Youth or adolescence has often played a prevalent part in Korean cinema. Earlier examples include KIM Kee-duk’s The Barefooted Young (1964) a so-called “adolescent film” that follows a gangster who falls in love with an ambassador’s daughter, HA Gil-jong’s The March Of Fools (1975) about young men and women in the 1970s, PARK Kwang-su’s Chil-Su And Man-Su (1988) that adopted a realist aesthetic to capture the difficult social and political climate in the 1980s.

 

From the mid 1990s, some features moved away from social realism but continued to address difficulties faced by Korean youth. Beat (1997) directed by KIM Sung-soo and KIM Sang-jin’s Attack The Gas Station! (1999) were more aesthetically vibrant through the use of colour tones, cinematography and soundtracks but again, focusing on the problems experienced by Korean youth.

 

 

These films were generally male-driven, but the horror film Whispering Corridors (1998); the first part of a series set in a high school that tackles issues such as the strict education system placed on youths, homosexuality and suicide, focused on female leads. Problems faced by female youths are also depicted in IM Sang-soo’s experimental Tears (2001) and JEONG Jae-eun’s social drama Take Care Of my Cat (2001).

 

The 2000s have continued to shed light on Korean youth. The gangster or crime genre in particular has been a popular genre in this regard with films such as Friend (2001) and Spirit Of Jeet Keun Do - Once Upon A Time In High School (2004), while other genres too have focused on young protagonists including comedies (My Sassy Girl, 2001), horrors (A Tale Of Two Sisters, 2003) and martial art films (Volcano High, 2001).

 

 

 

More recently, nostalgia has played a part in depicting youth culture as the demographic visiting the multiplex continues to evolve. As a result, studios are targeting not just younger viewers, but also those who are older. Both Sunny (2011) and Architecture 101 (2012) are very successful examples of accumulating 7.3 million and 4.1 million admissions at the box office, respectively. In some ways the films are quite similar, yet also rather different.

 

Sunny is visually very striking whereas the latter is more restrained, but they both invoke a sense of nostalgia through the films’ soundtracks and mise-en-scene making it appealing for viewers both young and old.

 

However, KIM Hyun-seok’s C’est Si Bon (2015) that follows a group of young musicians in the 1960s failed to be a hit at the box office, while YOO Ha’s Gangnam Blues (2015)–a much darker film–set in the 1970s that follows two young friends who end up in opposing gangs also underperformed with just shy of 2.2 million admissions.

 

Multiculturalism, although not an especially common trend in films dealing with youth, is explored in LEE Han’s Punch about 18-year-old student (YOO Ah-in) whose mother is Filipino. The film resonated with viewers becoming a surprise hit in 2011 attracting over 5.3 million viewers.

 

Though not successful in the box office, SHIN Dong-il’s Bandhobi (2009) is a compelling independent film about a 29-year-old Bangladeshi who becomes friends with a 17-year-old high school student and the problems they face as they form a closer relationship.

 

 

The Korean independent film industry remains a key avenue in which filmmakers including many young directors can address a number of social problems in Korean society encountered by youths.

 

LEE Su-jin’s HAN Gong-ju (2014), which went on to travel extensively on the festival circuit about a student who was a victim of a horrific gang rape, reveals the complete lack of support for such a victim but also the stigmas attached when a girl is subjected to such brutality.

 

10 Minutes (2014) follows a young man who dreams about becoming a TV producer but takes an internship at a government agency in the hope of securing a full-time position. But the position is instead given to someone else. The film casts light on the difficulties finding employment in Korea and the unfair practice in which some jobs are taken.

 

Also engaging is HONG Seok-jae’s Socialphobia (2015) that explores social issues relating to cyber bullying that results in the death of a young woman.  Based on a true story, it reveals a more recent problem concerning Korea’s youth.

 

One Way Trip directed by CHOI Jeong-yeol about four young men whose night in Pohang, the port city in southern Korea, ends in tragedy when one of them is fatally injured in a hit-and-run went on release on March 24th. Failed by the justice system, which supports those in influence, it’s part of an interesting trend in Korean cinema shedding light on the injustice found in parts of society as seen with the hits Veteran (2015), Inside Men (2015) and A Violent Prosecutor (2016).

 

 

 

Turning to the current commercial film industry, comedies are becoming a more common fixture when it comes to coming-of-age narrative films. Reminiscent of JK YOUN’s sex comedy Sex Is Zero (2002) is LEE Byoung-heon’s Twenty about an unemployed high school graduate primarily interesting in seducing women, a studious undergraduate, and an aspiring cartoonist who struggles to support his family.

 

The film struck a chord with audiences selling over 3 million tickets last year, which is also in part to the star power behind KIM Woo-bin. Nevertheless, its comedic and lighthearted touch was perhaps refreshing to audiences even though it lacks much depth.

 

In much the same way is NAM Dae-joong’s THE LAST RIDE, released on April 21st, about two high school students who go to great lengths to ensure their close friend suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease is given his last wish to have sex for the first and last time.

 

Perhaps what differentiates these features from the films like Attack The Gas Station! made over 15 years ago is not only Korea has continued to develop since then economically, but it’s also meant the industry is more commercial. In terms of production values, the quality as a whole continues to rise, but it is harder for commercial features to convey themes relating to youth in the same manner.