Running Head: REALISM AND MELODRAMA 1

Prompt #1: Realism and Melodrama in Korean Films

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation
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Realism and Melodrama in Korean Films

Realism and melodrama are two essential aesthetic styles from which Korean cinema has

been based throughout its post-war history. The notion of realism tends to be described based on

the existing themes; however, film professionals using the notion of realism to represent reality.

Realism that emerges in most Korean films is the representation of social reality (Yecies &

Shim, 2015). The use of melodrama is considered to be an exaggeration of characters and leans

toward the style of realism. Melodramatic films uses sensational events as a way of appealing to

emotions. Nevertheless, the recurrent adverse inferences connected to melodrama is due to the

antirealistic features of excitement, hyperbole, anticipation, and sensation. It is such a contrast

that makes the “Memories of Murder” and “The Journals of Musan” of specific interest. These

masterpieces have been acclaimed as the most realistic Korean films despite their consistent use

of exaggerated characters and thrilling events (Lee, 2019). By seamlessly combining realism,

drama, tension, and dark humor, both films, in particular the “Memories of Murder,” offers a rare

modern example of a film that has collective and artistic discrepancy.

Bong Joon-ho directed “Memories of Murder” uniquely while attempting to showcase the

reality existing. The protagonists of this film, Detective Park Doo-Man and Detective Cho Yong-

Koo, stars like Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang-Kyung, respectively. They are stupid and brutal

local detectives trying to unlock the solution to the actual crimes. But they lack any technique to

investigate these crimes, and all they do is using brutal methods of torturing the suspects with no

outcomes. The methods they use to solve cases are quite usual, mostly leading to nothing. The

police chief brings in Seo Tae-Yoon, who is more intellectual and sophisticated police from

Seoul. His arrival pushes in some methods that heighten the improvement of detecting crimes,

but they still do not have the killer. Likewise, it is recommendable how Bong depicts the
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antithesis existing between the intellectual from Seoul and the local simpletons. He presents this

with strong humor, yet without forgetting the seriousness in the film (Yecies & Shim, 2015).

More so, he renders competency in the specific troublesome century of the history of Korea. In

such aspects, Bong comments on the notion of forgiveness, along with people’s ability to let go

of the things they cannot change. For instance, the idea that Tae Yoon fails to forget the case

easily is what eventually destroys him, as is portrayed in one of the ending scenes, many years

after the incident occurred (Joon-Ho et al., 2003). Despite his intelligence, he does not escape

from this fate. In the beginning, he is depicted as a man without honor who disregards everyone

below him, in a different instance of how the city police perceive their colleagues in the rural

area, but eventually ends up being worse than them.

Park Jung-bum (Seung-Chul) happens to be the director of the film “The Journals of

Musan,” and the protagonist of this film. He is a refugee from North Korea, trying to adjust to

life in Seoul. He showcases the harsh reality existing in everyday life of a North Korean man

who ran from his native country to seek a better refuge in South Korea. Park does not seem to

differ from all others in appearance and language fluency. But like the fellow defectors from

North Korea, he is an alien in a society that regards them as illegal immigrants. Even though

Park is not a legitimate citizen of South Korea, his identification number has three initial digits

that tend to remind others of the person he is. Even after being assisted by a detective to have a

job, the employer insists that he cannot employ him because of the three digits (Jung-Bum,

2010). When Park maintains that he will focus on doing what is best, he does mean it.

Previously, he was doing tedious jobs, and the job he has now is to paste a nightclub

advertisement posters on the walls. The task is not that easy for him and competition from others

doing a similar job for other nightclubs, some of whom mistreat him. Park’s boss is mean, given
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how frequently he humiliates Park and exploits him. Similar to the “Memories of Murder,”

realism in “The Journals of Musan” exposes the morality that is usually envisioned for the

individuals and the society.

Another way Bong focused on the theme of realism in the film is revealing the

transformation of the society in South Korea to liberal democracy from military dictatorship, and

eventually to consumer society. He represents this transition in an original way showing how

serial killings are programmed to signify crime for the delight of murder and violence. Such

killings, as Bong shows, are an archetypical form of how the society is. The violence in society

was considered as a means to an end. In another direct comment, Bong depicts how high

technology enters the community through democratization to endanger the netizens (Joon-Ho et

al., 2003). The secret agents and police of the regime stand out because of their uniform, but they

are a perfect treat to society. Park Jung-bum also shows the harsh reality that threatens his

existence. He is forced by others to do what is wrong, and this constant push makes him

desperate and exhausted than before. In addition, Park’s ally collides with other defectors from

North Korea, a scenario that puts Park in grave danger. His only relief is a pet dog he is keeping,

but there are multiple reasons that this closeness could still be broken anytime.

The cinematography used by Park in the film “The Journals of Musan” is remarkable,

portraying the theme of melodrama, and the rare beauty from the daily lives of the South Korean

society. He creates images that are full of intended lighting and with forceful detail that creates

the mood in different parts of the film. It is a trait that Park employs throughout the film,

especially when attempting to stress on melodramatic situations. Everything is short to the

expectations, as the cinematography is, indeed, part of the narrative that Park uses to emphasize

on film’s central themes. In this movie, while trying to follow Jeon Seung-Chul, Park’s friend,
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and comprehending him, one can wonder how he will reach the breaking point (Jung-Bum,

2010). He believes that he can earn diligently and honestly, but such beliefs are constantly

altered by others who are mean to him. We see a manipulative screenplay written by Park when

pulling his friend toward a melodramatic state. As Vasudevan (2011) points out, people’s lives

are all melodramatic from the moment they are born until they die. While in a world where

safety is considered, we tend to forget how unstable our lives can be. Park offers an understated

performance. He is a man of fewer words, yet a weary man who usually struggles to carry a lot

of baggage in him. Eventually, while at the church meeting, he reveals everything that has been

strangling him in a quiet voice. It is distressing to see him in this state, even if we only see him

from the back.

