Barking Dogs Never Bite
Schedule
Overview
Dogs start going missing in the apartment Yoon-ju lives in. First Bbindol, then Sweetie, and finally even Soon-ja, the dog Yoon-ju’s wife Eun-sil brought home. Yoon-ju spends all night posting missing posters for Soon-ja, and the apartment maintenance worker Hyun-nam joins in the fervor in searching for the dog.
* Source: Korean Film Archive
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Review
The debut film of director Bong Joon Ho, who is now a household name in the global film industry, was not that spectacular. Released in early 2000, and attracting approximately 57,000 viewers, Barking Dogs Never Bite was appreciated by a small circle of enthusiasts at the time. This comedy is about Yoon-ju, a part-time university male lecturer, and Hyun-nam, a female employee at an apartment management office, who are searching for a missing dog in an apartment complex. It was regarded as a strange film, which was neither a romantic comedy, nor a mystery, unlike what audiences of the time were used to. The dark humor and atypical plot twists that left viewers wondering what was going on after some laughter was baffling to viewers, who had not adapted to the new century’s films. Surely, things like sprinkling pollen from the top of an apartment seem to have gone a bit too far. On the other hand, Yoon-ju’s act of taking out his stress on the dog might be seen as crossing the line from today’s perspective. Clearly exploring Yoon-ju’s vain desire to become middle-class and giving hope to the new generation, Hyun-nam, who is the opposite, Barking Dogs Never Bite may have arrived a little too early. The last scene of Hyun-nam heading to the mountain with her friend still resonates. (MOON Seok)
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Credit
- DirectorBONG Joon Ho
- ProducerTCHA Sung-jai
- ScreenplayBONG Joon Ho, SON Tae-woong, SONG Jiho
- CinematographyCHO Yong-kyu
- GafferPARK Jong-hwan
- MusicCHO Sungwoo
- EditorLEE Eunsu
- SoundLEE Seungchul
- CastLEE Sung-jae, BAE Doona, KIM Ho-jung, BYUN Hee-bong
Film Source
CJ ENM⎜gunwoo.ahn@cj.net
Director
BONG Joon Ho
Born in Daegu in 1969. Bong Joon-ho graduated as part of the eleventh wave of the Korean Academy of Film Arts. After making his feature debut with Barking Dogs Never Bite, he subsequently directed films such as Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Mother (2009), and Snowpiercer (2013). With Parasite (2019), he became the first Korean to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won Best Picture, Best Director, and many other films at the Academy Awards.
