Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)

No animals were killed in the making of this movie.

Advertised as a psychological drama, where the absurdity of the male lead's kidnapping of the dog sets an uneasy dark comedic stage for the audience. There is more to this film than just that misleading tag and description. It's no wonder this film finds fans, or criticism. Rarely, anything in between. Watching it can be unsettling. The reality being, it is more of a low key and subtle horror film.

The director & screen writer Bong Joon Ho has set the watcher up for a deeper experience than presumed. Every conversation and visual in this film is not wasted. Each moment is calculated to take the characters and audience one step closer to heaven, or hell. The ending is poignant, proving the karma earned was real. Do I recommend it? Yes. Be advised - Watch it with the horror tag in mind, it could help in your enjoyment of this film.

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"Conscience is the dog that can't bite, but never stops barking." -Unknown

I absolutely loved Parasite so the next step for me was to go to the start of Bong Joon-ho's filmography. While I can't say that 'Flandersui Gae' is as clear and polished of a gem as Parasite, it definitely feels like a spiritual precursor- not least because of the dark humor, tonal shifts and class/poverty centred themes. Seeing the basement dwelling hobo, privileged little dogs and fumigation, I wondered whether director Bong was conscientiously building on this film as he shot his Palme D'or/ Academy Award winning flick almost twenty years later.

For a film that depicts taboo practices, 'Flandersui Gae' is surprisingly charming and droll, and while it takes pleasure in dispensing of its small and fluffy friends it makes sure to make you feel guilty for feeling the same way afterwards. The notion that actions have consequences, while not a central idea, is something that is dwelled upon.
While focusing on an unemployed lecturer and a bored book-keeper, it expands to capture the lives of those living in the central apartment complex. With the exception of the hobo, none of them are desperately poor. They can afford to buy groceries, to get drunk out of their minds, to keep pets despite the apartment's rules. But they are effectively prisoners of their mediocre social situations, sentenced indefinitely to a boring future. They seem to represent a demographic of Korean society that has hit a dead end in life- a dead end that can only be broken through via a pipe dream or moral transgression. Their aimlessness, opportunism and crushed hope are depicted empathetically by director Bong. After all, he had once stood in their shoes, having lived in that same apartment complex prior to directing. Considering this, I personally think that Yun-Ju is driven to murderous intent because the incessant barking reminds him of his mediocre standing in life. Its as if the pampered dogs are taunting the laid-off academic who, even within his prison of an apartment, is emasculated and controlled by his demanding wife. While he and Hyun-nam have dreams of their own, these aspirations are silenced by their social situations. Only at the film's end, when he resorts to bribery and she is fired from her job, do they catch a break from their servitude.

'Flandersui Gae' is one of those films that is more on the implicit side, a given due to a number of dialogue-absent scenes and some slightly overlong tangents. Nonetheless, it is intriguing and thought-provoking, and I think that it will get even better on a second watch. The performances are naturalistic and the jazzy soundtrack is low-key but pleasant. If you liked Parasite I would strongly advise you to check this out.

Fun fact, the Korean title denotes this film in part as a satirical reaction to the English children's tragedy 'A dog of Flanders'. For some perverse reason, this story is intensely popular in Korea and Japan (especially amongst kids), where it has spawned numerous adaptations. While this story affirms that dogs are indeed man's best friend, director Bong evidently thinks otherwise.

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"Nobody in this country follows the rules"

Barking Dogs Never Bite was a dark comedy that darkly commented on social inequalities and inadequacies. While director Bong Joon Ho cast his view on numerous topics, the result was rough and flat instead of subtle and biting. More of a scattershot approach than guided missile.

Yoon Joo hears once again why he has been passed over for making professor, made worse by the barking of a dog in the background. He thinks he’s tracked down the culprit, grabs it, and ultimately locks it in a wardrobe in the basement. Hyun Nam works in the building and helps a little girl put up signs for the missing pup. At this point different characters become involved with the four-legged dwellers in the crowded apartment building, most of which have ulterior motives for the pets.

Though the movie clearly stated no animals were harmed during filming, there was some rough treatment. Dog lovers may have trouble with a few of these scenes. The antipathy Yoon Joo felt toward the pampered animals and their doting owners turned out to be more than what he observed. He thought his life was tougher than others, but as it became apparent, his actions led to agonizing pain for the pet owners with devastating consequences for one.

Billed as a dark comedy, I only found two scenes funny and both involved the talented Bae Doo Na. This story played out like a sinister slice of life with few repercussions for bad behavior. Hyun Nam’s unending search for affirmation had its own strange results. I thoroughly enjoyed the close friendship between her and Jang Mi, the complete antithesis of Yoon Joo’s toxic marriage.

The laundry list of social grievances were thrown out on the screen continuously. Suffice to say, the director had complaints he wanted to get off his chest. Class distinctions. People don’t follow the rules. People embezzle money and make shoddy, dangerous buildings. Pregnant employees are treated terribly. School deans have to be bribed for job openings. Humanities professors make the worst husbands. Women with children are vulnerable when husbands leave. For a homeless person being arrested is a blessing because at least there are regular meals. Some drinking culture situations turn deadly. Gender inequalities. Abusive, loveless relationships. Dangerous pesticides thickly sprayed in the air. Exit doors and stairwells blocked by junk creating hazardous situations. People supplementing their diets with dead pets. People fired for caring too much about others. At least later in his career, Bong would grab a singular social criticism by the neck and devour it with satire and venom.

Fans of Bong Joon Ho will most likely see deeper into this film than I did and enjoy it more. I wouldn’t want to deter anyone from trying this film by the famed director. What it boiled down to was Yoon Joo and Hyun Nam were unhappy with their situations and unsure how to make things better or even if they could, given the employment climate and chose inverse approaches. Yoon Joo took the villain role and went to the dark side. Hyun Nam desired to be a hero and though her results weren’t glorious, she and her friend chose to live in the light come what may. The majority of other characters resided somewhere in the gray areas, just trying to make it through their days.

13 May 2024

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umm , this movie is different
it has a very unique story
it's not about love of dogs or hating them but it's about dogs as other creatures , you can feel it mixing stories of people life and dogs contributing into it
it's about desparate people and how can they turn into saviors or depressors
so I like the main plot
I like the main female character , she's cute in her own way
it's just getting quite slow and poring at some points and gives the feeling that it could have done better than this ,that's why I give it a 6.
but it's watchable after all.
so if you have free time and high spirited and need a slow movie with unique thoughts .. this is for you.

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I watched this film after falling in love with Parasite and I have to say although it doesn't compare to Parasite it's still a great film in it's own right and in many ways feels like a spiritual precursor to Parasite, the humor is very similar and the general feel of the film is very similar.

As a whole the plot of this movie is very Parasite-esque as Barking Dogs Don't Bite also has themes of class and a very similar dark subject matter, however Barking Dogs Don't Bite is without a doubt the weaker of the two films in terms of plot, it's plot is much slower and generally less interesting, though it's still okay in it's own right it feels secondary to the characters and comedy, which are both very good

So all in all I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Parasite but it's certainly not the best film ever made

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