Memories of Murder

aka: Salinui chueok
South Korea 2003, 127 minutes
Dir. Joon-ho Bong
In Korean with English subtitles
Rating: [R16]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Suspense/Crime / Serial Killers, Policier, Black Comedy

Topics: Period 1980s.

Feat. Kang-ho Song, Sang-kyung Kim, Roe-ha Kim

Aroview: A darkly lyrical thriller, set around the true-life hunt for South Korea's first documented serial killer in 1986, during the years of Chun Doo-hwan's infamous military dictatorship.

Initially making comedy out of the police detective's inept and crude methodology, amateur CSI 'deductions' and suspect abuse, as enigmatic clues begin to mount, a slithering sense of unease pervades the narrative. Blurring the usual points of moral certainty, the film gradually transforms into an incisive critique of Korean national apathy in the face of a corrupt system. Beautifully shot and hauntingly atmospheric.

Adopt-a-Movie Kindly Adopted by Cameron Fleming
NZ International Film Festival 2004