Trying to find ways to pass the time whilst waiting for a delayed train, I decided to catch up on Guy Lodge's film reviews in The Guardian. Recently having watched Parasite (also reviewed) with a friend thanks to see an advert for it being on Film 4, I was pleased to learn from Lodge's best of streaming highlights, that Bong Joon-ho's debut was now on the site, which led to my 1,999th Letterboxd review, going in search of a barking dog.
View on the film:
Making his first visit to a basement under the shadow of a high society building, co-writer (with Ji-ho Song and Derek Son Tae-woong) / directing auteur Bong Joon-ho draws in his feature film debut the outline to major motifs that would be built across his credits, from the moment he lines the basement with his distinctive pitch black comedy, as an attempted dog hanging takes place in the background, slightly obscured by Ko Yun-ju (played with a pitch perfect meek creepy vibe by Lee Sung-jae) attempting to amp himself up in committing the act.
Filmed in grainy low-res digital and backed by a sarcastic melodramatic Jazz score from Sung-woo Jo,Joon-ho closely works with editor Eun Soo Lee & cinematographer Yong-kyou Cho in chasing after Yun-ju with symmetrical wide-shots of the block of flats, being stylishly cross-cut with the juxtaposition, altering film speed chase, following Yun-ju attempting to run away like a dog.
Inspired by the moment when he found a dead puppy on top of a building in his childhood, the writers wonderfully make the dog eat dog world of class culture (a major theme in Joon-ho's work) be the centre of macabre comedy set-pieces, via Yun-ju trying to get a lead around the dogs in the flats, and their ultra rich owners.
Attempting a tonal shift with a barking mad dog napping/ murder Thriller edge, the writers disappointingly are never able to fully blend it all together, instead leaving the elements disjointed, moving to an awakward stop-start state for the comedic sequences abrasively rubbing against a running hot and cold Thriller, as Yun-ju digs his claws in.
View on the film:
Making his first visit to a basement under the shadow of a high society building, co-writer (with Ji-ho Song and Derek Son Tae-woong) / directing auteur Bong Joon-ho draws in his feature film debut the outline to major motifs that would be built across his credits, from the moment he lines the basement with his distinctive pitch black comedy, as an attempted dog hanging takes place in the background, slightly obscured by Ko Yun-ju (played with a pitch perfect meek creepy vibe by Lee Sung-jae) attempting to amp himself up in committing the act.
Filmed in grainy low-res digital and backed by a sarcastic melodramatic Jazz score from Sung-woo Jo,Joon-ho closely works with editor Eun Soo Lee & cinematographer Yong-kyou Cho in chasing after Yun-ju with symmetrical wide-shots of the block of flats, being stylishly cross-cut with the juxtaposition, altering film speed chase, following Yun-ju attempting to run away like a dog.
Inspired by the moment when he found a dead puppy on top of a building in his childhood, the writers wonderfully make the dog eat dog world of class culture (a major theme in Joon-ho's work) be the centre of macabre comedy set-pieces, via Yun-ju trying to get a lead around the dogs in the flats, and their ultra rich owners.
Attempting a tonal shift with a barking mad dog napping/ murder Thriller edge, the writers disappointingly are never able to fully blend it all together, instead leaving the elements disjointed, moving to an awakward stop-start state for the comedic sequences abrasively rubbing against a running hot and cold Thriller, as Yun-ju digs his claws in.