Bong Joon Ho’s Favorite Movies: 47 Films to See

“Hanyo” (dir. Kim Ki-young, 1960)

Casting his ballot in Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time poll for 2022, Bong highlighted Kim Ki-young’s 1960 “Hanyo,” also known as “The Housemaid.” The legendary South Korean psychological melodrama and horror centers on the arrival of a seductive woman at a quaint home who subsequenty destroys the family that lives there. It’s an obvious inspiration for Bong’s “Parasite,” and has been remade multiple times — most recently by director Im Sang-soo in 2010 starring “Squid Game” Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae.

“Rocco and His Brothers” (dir. Luchino Visconti, 1960)

Another 1960 film on Bong’s 2022 Sight and Sound ballot is Luchino Visconti’s “Rocco and His Brothers.” Set in Milan, the Italian drama charts the disillusion of a family in the wake of its patriach’s death. Five brothers and their mother adjust to city life outside of their rural home in a tragic melodrama that soon involves a deadly love triangle. 

“Psycho” (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

Every director has at least one Hitchcock movie on his or list of the best films ever made. For Bong, the Hitchcock movie that stands above the rest is “Psycho.” The 1960 psychological horror movie is included on Bong’s Sight and Sound poll and it was one of the movies Bong watched before filming “Parasite” for inspiration. “He always gives me very strange inspiration,” Bong told Vanity Fair about Hitchcock. “I rewatched ‘Psycho’ because the Bates house, not the motel, it had a very interesting structure.”

Bong also included this title on his 2022 Sight and Sound ballot.

“Vengeance Is Mine” (dir. Shohei Imamura, 1979)

Shohei Imamura’s 1979 serial killer drama “Vengeance Is Mine” stars Iwao Enokizu as real-life murderer Akira Nishiguchi, who made headlines for killing two people while also committing fraud. Bong listed “Vengeance Is Mine” as one of the best films ever made. The movie won the Best Picture honor at the Japanese Academy Awards, while Enokizu’s performance nabbed Best Actor honors at the Yokohama Film Festival.

Bong also included this title on his 2022 Sight and Sound ballot.

“Raging Bull” (dir. Martin Scorsese, 1980)

Bong won Best Director for “Parasite” the same year Martin Scorsese was nominated for “The Irishman.” Scorsese just so happens to be one of Bong’s favorite directors and “Raging Bull” is listed as one of the greatest films ever made on Bong’s Sight and Sound poll. Bong told TIFF in 2019 that “Raging Bull” is one of three Scorsese masterworks along with “After Hours” and “Goodfellas.”

“Many people can say in the movie there is amazing camerawork, editing, and beautiful black-and-white cinematography, but for me it is a very unique portrait of one man,” Bong said of “Raging Bull.” “From one perspective, he’s a disgusting person. He’s contradictory and problematic. It’s a portrait of human complexities and weakness. I think it’s the most honest portrayal of the conflicts and complexities of one man.”

Bong also included this title on his 2022 Sight and Sound ballot.

“A City of Sadness” (dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien, 1989)

Bong Joon Ho contributed his list of the 10 best films ever made for the 2012 Sight and Sound poll and included Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 1989 historical drama “A City of Sadness.” The film follows the hardships a Taiwanese family endures during the White Terror, in which China’s Kuomintang government arrived in the country and imprisoned and/or murdered thousands of people. “A City of Sadness” made history as the first Taiwanese film to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Bong also included this title on his 2022 Sight and Sound ballot.

“Happy as Lazzaro” (dir. Alice Rohrwacher, 2018)

In naming 20 directors who will shape the future of cinema, Bong selected Italian film director, editor, and screenwriter Alice Rohrwacher. The filmmaker made her feature directorial debut with 2011’s “Heavenly Boy,” but it was her 2014 drama “The Wonders” that served as her filmmaking breakthrough. “The Wonders” won the Grand Prix at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Rohrwacher’s third narrative feature is “Happy as Lazzaro,” winner of the Best Screenplay prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Bong told Sight and Sound magazine that “Happy as Lazzaro” is “an astonishing cinematic miracle.” 

Bong also included this title on his 2022 Sight and Sound ballot.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” (dir. George Miller, 2015)

“Mad Max: Fury Road” might get all the attention when talking about George Miller’s action franchise, but Bong Joon Ho has a special place in his heart for the series’ second installment, 1981’s “The Road Warrior.” Bong said in 2019 in a video interview with Variety, “I am a crazy fan of the film. I have watched it more than 20 times. ‘Fury Road’ is also amazing. I cried watching that movie when the cars are swept up into the sandstorm and the music escalates, I felt like my soul was escalating too and tears just came out of my eyes. It’s a film you just watch without saying anything. It’s a master at work.

