Biting social satire meets hilarious black comedy. Laugh or the dog gets it…
Korea. Dogs. I know what you’re thinking. And no, (In South Korea at least ) you’re not allowed to eat dogs. (At least not other peoples.)
Barking Dogs centres around two occupants in the same set of apartment buildings, both of whom desperately want to escape their surroundings. One is Yun-ju (Lee Sung-jae, Attack The Gas Station), a part time college lecturer with aspirations of becoming a professor with his own department. The other is Hyeon-Nam (Bae Du-na), a secretary in the super indendant’s office she spends her spare time getting mashed with her best friend in the local shop (which fortunately rarely has any customers), daydreaming of becoming famous.
Yun-ju spends most of his time in the apartment, being driven crazy by the yapping of a small dog in a flat nearby. His relationship top his very pregnant wife becoming increasingly strained. One day he decides to take out his frustrations on the animal, finding it and locking it away in the buildings basement. Only it’s not the right dog. In fact, it can’t even bark. Yun-ju realises his mistake too late, the dog has already become victim to the janitor with a taste for dog stew.
Still bothered by the barking, Yun-ju decides to get it right, only this time he’s witnessed by Hyeon-Nam throwing the dog off the roof of an adjacent apartment building. Could this be her chance for 15 minutes of fame, if she can be the hero and catch the dog murderer?
With Korean movies, perhaps more than with other Asian countries, it’s the similarities rather than the differences which surprise. The films themes have much in common with ‘slacker generation’ movies from the states like Trees Lounge and Ghost World. It also has much in common with Mike Leigh’s films, not only in its social commentary but the full blooded way each character is portrayed. Not just the leads but each cast member is a real three dimensional character – due a great script by director Bong Joon-ho (Memories Of Murder, The Host), Song Ji-ho and Tae-woong Derek Son, and also a wonderful ensemble cast. Meaning the dramatic edge can be played with as conviction as the comedy, again much like Leigh.
Not that Bong Joon-ho lets the story get in the way of style. Together with cinematographers Cho Yong-kyou and Jo Yeong-gyu, Bong films quirkily and imaginatively, playing much of the humour from a distance and more quietly, rather than in broad in your face farce (much like the other recent great Korean comedy, The Foul King) – and ultimately it’s funnier.
A great, thoughtful comedy. Even if you’re a dog lover!
DVD details
Distributor: Universe (Hong Kong)
This Hong Kong release has a pretty good picture transfer, but an inferior sound quality with defects on the Korean soundtrack. Shame, since the Cantonese dub (and subtitles, since they are all based on this version of the soundtrack) adds a lot of tacky and unnecessary additional lines of dialogue, as well as exaggerated voices, to 'emphasise' the comedy.
