Would there be a Parasite or at least, a Parasite that won Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards and swept the American box office without Oldboy? Its a presumptuous question, to be sure, but one worth asking, especially as global audiences grow more accustomed to (and enamored of) the intricacies and tone-defying appeal of South Korean cinema. While Bong Joon-ho is arguably the countrys most well-known and celebrated director today, another man must at least share credit with Director Bong for popularizing South Korean cinema in the West Park Chan-wook.

Much of what we associate with South Korean cinema can be traced back to the American audiences embrace of both Bong and Parks works the dark humor, the intricate lacing of absurdism with abject violence, the heavy hand of sociopolitical commentary undergirding every plot point and sumptuously-framed image. Contemporaries in the early 21st-century Korean cinema scene, both Bong and Park had huge crossover hits championed by folks like previous Filmmaker of the Month recipients Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee. But before Bong could achieve cult status in America with his 2005 monster movie The Host, its arguably Parks Vengeance Trilogy Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance that put South Korea on the map for international audiences.

Despite their grindhouse notoriety, especially in the earlier parts of Parks career, his films are shockingly meditative, often musing on subjects as grisly as revenge, fate, and the specter of violence. He doesnt shy away from that violence, either: Oldboy is arguably his blood-soaked magnum opus, lingering on sliced-off tongues or claw hammers to the head with exploitation-movie levels of glee. And yet, with his painterly compositions and intriguing command of tone, even the bloodiest of his works feel like prayers massacres as pleas for humanity from people driven to the edges of their will. There are plenty of squib-heavy Korean action movies out there, but Parks thrillers feel more intriguingly messy than that. Images like Oldboys protagonist, Oh Dae-su, chomping greedily on a live octopus only hammer home (eh?) the notion that Parks protagonists all yearn for some kind of visceral connection to life. For the vampires of Thirst and the young sociopath at the center of Stoker, this disconnect from humanity is even more visible.

Its not all blood and guts, though; there are surreal rom-coms like Im a Cyborg But Thats OK, lush, queer period romantic thrillers (The Handmaiden), English-language debuts filled with southern Gothic energy (Stoker), and more, all contributing to Parks consistent work to live up to, and sometimes defy, his reputation. Over the course of the month, well explore the lions share of Parks ten films (and one television series) to date, and try to crack the code on the surprising connections between the tenderness and terror of a Park Chan-wook film.

Clint Worthington is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Spool, as well as one of the founders of the website/podcast Alcohollywood in 2011. He is also a Senior Writer at Consequence of Sound, as well as the co-host/producer of Travolta/Cage. You can also find his freelance work at IndieWire, UPROXX, Syfy Wire, The Takeout, and Crooked Marquee.

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Augusts Filmmaker of the Month: Park Chan-wook - The Spool