The influence of Bong is evidently shown in the film through a realistic approach. The

ordinary rhythm of everyday life is captured uniquely, superseding the calmness and the

absorbing nature of the film. Once you are absorbed in it, there are possibilities of getting

attached to the tension mounted behind the screen bit by bit. “Memories of Murder” is somehow

asphyxiating, especially in one of the long take sequences where the camera focuses strictly on

the character. It is agitating to watch Kang-ho Song, playing detective Park Doo-Man (Joon-Ho

et al., 2003). His freestyle way of handling corrupt cases, the use of brutal methods, and his

dubious intentions are terrible, as he is a learned cop and the most qualified man in town. There

is an inevitable style of conflict that emerges when Seo Tae-Yoon, a detective and a methodical

professional, joins Kang-ho.

Bong pulls no punches in illustrating melodrama through the role of authorities and the

actual colors they hold. We observe his critics at the onset of this film. The laughter of the two

detectives describes their incompetence (Joon-Ho et al., 2003). They cannot hold on to the
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investigation to settle the case properly. A specific scene where they attempt to chase away the

curious bystanders signifies their incompetence and lack of detective skills. The same is

portrayed through the evil nature of Jin Young-wook, as an egocentric friend in “The Journals of

Musan” (Jung-Bum, 2010). Without shame, he asks for help from a friend without considering

how things turned out between them in their last meeting. Park bitterly agrees to help her, and at

one moment, Jin is unfair to Park because of their misunderstanding, yet he is the one that saves

her after realizing her mistakes later on.

It is worth also noting that “The Journals of Musan” represents a story founded on the

experiences of a traitor in North Korea. The film shows the pains that Park, the hero, suffered

through due to the evil of this defector. Park has a hard time adapting to life in North Korea, and

we cannot understate the horrible conditions he went through. His life is at risk because of

fleeing to another country, and the reason he is accepted in the country is that he is considered as

a second-rate citizen. The possibility is that North Korea can collapse at any time, and as soon as

this happens, there are no ways to treat millions of hungry and desperate citizens like Park (Jung-

Bum, 2010). The current government is clueless and does nothing but wait for the country to

collapse by itself. The film does not emphasize its points to the audiences due to its objective

perception. Instead, it focuses on Park and other characters without judging them. As the film

concludes, there is a scene where Park makes a critical decision for him and tends to follow the

personal motives. Despite the film not emphasizing on such points, it tells of his life getting

better in the long run. We see another saddened reality in his last moment through the symbolic

depiction of what he loses inside him.

In the “Memories of Murder,” the two local detectives continue with the search, with

both confessing through torture as they attempt to blame Baek Kwang-ho, who rarely
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understands what is happening. Their actions finally enrage the local people, and this is a vivid

proof of how good characters suffer all because of the evil of the villain. The lack of proper

equipment and skills to handle conduct investigation is an element that continues to showcase the

incompetence of these detectives (Joon-Ho et al., 2003). The critique of Bong, however,

continues with his attack on the police leadership. A specific scene is where the chief area

requests for backups from other precincts, a night in which the killer is expected to attack again,

but he gets a negative response. Even the fact that the chief cannot personally develop a

comprehensive solution and the higher authorities are not ready to cooperate is an illustration of

a scoundrel's provocative acts. The film is, indeed, a conception of the concept of memory. But

the characters' minds are not what is essential to the film, as there is nothing we learn from the

protagonists' histories. Any historical story offered is only to signify the collective reality

surrounding specific individuals.

Without a doubt, the films "Memories of Murder" and "The Journals of Musan" have

seamlessly combined realism, drama, tension, and dark humor to portray the meaning in widely-

held film form. Through the works of Bong Joon-ho and Park Jung-bum, the directors from

Korea who produced the best contemporary, we understand how art film was developed to depict

realism and melodrama as a form of commercial entertainment. The unique conditions of these

films' experiences and the persistent need to create artistic films helped in developing the

particular classical period of the film style in Korea. The success of the two films altered the

landscape of the cinema in Korea, with substantial investment being made in the postmodernism

to expand the influence of genres and filmmaking. As a result, Bong Joon-ho and Park Jung-bum

managed to offer realist aesthetics in either film. Most critics, however, expect that Korean films

should focus on the reality surrounding the Korean society. Accordingly, it can be concluded that
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dependence on the notion of realism is still there, albeit in specific Korean films. Like Sangjoon

Lee attests in "Rediscovering Korean Cinema," all the different elements in the current

melodramas have been employed by Bong Joon-ho and Park Jung-bum. These Korean films, has

incorporated melodrama in a way that it starts and ends with an aspect of purity. The aspect of

melodrama is directed on victim heroes and emerged as a contemporary style by using realism to

offer accomplishment and zeal. The combination of these aesthetic styles in the above

masterpieces offers a rare modern example of a film that has collective and artistic difference.
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References

Jung-Bum, P. The Journals of Musan (2010).

Joon-Ho, B., Joon-Ho, G. B., Taro, M. I., & Sun-min, M. K. Memories of murder (2003)

Lee, S. (2019). Rediscovering Korean cinema. University of Michigan Press.

Vasudevan, R. (2011). The melodramatic public. In The Melodramatic Public (pp. 16-64).

Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Yecies, B., & Shim, A. (2015). The changing face of Korean cinema: 1960 to 2015. Routledge.