Bong also included this title on his 2022 Sight and Sound ballot.

“Zodiac” (dir. David Fincher, 2007)

Many critics refer to Bong Joon Ho’s “Memories of Murder” as the director’s “Zodiac,” referring to David Fincher’s crime masterpiece, but “Murder” was released four years before Fincher’s movie. Regardless, Bong believes “Zodiac” is one of the greatest films of all time. Speaking to Birth.Movies.Death in 2020, Bong said of Fincher’s movie, “It has a slow tempo and a very realistic mood. I’m amazed at how Fincher can control the pace of his films so well, which creates a sense of suspense in serene fashion. You experience a sense of anxiety but also suspense with sensitivity and stillness.”

Bong also included this title on his 2022 Sight and Sound ballot.

“Cure” (dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1997)

Bong listed Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 1997 crime drama “Cure” as one of the best movies ever made on his 2012 Sight and Sound poll, saying it was one of the films that had the “biggest impact” on his career as a director. Kurosawa’s script centers around a detective investigating a series of mysterious and violent murders in which the killers all have no memory of the gruesome acts they’ve committed. “There’s a sense of horror that trickles down your spine while watching it,” Bong told Birth.Movies.Death. in 2019 about the film. “Cure” opened in Japan in 1997, six years before Bong would release his own crime masterpiece “Memories of Murder.”

Bong also included this title on his 2022 Sight and Sound ballot.

“Do The Right Thing” (dir. Spike Lee, 1989)

When the #StopAsianHate movement took over the national conversation in April 2021, following a rise in hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans, Bong called on his fellow filmmakers to create art that meets the moment and singled out Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing” as an example of the kind of art he wants to see. 

“I think creators and filmmakers can be bolder with dealing with issues and they shouldn’t be afraid to confront them,” Bong said during a masterclass with Chapman’s Dodge College. “‘Do The Right Thing’ came out in 1989; it was three years before the LA Riots but almost predicted the riots were going to happen. I think that’s the role creators and artists can play, not necessarily to predict what will happen in society, but to use your insight to portray the issues that are currently boiling underneath the surface of society that can explode later on.” 

“Pulp Fiction” (dir. Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

The 2020 Academy Awards were a full circle moment for Bong, as he landed in the Best Director race opposite two of his favorite filmmakers: Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. When Bong won the Oscar, he thanked Tarantino for always mentioning his movies on lists and in interviews as Tarantino’s love for Bong films helped raise Bong’s profile considerably in the United States. Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” was one of the more essential films Bong fell in love with during film school

“The film school that I went to, in the same building as my classroom, there was a screening room,” Bong told Collider. “I would open the door for my lecture hall, and go straight to the screening room and watch films. ‘Pulp Fiction’ was playing there, and I remember being so shocked at just the incredible screenplay of that film. These days, I’ve been running into (Quentin) Tarantino very often, at all of these awards ceremonies, so I’m very happy.”

“Asako I & II” (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2018)

Alongside other selections such as Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and the Safdie Brothers’ “Uncut Gems,” Bong Joon Ho told Variety’s “Big Ticket” podcast that Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Asako I & II” was one of the best films of 2019. Bong loved the movie so much that he included Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi on his list of the 20 directors most integral to the future of cinema. “Asako I & II” world premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and centers around a woman who falls in love with two men who look almost identical. At Japan’s Yokohama Film Festival, “Asako I & II” swept the awards with six wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Masahiro Higashide.

“Aguirre: The Wrath Of God” (dir. Werner Herzog, 1972)

Like many filmmakers, Bong cites Werner Herzog as a filmmaker who shaped his cinematic outlook as a college film student. Herzog’s 1972 historical epic “Aguirre: The Wrath Of God” is one of Bong’s favorites, and Bong got to meet Herzog when the “Parasite” festival tour took him and his star Song Kang-ho to the Telluride Film Festival.  

“When Song and I went to Telluride, we had the opportunity to meet Herzog, and he actually saw the film at its North American premiere,” Bong told AV Club. “He had such great things to say, and it was a great honor to be able to talk to him. When I was in college studying film, I remember just being incredibly — I admired him a lot, and his films like ‘Aguirre: The Wrath Of God.’”

