Sliding through genres: The Slippery Structure in South Korean films

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper analyzes the genre mixing strategies of a number of salient South Korean genre films from the New Korean Cinema and argues that these films present an innovative approach to genre hybridity. By examining the use of abrupt genre shifts in films such as The Host, Welcome to Dongmakgol, My Sassy Girl, Failan and Save the Green Planet!, it is argued that while scholars have shown that the practice of genre mixing is usually done by preserving a certain consistency throughout the film, these South Korean films not only shift genres but follow this shift with a change in tone; thus creating a unique phenomenon that will be referred to here as 'The Slippery Structure'. This practice creates a shift in the film's attitude towards its subject matter midway through the film, resulting in an inconsistency that demands the spectator to re-adjust their expectations. The discussion of this Slippery Structure presents a novel way of understanding generic classification in relation to a film's tone, and points to a new way of thinking about cinematic experience; both defying as well as expanding upon the conventional perception of hybrid genres and genre-bending in cinema.