Streaming Quick Picks: Bong Joon-ho
As Jim and I have begun to discuss our “best films of the year” list (it’s never too early, right?), we have also been evaluating our selections for our Madfilm Meetups. Where the latter is concerned, one of my personal favorites would have to be Snowpiercer, from director Bong Joon-ho.
Even though he has not made many that many feature films, Bong has steadily become a director in whom I’ve taken interest. While I was aware of his crime film Memories of Murder, The Host was the first of his works that I watched. I was immediately impressed with his ability to make a believable monster movie that was emotionally centered around a family, and yet terrifying enough to take its place among the better horror films of the day. It is a film that I have thought about many times yet seen only once.
Such is the case with Snowpiercer, which has one of the most interesting premises in recent memory. Based on the French comic by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, the film tells a rivoting story of class conflict among a group of a post-apocalyptic survivors who are held captive aboard a seemingly unstoppable passenger train. With its relatively fast-paced exposition of a climate change defense system gone awry, there are a whole host of story points that the audience is expected to buy into very quickly. I have always respected films that commit immediately and totally to their story-worlds and the rules set for them, regardless of how absurd they might appear on the surface. If you allow such films to take you where they want you to go, they are the ones that stick with you for years, sometimes even after only one screening. Snowpiercer has incredibly well-staged action sequences, outstanding production design, and performances that are all terrific (particularly star Chris Evans and the consistent delight that is Tilda Swinton).
His first English language film, Bong instills Snowpiercer with elements emblematic of his growing oeuvre, and in their sharpest form: emotional realism amidst heightened—and sometimes fantastic—circumstances (Bong directs his actors deliberately and skillfully), frequent shifts in tone, and a proclivity for cinematographic beauty stemming from the drabbest of surroundings. I look forward to checking out what few films of his I haven’t seen, and I hope you will explore them all as well. Be sure to leave us a comment and tell us what you think of Snowpiercer or any of his other work.
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Local DVDs: Four Star Video Cooperative and Madison Public Library
For our Madison readers, here are some additional titles available for DVD rental or checkout. Some of the titles above are also available on Blu-Ray and DVD; click the buttons below to search “Bong Joon-ho” in their catalogues.