“The 400 Blows” (dir. Francois Truffaut, 1959)

Bong Joon Ho told The Criterion Collection that Francois Truffaut’s 1959 French New Wave classic is “the most beautiful feature film debut in the history of cinema.” The coming-of-age drama stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, a rebellious young Parisian boy who clashes against the rules placed upon him by his parents and school teachers. “The 400 Blows” is commonly referred to as one of the greatest films ever made and is also included on Martin Scorsese’s list of his favorite films.

“The Ballad of Narayama” (dir. Keisuke Kinoshita, 1958)

Bong placed Keisuke Kinoshita’s 1958 Japanese period drama “The Ballad of Narayama” on his Criterion Top 10, praising the director’s “bold colors” for making an impact on him. The Criterion synopsis reads: “Set in a remote mountain village where food is scarce and tradition dictates that citizens who have reached their 70th year must be carried to the summit of Mount Narayama and left there to die, the film follows Orin (Kinuyo Tanaka), a dignified and dutiful woman who spends her dwindling days securing the happiness of her loyal widowed son with a respectable new wife.”

“Being John Malkovich” (dir. Spike Jonze, 1999)

Bong Joon Ho told Criterion the joy of Spike Jonze’s “Being John Malkovich” is that it provides the chance “to go inside his head and explore the corners of his mind.” The 1999 comedy-drama marked the feature film debuts of Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. John Cusack stars as a failed puppeteer whose career and romantic fortunes are thrown into a whirlwind after he discovers a portal that gives him the ability to inhabit the actor John Malkovich’s mind. Jonze and Kaufman landed Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, while Catherine Keener was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

“Fanny and Alexander” (dir. Ingmar Bergman, 1982)

“The most beautiful ending to a feature film career in the history of cinema,” Bong Joon Ho once told The Criterion Collection about Ingmar Bergman’s 1982 historical drama “Fanny and Alexander.” The period movie earned Bergman an Oscar nomination for Best Director, one of six Oscars the film competed for at the 56th Academy Awards. “Fanny and Alexander” won the Best Foreign Language Film prize, along with Oscars for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Cinematography.

“Deliverance” (dir. John Boorman, 1972)

When New York City’s Film at Lincoln Center celebrated Bong Joon Ho with a complete retrospective of his work through “Parasite” (appropriately titled The Bong Show), they also allowed the filmmaker to curate his own selection of retrospective screenings. Included in the program was “Deliverance,” John Boorman’s 1972 thriller about four male friends who set on a canoe trip through Georgia only to experience unplanned horrors.

“Fargo” (dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen, 1996)

Some critics compared the dark comedic edge of “Parasite” to the films of Joel and Ethan Coen, which was most likely intentional on Bong’s part because of how much he adores the filmmaking duo. Bong included “Fargo” on his Sight and Sound poll of the 10 greatest films of all time. “Fargo” was a critical and commercial sensation in 1996, grossing $60 million worldwide on a $7 million budget and earning seven Academy Awards. The movie won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actress for Frances McDormand, and Best Original Screenplay.

“The Great Escape” (dir. John Sturges, 1963)

Bong told Vanity Fair that John Sturges’ “The Great Escape” was a childhood favorite of his and that he has a dream one day to direct a big action movie in the same vein. “The Great Escape” featured Steve McQueen in one of his most recognizable roles. Bong said, “I remember having cold sweats all over my body while watching it. It’s a story about someone escaping the prison camps during World War II, but there’s a strange sense of romance in that film, and I would love to do something like that.”

“The Housemaid” (dir. Kim Ki-young, 1960)

Given how much Bong Joon Ho spoke about “Parasite” being influenced by Kim Ki-young’s 1960 South Korean drama “The Housemaid,” it’s not too surprising to see the director included the movie on his Sight and Sound list of the greatest films ever made. Like “Parasite,” “The Housemaid” is almost entirely set in a house and deals with a house worker trying to dismantle the upper class family she works for. “It’s a crime melodrama inspired by an actual event Kim read in a newspaper,” Bong once told Criterion. “It’s a crime melodrama that deals with women’s sexual desires and Korean society at the time and the changing social classes. It does a great job depicting that.”

