one million and 100 thousand tickets were sold completely and perfectly, entering the producing company more than 7 million and 500 thousand US dollars from the movie show only, regardless of special shows in Korea and abroad.
Memories of a Murder
- Production year: 2003
- Regulatory Rating: R
- Directed by: Bong Joon Ho
- Written by: Bong Joon Ho
- Starring: Song Kang, Ho and Kim, Sang-kyung
- Producing Company: CJ Entertainment
- Film rating on IMDb: 8.1 overall
- Film rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 95% overall.
Ah, this is undoubtedly one of my favorite movies, and you’ve probably seen the Japanese version of it because it’s the most popular, but the original Korean version still holds a great place in the minds and hearts of millions, and of course, it deserves its place in our list of Korean psychological films today.
One day, a South Korean police station reported that a woman had been raped, tied up, and suffocated in her underwear in a building. Immediately, the investigators went to the crime scene, and saw her dead, with all the descriptions on her.
The police did not know that this was not a single incident, but rather one in a series of murders of a serial killer targeting only women. That is why an investigator came from outside the town to participate in finding him, and with the third body appearing on the surface, evidence began to gather in the hands of the police, and events began to escalate. Will they catch the killer and find out why he specifically targets women?
The movie was so popular worldwide that it got many copies, the most famous of which is the Japanese version, of course, in which geniuses actually participated.
It is worth noting that this original Korean film was directed and written by the same director and author of Parasite, which won the Academy Award at the ceremony that followed the year of its release; And he was able to really raise the name of the Korean film industry to the top, and because of him became the category of foreign films (non-English speaking) in the Oscars; Of very great importance.
Parasite
- Production year: 2019
- Regulatory Rating: R
- Directed by: Bong Joon Ho
- Written by: Bong Joon Ho
- Starring: Song Kang Ho, Cho Yoo Jung, Jang Hye-Jin, Park So Dam, Jung Ji Soo
- Producing Company: Barunson E&A, CJ Entertainment
- Film rating on IMDb: 8.6 overall
- Film rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 98% overall.
Now, why don’t we wrap up our list of iconic Korean films with one of the great works of Korean cinema, which received an Oscar very close and has a perfect 8.6 out of 10 ratings on IMDb?
The story of the film revolves around a destitute Korean family, trying to use their mental and scientific abilities to acquire the homes of rich families, and this is by applying to those homes in the form of servants and helpers, and when the house becomes empty, they treat as their home. But will each time you hand the jar? Will this new family be completely trouble-free? Or are there secrets hidden in the fleeing structure? Well, the movie didn’t get an Oscar out of thin air after all.
The film achieved worldwide resonance in the year of its production, and until this moment it is constantly mentioned in important cinematic forums around the world exclusively and continues to win honorary awards, and through it, director Bong Joon Ho was able to rise the ladder of glory, and at the Oscars, he looked at his prestigious award with the feeling of a child looking to the star he deserved in his school notebook; The look of the obsessed lover, and the look of the true filmmaker.
And now we have come to the end of today’s list, we have presented a group of Korean psychological films of the strongest and best in non-English-speaking cinema, and most of the works listed in the past paragraphs have received very many awards from various film forums, state and giant festivals, and many titles of them have captured More than an Oscar already.
Enjoy Korean art in general, from movies, dramas, and even famous K-pop songs from different groups led by BTS, for example; This art undoubtedly deserves attention, and it should be among the internationally recognized arts and have the same status as Hollywood arts in general.
Korean movies best Psychological Films: A List of the Masterpieces of Korean Cinema!
