Of fleas and Parasite: unpacking class and space in Bong Joon-ho’s Barking Dogs Never Bite

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article argues that amidst the hype of Parasite fever, it is instructive to revisit Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) in order to better understand the director’s aesthetic and signatures. Not only does Parasite (2019) echo Bong’s debut feature in narrative structure and visual style but both films depict the friction between power and the powerless through spatial metaphors. By offering a closer look at Barking Dogs Never Bite from an interdisciplinary approach – intersecting auteur theory and cultural studies approaches to class mobility and space – we indicate how the hybrid style of commercialism and social commentary in Bong’s films are deeply rooted in the South Korean context.