“Intensions of Murder” (dir. Shohei Imamura, 1964)

Shohei Imamura’s 1964 psychological drama stars Masumi Harukawa as Sadako, a housewife who is assaulted by a burglar and must reconcile her desires to give in to his subsequent advances or take revenge and murder him. Bong hand-selected the film to screen at his New York City retrospective. Shohei Imamura is a personal favorite director of Bong Joon Ho’s. Imamura would go on remake another of Bong’s favorite movies, “The Ballad of Narayama,” in 1983. Imamura’s “Narayama” won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The director would win the Palme again in 1997 with “The Eel,” making him the only director from Japan to earn Cannes’ biggest honor twice.

“Io Island” (dir. Kim Ki-young, 1997)

Kim Ki-young might just be Bong Joon Ho’s favorite director of all time. Bong selected Kim’s 1997 drama “Io Island” to screen during Film at Lincoln Center’s retrospective of his work. The film is a murder mystery that centers around a businessman who is accused of killing a man from the eponymous island. After he is acquitted of the crime, the businessman ventures to Io Island himself to uncover the truth about the victim’s disappearance. After winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes with “Parasite,” Bong said he’d like to raise the profile of South Korean films around the world by showing retrospectives of films like the ones made by Kim Ki-young.

“Life Is Sweet” (dir. Mike Leigh, 1992)

“The actors and characters in Mike Leigh’s films are always shockingly vivid and alive,” Bong Joon Ho told The Criterion Collection while selecting “Life Is Sweet” for his Criterion Top 10. Leigh’s third feature, “Life Is Sweet” was named the best film of 1992 by the National Society of Film Critics. The film takes place over a few weeks one summer as a working-class family living in the suburbs just north of London struggle their way through tragicomic encounters. Alison Steadman and Jim Broadbent play the parents, while Claire Skinner and Jane Horrocks star as the couple’s polar opposite twin daughters. Horrocks was awarded a Best Supporting Actress prize from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

“Lola Montes” (dir. Max Ophlus, 1955)

When asked to give an explanation for putting “Lola Montes” on his Criterion Collection Top 10, Bong Joon Ho bluntly stated, “It’s Max Ophüls!” The German filmmaker’s 1955 historical romance (his final film, no less) was the most expensive European production ever at the time of release and infamously flopped at the box office. Martine Carol stars as the notorious courtesan and showgirl, whose life is retold through the stories of an American circus ringmaster (Peter Ustinov) who worked with her.

“The Man Who Fell to Earth” (dir. Nicolas Roeg, 1976)

In adding “The Man Who Fell to Earth” to his Criterion Collection Top 10, Bong Joon Ho said, “Nicolas Roeg’s films never cease to be fresh and youthful.” Roeg’s 1976 science-fiction movie famously stars David Bowie as a humanoid alien who comes to Earth on a mission to take water back to his home planet. “The Man Who Fell to Earth” marked Bowie’s first leading acting role. While not a critical sensation at the time of release, “The Man Who Fell to Earth” has since become one of Roeg’s most widely known and beloved movies.

“Midsommar” (dir. Ari Aster, 2019)

Bong Joon Ho is one of the biggest fans of Ari Aster. The “Parasite” director told IndieWire at the end of 2019 that “Midsommar” was one of the best films of the year, and he later placed Aster on his Sight and Sound list of the directors most vital to the future of cinema “I met Ari Aster once in New York,” Bong told the magazine. “He’s a unique guy. I love his talent.”

“Hereditary” (dir. Ari Aster, 2018)

Bong also wrote the introduction to A24’s official screenplay book for Aster’s feature directorial debut “Midsommar,” writing, “In ‘Hereditary,’ Ari Aster goes beyond the trappings of genre and delivers true, profound horror. A horror that is primal and inescapable. In order to survive this overwhelming horror, we cast a spell on ourselves. We hope that the gruesome moments we witnessed will eventually settle into a ‘neutral view of the accident,’ like an innocuous tableau made up of adorable miniature figures.”

“Nashville” (dir. Robert Altman, 1975)

“There have been many ‘tapestry films,’ including Altman’s own ‘Short Cuts’ and Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Magnolia,’” Bong Joon Ho told The Criterion Collection, “But I believe ‘Nashville’ will always be the best in the class.” Altman’s 1975 movie “Nashville” features one of his most memorable and sprawling ensemble casts, including Ned Beatty, Keith Carradine, Lily Tomlin, Jeff Goldblum, Scott Glenn, Karen Black, and Geraldine Chaplin. The script follows 24 characters involved in the country music and gospel scene in the lead up to a concert for a third-party candidate for President.

