Night School Bar Film School: The Films of Bong Joon-ho

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Instructor: Berland | Thursdays | November 2 - November 16 | 6:30 - 9:30 PM ET | IN-PERSON, 719 N Mangum St, DURHAM, NC

Join an in-person film study at Night School Bar in Durham for drinks, popcorn, and some of the most influential anti-capitalist films of our time!

Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director whose stylized social satires have drawn a broad international following. Most recently, his 2019 dark comedy, Parasite, famously won him the first ever Best Picture Oscar for a foreign-language film. Like Bong’s other films, Parasite is a tonally irregular, often absurdist polemic against the abuses of the working classes by the ultra-wealthy under late-stage capitalism. Remarkably, the slick aesthetics of his signature style manage to entrance wide and diverse audiences, often including the very people his films overtly chastise. In this way, Bong’s works have prefigured the surge in “Eat the Rich” films and television series like White Lotus, Knives Out, The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, Succession, and others.

In this mini-course, we will meet in person to watch three of Bong Joon-ho’s films: Snowpiercer, Okja, and Parasite. Each viewing will include a brief introduction and be followed by a discussion, in which we will consider the aesthetics and narrative themes of the film. By taking a chronological approach, we will be able to identify the maturation of Bong’s style and socioeconomic critique. Optional readings may be provided.