Just like the society it inhabits, the South Korean film industry has been in perpetual flux for the past few decades. Following a turbulent history and rapid economic growth, Korean cinema has seen a quick rise and as 2012 comes to a close, its most successful year ever, the industry is beginning to set its sights overseas to take advantage of new markets, seeing as its own is quickly becoming saturated. But while Korean cinema has frequently pointed the spotlight on national issues in need of redress, never has it done so as openly and aggressively as this year. Throughout most of 2012, commercial fare has co-existed with political and social works across the nation’s marquees.

 

In recent times, Korean filmmakers have not shied away from social commentary but for the most part the issues they’ve sought to highlight have often been addressed in muted or circumlocutory fashion: present but rarely front and center. This year however, things have changed. In the wake of last year’s highly controversial and enormously successful Silenced, a film which depicted rampant sexual abuse in a school for the hard of hearing, a wave of films have taken to the stage this year, highlighting a plethora of issues with a frankness and intensity that has been both compelling and upsetting for viewers.

 

The first such film to make impact in 2012 came during the Lunar New Year’s holiday in January as CHUNG Ji-young’s first film in 13 years, Unbowed, took the box office by storm, finishing its run north of 3.4 million admissions. The film highlighted an incident that took place a few years ago when an unfairly dismissed college professor (played by AHN Sung-ki), following what he felt to be an unfair trial, was involved in an altercation with a judge who later claimed that he shot him with a crossbow. The film made headlines for detailing flagrant corruption in the judicial system, while also hinting at the pervasive misuse of power and authority in Korea.

 

Another film that no one anticipated would cross the three million admissions mark was 26 Years, based on a KANG Pool graphic novel that followed a group out to assassinate the man responsible for the infamous Gwangju massacre. A long-gestating project that fell through many times as it failed to secure stable backing, the project finally came together following a remarkable crowd-sourcing initiative that attracted 15,000 donors.

 

Other political films that have made headlines include National Security and Jiseul, both of which were introduced at the 17th Busan International Film Festival this October. CHUNG Ji-young’s swift follow-up to Unbowed, National Security was a no-holds barred account of an activist’s prolonged detention and horrific torture in 1985. Following its critical acclaim at Busan and the column inches it generated in the press, not least when a number of presidential candidates attended an exclusive screening in Seoul, the film was a minor success at the box office. Notably, CHUNG specifically positioned its theater run just ahead of Korea’s presidential elections.

 

Jiseul earned four awards at Busan this year as well as invitations to the Sundance Film Festival’s official World Cinema competition and the Rotterdam International Film Festival. An artistic black and white rendition of the Jeju Massacre of 1948, O Muel’s film shed light on a dark corner of Korean history that has rarely been reported on, particularly since even mentioning the event was illegal for 50 years.

  

Despite the amount of progress it has witnessed, Korea remains a fiercely patriarchal society rooted in Confucian ideals. However, 2012 has seen an advent of female filmmakers making a significant mark on the industry. Chief among them was BYUN Young-joo, the director behind the dark mystery thriller Helpless, which attracted almost 2.5 million admissions and was presented at a number of international festivals including Karlovy Vary, Vancouver, Busan and BFI London. BYUN was awarded Best Director at the 48th PaekSang awards and by Women in Film, a Korean group of female film critics and producers.

  

Among other notable women in the industry this year, director PANG Eun-jin returned with the romantic thriller Perfect Number while actresses LIM Soo-jung and CHO Min-soo, from All About My Wife and Pieta respectively, have earned great acclaim for their performances at home but also abroad. LIM was awarded Best Actress by Women in Film and the Blue Dragon Awards, while CHO took home Best Actress awards from the Korean Association of Film Critics, the Grand Bell Awards and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

  

Perhaps the most prevalent and disturbing trend to emerge this year has been sexual abuse, particularly as it applies to minors. Among these was Don’t Cry, Mommy, a revenge thriller detailing the system’s failure to punish a gang of juvenile rapists. The film was a bleak reminder of the realities of the minimal repercussions of sexual abuse in Korea and became a surprise number one film during its opening weekend. The film premiered at Busan along with Azooma, a very similar work about a woman seeking justice for her daughter’s rape and her eventual determination to take matters into her own hands. The revenge picture received the Director’s Guild of Korea award for Best Actress at Busan as well as the Best Film award at the Costa Rica International Film Festival and the Platinum award at the Nevada Film Festival.

  

Also from Busan, Lee Don-ku’s Fatal, which will screen at the Berlin International Film Festival next year, followed the repercussions of a high school gang rape as an unwilling perpetrator of the horrible crime meets his victim ten years later. Other films that have appeared throughout the year include Dirty Blood from PiFan, LEE Sang-woo’s Fire in Hell from Jeonju, and JEON Soo-il’s El Condor Pasa from Busan. The sheer number of recent Korean films from 2012 that have depicted sexual violence reflects a growing concern with this underreported societal ill.

  

The always controversial KIM Ki-duk had his biggest year with Pieta which netted him the coveted Golden Lion from the Venice International Film Festival. Despite some morbid subject matter and the inclusion of rape, incest, and cannibalism, the film was a box office hit, earning 600,000 admissions.

  

On the opposite side of the spectrum, romantic films and melodramas also had an enormous year. Architecture 101 broke the all time box office record for a melodrama in March before A Werewolf Boy set a new milestone later in the year. Romcoms such as All About My Wife and Love Fiction were also critical and commercial hits. Meanwhile films with erotic subject matter also fared well, including The Concubine, The Scent, Eungyo and The Taste of Money.

  

There’s no doubt that controversy played a big role during this record-breaking year for Korean cinema. Filmmakers that opted to tackle major social and historical issues head on were for the most part afforded high visibility and commercial success. Film festivals around the world have also taken notice by programming a vast number of these titles. As the industry looks to break out beyond its borders in meaningful financial terms, it begs the question: will foreign audiences be willing to take on Korea’s social and historical baggage? Only time will tell.