“Rushmore” (dir. Wes Anderson, 1998)

“Wes Anderson’s films are delightfully strange and endearing,” Bong Joon Ho told The Criterion Collection when putting “Rushmore” on his Top 10 list. Anderson’s 1998 coming-of-age comedy stars Jason Schwartzman as ambitious high school student Max Fischer and Bill Murray as the wealthy industrialist Herman Blume, both of which are in love with elementary school teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams). “Rushmore” marked Schwartzman’s acting debut and the first of many collaborations between Anderson and Murray, who received Indie Spirit Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor.

“Seconds” (dir. John Frankenheimer, 1966)

John Frankenheimer’s “Seconds” was hand-picked by Bong Joon Ho to screen at a retrospective series of his favorite films at New York City’s Film at Lincoln Center. The 1966 science-fiction drama competed at the Cannes Film Festival and earned DP James Wong Howe an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. John Randolph stars as Arthur Hamilton, an unhappy middle-aged man who agrees to an offer from a mysterious company that promises to fake his death and allow him the chance to have a fresh start with a new identity. The procedure works as Hamilton wakes up in a new body (now played by Rock Hudson), but it has unexpected consequences.

“The Thing” (dir. John Carpenter, 1982)

While curating a series of favorite movies during Film at Lincoln Center’s retrospective of his career, Bong Joon Ho selected John Carpenter’s “Thing” to screen. Carpenter’s 1982 science-fiction movie is widely considered one of the best body horror films ever made. The project is based on John W. Campbell Jr.’s 1938 novella, which had been previously made into 1951’s “The Thing from Another World.” Carpenter’s adaptation is remembered far more fondly. Kurt Russell stars as a helicopter pilot battling a parasitic life-form in Antarctica that imitates other organisms.

“Things to Come” (dir. William Cameron Menzies, 1936)

Bong Joon Ho told Criterion that H.G. Welles’ science-fiction novels “thoroughly excited” him in his childhood, thus Welles’ script for William Cameron Menzies’s 1936 movie “Things to Come” made it an easy selection for his Criterion Top 10. Welles wrote the script by reworking his own story, 1933’s “The Shape of Things to Come.” Welles’ ambitious script spans decades and tracks the aftermath of a World War as businessman John Cabal attempts to rebuild civilization through time travel.

“Touch of Evil” (dir. Orson Welles, 1958)

Orson Welles’ 1958 noir “Touch of Evil” is listed on Bong’s Sight and Sound poll of the greatest movies of all time. Welles stars in the film opposite Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh in the story of murder and kidnapping terrorizing a U.S.-Mexico border town. Bong told Vanity Fair in 2021 that one of his dream projects to make in America is “a moody noir in the vein of Orson Welles’s ‘Touch of Evil,’ set along the U.S. border with Mexico.”

“Uncut Gems” (dirs. Josh and Benny Safdie, 2019)

When speaking to IndieWire about his favorite films of 2019, Bong listed “Uncut Gems” among the year’s cinematic highlights. The Josh and Benny Safdie-directed drama stars Adam Sandler as a self-destructive gambing addict trying to claw his way out of escalating debt. Bong was one of the biggest champions of “Uncut Gems” throughout awards season, praising the film’s “energetic style” in a Reddit AMA where he also revealed, “I would love to work with Adam Sandler if the opportunity comes. I really loved him in ‘Punch-Drunk Love,’ ‘The Meyerowitz Stories,’ and ‘Uncut Gems.’”

“The Wages of Fear” (dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953)

Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 thriller “The Wages of Fear” is one of 10 films Bong Joon Ho included on his list of the greatest films ever made. The movie follows four European men tasked with driving trucks over dangerous terrain to put out a massive fire burning down a South American oil well. “The Wages of Fear” became the rare movie to win both the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Speaking to Collider in 2019, Bong said “The Wages of Fear” was one of two movies that inspired him to become a director. As the filmmaker explained, “When I was nine, I watched ‘Psycho,’ and watched ‘The Wages of Fear’ by Henri-Georges Clouzot. I wanted to become someone behind the camera, ever since then.”

“Wendy and Lucy” (dir. Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

Looking for a perfect movie opening? Bong Joon Ho says look no further than Kelly Reichardt’s 2008 drama “Wendy and Lucy.” The director told Vanity Fair the opening tracking shot that follows Michelle Williams’ Wendy and her dog is “one of the most beautiful opening scenes in the history of the movies.” Bong is also a fan of Reichardt’s most recent directorial effort, “First Cow.” The A24-backed indie world premiered at Telluride 2019 and Bong listed it as one of his favorite films of the year. A24 is opening “First Cow” in theaters March 6.

