Kim Ki Duk: Director who harassed actors, U60 passed away due to pandemic

Kim Ki Duk is known not only for his outstanding filmmaking talent but also for the controversies related to both his work and personal life. For a long time, people have called Kim Ki Duk the "monster" of cinema.

When talking about Korean cinema in particular, it is impossible to ignore the name Kim Ki Duk. As an art film director considered to have great influence in the world, he and his extremely shocking works have contributed significantly to breaking down barriers and prejudices about Korean films, possessing countless big and small achievements. On the afternoon of December 11, 2020, many viewers were surprised to hear that Kim Ki Duk had suddenly passed away due to the Covid-19 epidemic, at the age of 60.

Korea's "cinema legend" had a poor childhood, born in 1960 in Bonghwa, northern Kyungsang province of South Korea. He is a true mountain child, but moved to Seoul with his family when he was 9 years old. Dropping out of school early, young Kim Ki Duk worked in factories and soon joined the navy at the age of 20. During his 5 years in the military, he accumulated a lot of experience to adapt into a shocking work later.

After leaving the army, Kim Ki Duk intended to become a priest and continue his painting career. He saved money and bought a ticket to Paris in 1990, working hard to make a fortune at an art studio. Although he considered cultural experiences to be a luxury, this time in a foreign land gave Kim Ki Duk a different perspective on life.

His passion for filmmaking led him to focus on training and writing scripts after returning from France. Without a large vocabulary, he developed in a direction that let the details and frames say what needed to be said, rotating the film's content around topics close to his own life.

Kim Ki Duk's first film was Crocodile in 1996, about a man who specializes in collecting the bodies of people who ended their lives. From then on, his career began to develop in the direction of deeply exploiting human psychology extremely boldly, intensely and shockingly.

His next films, notably The Isle (2000), Bad Guy (2001), Address Unknown (2001), Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... then Spring (2003), Pietà (2012) , Moebius (2013)... all became famous. Kim Ki Duk's works attract attention not only because of their surprising content, but also because of the way the film goes into segments that if people with weak psychology watch it, they will probably consider it "sick" and "crazy". crazy" and "offensive".

Typically, Moebius once made critics and audiences at the Venice Film Festival vomit. Most of them left immediately because right at the beginning of the film, the mother character was jealous of her husband and had "that thing" removed. son, followed by a series of serious scenes that cannot be taken lightly. It sounds crazy and too high-flying, but in fact the film has been compared to a top play of Greece and world theater.

Kim Ki Duk's works are also often said by experts to be "misogyny" because the female characters in the film often suffer pain. However, he himself once replied that "If I watch all the movies I make, maybe I will be a true feminist." This is true of Moebius , when the film is seen as revolving around "masculinity" (with the image of "that" of men as the center). The characters of father and son are the center of the film, however all the mistakes they make are motivated and exposed thanks to the film's woman.

Actress Seo Won - who plays the main role in the movie Bad Guy , was harassed by himself and co-star Cho Jae Hyun during filming. She described it as the darkest time of her life, and could no longer continue acting. A Moebius actress who did not agree to have sex with him was also fired from the project. Initially, the court ruled that he lost the case and had to pay compensation. Later, the verdicts were overturned due to lack of evidence, so he sued back. However, it is also a big stain on his career that cannot be washed away.

The filmmaking method of the "monster" is not appreciated by many people - no matter how successful the work is. The movie The Isle received a lot of criticism for its animal cruelty, he replied, "I did a lot of cruel things to animals in my movie. That sin will follow me all my life."

"But as far as I can see, the food that people eat is no different. [...] People eat meat without paying attention to how those animals are handled. On screen, it looks terrible. violent, but I don't see the difference," Kim Ki Duk replied to an American newspaper.

Kim Ki Duk's life and fortune left behind many whispers, hate and anger. However, even if the audience is angry with his lifestyle, it is impossible to ignore the films that are now "classics", will be considered "ageless", to be watched forever. and constantly creating more scandal. His different, bizarre perspective is a powerful mirror of a confused, distorted society, steeped in behaviors that seem to be mythical but are not non-existent. Korean cinema is what it is today, largely thanks to him. Kim Ki Duk is truly a monster.