What to stream: Catch up on prior films of auteur Bong Joon Ho ahead of ‘Mickey 17’
The release of “Mickey 17” marks the eighth feature film of Oscar-winning Korean auteur Bong Joon-Ho, spanning a 25-year career. His work is notable for its social commentary and unique tone, from murder mysteries to creature features. So if you’re new to Bong, here’s where to catch up with his entire filmography on streaming.
He made his directorial debut with the 2000 black comedy “Barking Dogs Never Bite,” about dogs that start to go missing from an apartment complex, and the residents who investigate the matter. Stream it on Prime Video, the Roku Channel or Kanopy.
2003 brought Bong’s breakout film, “Memories of Murder,” a detective noir based on a real serial killer. Starring Song Kang-ho, who would go on to star in “The Host,” “Snowpiercer” and “Parasite,” as well as Kim Sang-kyung as two detectives investigating the case, “Memories of Murder” is an epic masterpiece of crime cinema, operatic and strangely funny, but ultimately deeply harrowing. Rent it on iTunes and Amazon.
Bong’s monster movie “The Host” was released in 2006, a wild creature feature inspired by “Godzilla” and other kaiju movies, starring Song as a father trying to save his daughter from a giant creature in the Han River. Stream it on Max or Kanopy.
He swung back toward the murder mystery genre with the 2009 film “Mother,” starring Kim Hye-ja as a fiercely protective mother trying to exonerate her intellectually disabled son (Won Bin) who has been accused of murdering a young girl. To prove her son’s innocence, she embarks on a journey to find the killer herself. Rent it on iTunes or Amazon.
Bong’s English-language debut was with the dystopian sci-fi film “Snowpiercer” (2013) about a train holding humanity, circling a frozen planet. Chris Evans stars as a passenger from the back of the train who fights his way to the front cars (the cars are divided by wealth). Tilda Swinton is also a memorable standout among the large ensemble cast. Rent it on iTunes or Amazon or stream it on the Roku Channel.
He followed that up with another film utilizing a large international cast, “Okja,” about a young girl who raises a genetically modified super pig named Okja, and then learns about the horrors of the meat industry while trying to rescue Okja from certain death. Fair warning that this film will make you want to try veganism. Stream it on Netflix.
2019 brought his crowning achievement so far, the class satire “Parasite,” starring frequent collaborator Song as the patriarch of a lower-class family who infiltrates the home of a wealthy family in Seoul. The film was an Academy Awards sensation in 2019, winning best picture (the first non English-language film to do so), as well as best director, best screenplay and best international film. Stream “Parasite” on Netflix and Hulu, and then you’re all caught up for “Mickey 17.”