The Sympathizer and 8 More Park Chan-wook Projects for Every Fan of Korean Cinema

The most famous Korean director at the moment is Bong Joon-ho – the creator of the already cult movie Parasite. But the list of brilliant directors from South Korea does not end there.

One of them is Park Chan-wook – the director who made one of the most famous Korean movies of all time.

1. Oldboy, 2003

Oldboy, directed by Park Chan-wook, is one of the most important South Korean films. After winning the Grand Prix at Cannes, the movie became an international hit and drew attention to the Korean cinema. Without the success of Oldboy, the triumph of Parasite might not have happened.

In 1988, unknown persons imprisoned Oh Dae-su – he spent 15 years in a private prison. The prisoner ate only dumplings, watched the TV and lost his human appearance.

When Oh is unexpectedly released in 2003, the former businessman wants to take revenge on the unknown perpetrator and also get to the bottom of the reasons for his imprisonment. But the truth turns out to be the most horrible thing.

2. The Handmaiden, 2016

The Handmaiden is the story of a large-scale fraud in which each side tried to gain the maximum benefit for itself. In Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1930s, an experienced con artist offers a poor girl the perfect plan to escape poverty: she must become a maid in the house of a rich Japanese woman and help him seduce her.

But the plan goes awry when the unexpected factor comes into play: the girl falls in love with the mistress of the house.

The Handmaiden is perhaps one of Pan Chan-wook's most famous projects and his greatest triumph after Oldboy – it is a truly incredible spectacle, an entertaining story about an adventurer, the daughter of a deceased rich man and a maid, whose relationship forms unpredictable intricacies.

3. The Little Drummer Girl, 2018

Park Chan-wook's first foray into American television was a convincing one. Here, AMC teamed up with the BBC to adapt John le Carré's spy novel with the help of one of Korea's most celebrated directors.

It is the tense 1970s, and the Arab-Israeli conflict is beginning to heat up. Israeli intelligence agent Kurtz has hatched a grand plan to eliminate terrorist leader Khalil. With the help of his best spy, Gadi, he plans to recruit a young British actress, Charlie, to play the girlfriend of Khalil's younger brother.

4. Decision to Leave, 2022

The plot revolves around an investigation: a detective should find out the circumstances of the mysterious death of a man who suddenly fell from a cliff, despite his many years of experience in rock climbing. The investigation suspects a widow, who does not really mourn her husband, but the feelings of the detective, who fell in love with the woman, interfere with the case.

Intrigues and investigations are a constant feature of almost every Park Chan-wook movie, but this time the viewers can expect something really special.

5. The Sympathizer, 2024

The adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel The Sympathizer dropped on Max in April and consisted of seven episodes. Director and screenwriter Park Chan-wook took on not the easiest material – the story of the Captain, a North Vietnamese spy who moved to California in the 1970s.

The original won a Pulitzer Prize, and many readers were sure that the adaptation would ruin the novel. However, in Park's hands, The Sympathizer remains a great study of human nature.

Unlike the book, the on-screen narrative is often non-linear, but it retains its humor and scope. Series producer Robert Downey Jr. transformed into several characters at once, and for that performance alone, you can start watching The Sympathizer.

6. Snowpiercer, 2020-2024

Snowpiercer is originally a post-apocalyptic graphic novel by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. The comic was adapted for the screen by Bong Joon-ho in 2013.

The series, produced by Park Chan-wook, tells the story of a near future in which a man-made disaster has covered the earth with snow and ice, and life is preserved only on a giant train that races around the track without stopping.

There are rich people in the first cars and poor people in the last. There is a strict dictatorship on the train, so a riot is brewing.

7. Stoker, 2013

Stoker is a twisted and fascinating story of a family where strange things are happening. Evelyn buries her husband and is left with a daughter named India. The already unstable mental state of the widow is shaken: she does and says terrible things.

After the death of the head of the family, Uncle Charlie Stoker appears out of nowhere, and it leads to irreversible consequences.

Park Chan-wook's Stoker only had a limited release in the US and was not particularly successful. However, fans of unconventional dramas appreciated this dark thriller, which combines a twisted script with Park's ability to create a mysterious and tense atmosphere.

8. Thirst, 2009

Catholic priest Sang-hyun wants to help people, so he goes to a lab where the scientists are trying to find a vaccine against a wild African virus. A few months later, the volunteer returns, while getting closer to the family of a childhood friend who is abusing his wife. After a medical experiment, Sang-hyun feeds on blood intended for transfusions at the hospital.

Making an original vampire horror movie in the 21st century is no easy task. Park tells the story of a bloodsucker's suffering, betrayal, and the priest's struggle between science and faith.

9. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, 2002

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is the story of deaf-mute Ryu and his sister, who needs a kidney transplant. Ryu's boss, Park, has just fired him, and Ryu and his girlfriend decide to kidnap Park's daughter and use the ransom money to pay for the transplant. But everything goes wrong, and the situation quickly escalates into a maelstrom of violence and revenge.

After the success of his first few works, Park Chan-wook was given full freedom to make any movie he wanted, and he decided to make a film about revenge, which he considered the most exciting topic.

He searched for a script for a long time and then decided to return to his old idea and write the script himself. To this day, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is considered one of the director's most striking and touching films.