Papers by Angeliki Katsarou
In the summer of 2015, the blockbuster crime film Veteran (Beterang, Ryoo Seung-wan) was released... more In the summer of 2015, the blockbuster crime film Veteran (Beterang, Ryoo Seung-wan) was released on the screens of South Korea, becoming the biggest box office success for that year and the third most successful Korean film ever. One of the most prominent elements of the film's identity was its caustic critique of some essential institutions of South Korean society, especially the law enforcement system and the powerful conglomerates. Veteran merges its political and social commentary with striking action film aesthetics, not neglecting to give depth to the former for the sake of reinforcing its generic identity as a blockbuster movie. This paper addresses the significance that a mainstream film such as Veteran attains when mediating topical matters of social relevance. Corruption, social injustice, mistreatment, and nepotism are negotiated on the silver screen as they become so omnipresent that they eventually find their way into otherwise traditionally entertainment-oriented venues. This phenomenon suggests that discussing widespread illegal and socially unsettling conduct is now more urgent than ever in the scandal-stricken modern Korea. The cinema, through its wide access to the public, serves as a conveyor of politically significant messages that dynamically interact with and ultimately influence the spectators' collective memory.
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Papers by Angeliki Katsarou