The horror and thriller genres are cited as gaining international attention to South Korean Cinema. Modern South Korean horror films are typically distinguished by stylish directing, themes of social commentary, and genre blending.

Korean horror features many of the same motifs, themes, and imagery as Japanese horror. Many of the Korean horror films tend to focus on the suffering and the anguish of characters rather than focus on the explicit 'blood and guts' aspect of horror. The movie is complemented by ’90s signposts, including VHS tapes, pagers and public phonebooths, while certain scenes rekindle memories of some of the most iconic K-pop videos and TV dramas of the era, including Deux’s “In Summer.” Bo-ra’s father runs a video rental store, which sets up a comic scene where she’s busted at school with a copy of “An Affair,” an R-rated 1998 erotic drama featuring “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae, and forced to hold it up in detention.Korean horror films have been around since the early years of Korean cinema, however, it was not until the late 1990s that the genre began to experience a renewal.

While the movie offers very little about the person Bo-ra grew up to be (played in the present by Han Hyo-joo, who also hails from Cheongju in real life), it does reveal that her career choice was shaped by what Woon-ho once told her in a goofy moment, some two decades earlier. Kim You-jung is both convincing and delightful as Bo-ra, who, in many seemingly insignificant yet occasionally heartbreaking moments, has yet to realize the significance of what she’s going through.

Bang captures the feeling of devoted teenage friendships and the joys of sharing confidences with fellow girls, while acknowledging how they are inevitably meant to change - despite genuine efforts to sustain them - as time goes on. The film is loosely based on director Bang’s own experiences growing up in Cheongju, a relatively quiet town in central South Korea, as well as time spent with her girlfriends in high school. When Yeon-doo finally returns, Bo-ra is hardly prepared for what awaits her. But things take unexpected turns when Bo-ra realizes, for the first time in her life, she is falling hard for a boy: Woon-ho (Byeon Woo-seok), Hyun-jin’s thoughtful and closest friend. Fiercely loyal to her ailing friend, Bo-ra uses creative if sometimes silly tactics to learn about Hyun-jin, diligently e-mailing everything she discovers - from his shoe size to his best friend’s home address - to Yeon-doo.

Film semi cinema 21 korea