3. The Handmaiden
The next film is by Park Chan-wook again. The Handmaiden similarly mixes a thriller atmosphere with erotic and dramatic scenes like The Woman in the Fog. The film tells the story of a Korean maid who is hired by a wealthy Japanese heiress.
The maid Sook-Hee does not want to just work there; she plans to betray her. The film is told in three parts and is set in the 1930s during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Themes such as Japan’s occupation and the role of women at the time underscore the film’s atmosphere.
The film has a rating of 8.1 on IMDb with 159,542 votes, just like Memories of Murder.
2. Oldboy
The next film is again by Park Chan-wook. Oldboy is one of the best revenge films of all time and is considered a classic of Korean cinema. Oh Dae-su is suddenly abducted and imprisoned for 15 years. The reason is never revealed to him, but he is provided with food and kept alive.
He trains during his captivity and, after his release, has only one goal: to find and kill the person who did this to him. The film features fantastic action scenes with great choreography and tells a dark story about taboo subjects and revenge. The film also draws on elements of Greek dramas.
With a rating of 8.4 on IMDb from 602,199 votes, this film is highly rated as well.