“Flee” (dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021)

Bong Joon Ho has never been one to limit himself to one genre, so it’s hardly surprising that he embraced this animated documentary. The Oscar-nominated film from director Jonas Poher Rasmussen tells the story of an Afghan refugee living in Denmark who has to recount his story of fleeing Afghanistan as a child before he gets married. Bong included “Flee” on his list of his favorite movies of 2021 in the print edition of South Korean film magazine FILO.

“Drive My Car” (dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021)

Another one of Bong Joon Ho’s favorite films of 2021 was this Haruki Murakami adaptation from Ryûsuke Hamaguchi. The film, which runs nearly three hours, tells the story of a theatre director who grieves his wife’s death while working on a production of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” in Hiroshima. Murakami has long been viewed as one of the most difficult fiction authors to adapt, but the film received four Oscar nominations for pulling it off. 

“Don’t Look Up” (dir. Adam McKay, 2021)

“Don’t Look Up” was one of the most polarizing films of the year. Depending on who you ask, it’s either a fun and timely satire or a self-congratulatory waste of talent that suffers from mixed metaphors. However, the star-studded film, which lampoons the American political and media ecosystems’ botched attempts to stop a meteor from hitting the Earth, was a ratings juggernaut for Netflix and briefly dominated film discourse. Bong Joon Ho counts himself among the movie’s supporters, citing it as one of his favorite films of 2021. 

“Sorry We Missed You” (dir. Ken Loach, 2019)

Ken Loach has carved out a niche for himself as one of the top chroniclers of poverty in England. His filmography is dominated by left-leaning social realism, often focusing on the people left behind by holes in England’s sprawling welfare state. “Sorry We Missed You” is no exception, following a lower class British family who attempts to improve their financial situation (to no avail) through work in the gig economy. The film was released in 2019, but Bong Joon Ho included it on a list of his favorite movies he watched in 2021.

“Happening” (dir. Audrey Diwan, 2021)

Bong Joon Ho has never been shy about his love of Audrey Diwan’s film “Happening.” The jury at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, which Bong presided over, gave it the festival’s top prize. But the “Parasite” director didn’t stop there, as he also included it on his end-of-year list of favorite movies. The story of a young woman seeking an abortion in 1960s France was only the second film directed by Audrey Diwan, suggesting she has an impressive career ahead of her.

“The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (dir. Mike Rianda, 2021)

When Bong Joon Ho revealed his favorite movies he watched in 2021, there were some usual suspects on the list. Oscar nominees like “Drive My Car” and “Don’t Look Up” were hardly shocking, and he had already awarded “Happening” the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. But “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” was an unexpected choice. Netflix’s animated comedy, executive-produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, came and went without much of a splash in 2021. But the movie about a family whose road trip is interrupted by a robot apocalypse is a poignant story about the limits of technology, and it scored an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.

“Sundown” (dir. Michel Franco, 2021)

After chairing the jury at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, it’s no surprise that Bong Joon Ho cited several of the films among his favorites of 2021. Michel Franco’s “Sundown” was nominated for the Golden Lion at the festival, and although it did not win, it clearly left an impression on the South Korean auteur. The film tells the story of a wealthy family whose vacation is disrupted by the death of the patriarch’s mother, causing long-simmering family tensions to rise to the surface. 

“Happy Hour” (dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2015)

It took Bong Joon Ho six years to get around to watching “Happy Hour,” Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s drama about four middle-aged women in Kobe, Japan who question their relationships when one of them announces her divorce. The film was released in 2015, yet Bong listed it as one of his favorite movies that he watched in 2021. But with a running time of nearly five and a half hours, it’s hard to blame Bong for procrastinating. That said, the epic film more than earns its length. It sits alongside “Drive My Car” in the top tier of Hamaguchi’s filmography.

“Sewing Sisters” (dirs. Jung-young Kim and Lee Hyuk-rae, 2020)

Bong Joon Ho recently revealed that he is a fan of this 2020 documentary from Lee Hyuk-rae and Jung-young Kim, who made her directorial debut on the project. “Sewing Sisters” follows three women who spent their lives working in the South Korean textile industry and their ongoing fight for better working conditions. The film impressed Bong, who had nothing but praise for the documentary. “I think the film carefully unravels stories of each and every person in the labor history of Korea that are intertwined like a tangled thread, rather than explained in a grandiose style,” he said. “It was a fun, moving and caring movie for me”