Gwoemul is a classic monster and thriller film directed by the famous Korean director Bong Joon-ho and released in 2006. The film changed the traditional horror shaping technique and used a new concept to give the film a unique and profound connotation, which caused a sensation and intense discussion after its release and won four awards including Best Film and Best Actor at the Asian Film Awards that year.
The success of “The Monster of the Han River” lies in its breakthrough in presenting Korean national ethics and morality, the narrative of the national trauma nation and the horror consciousness of the monster image based on the classic Hollywood thriller model and with the use of superior genre filming techniques. This combination creates a new breakthrough in the innovative stage of thrillers, pioneering a Korean version of the thriller-style film model.
Similar monster thrillers often present scientific rationality versus human values, with the conflict between man and nature and the unknown conflict between man and the universe at the heart of the conflict. In the narration of the story, the creators pay more attention to the use of special effects, using novel scenes and exciting images to mobilize the visual nerves and interest of the audience.
In addition, the use of sound effects is a major feature of the film. In the scenes showing the monster, the soundtrack is mainly based on percussion, with orchestral and other string sounds, supplemented by the superimposition of natural sounds become more powerful. The monster is presented like a fierce heartbeat, hoarse cries, desperate cries, screams and cries from the crowd, the breaking of tiles, the crash of the car monster, the fracture of the human body. These elements are abundant in the film, cumbersome but not confusing, effectively enhancing the film’s appeal.
One could argue that the film’s frustrating horror is caused by the absurdly horrific Korean system that the film establishes. This Korean society includes not only the hospitals, the police, the military, the news media, the various institutions that are part of the system, but also the demonized United States. In fact, together, these metaphors form a solid, independent entity, the Han River Monster.
It should be said that this is an entity that is completely alienated from reality and is terrifying due to its uncontrollability, its immensity, its ubiquity, and its highly intelligent and efficient operation. The director begins the film by describing the cause of the monster and reveals that the world-destroying monster is nothing more than a product of alienation, with its great power and cruel nature, it is full of deception and vigilance, and the director actually uses it as a concrete manifestation of the dark alienated world.
As can be seen throughout the film, “The Monster of Han River” is originally a horror film, but the director does not use a lot of shots to depict the horror, jealousy and evil of the monster. Instead, he tries to awaken people’s desire for love, as well as deep human emotions. The director shows the defiance and resilience of the Korean people through the emotionally charged details of the Korean bow and arrow shooting of the characters in the film. It can be said that this is a successful work, which is not only limited to the lavish scenes and extraordinary monster shooting skills, but this work also reopens a corner of Korean social ecology and reality for us, and is a rare work of thriller genre.