In terms of popularity in the West, Park Chan-wook (director of OLD BOY) is still probably the most well-known Korean director. But Bong Joon-ho is quickly gaining ground. His most recent film, MOTHER, which opened here last May and is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD (see review here), has received that rarity of rarities for foreign films: a (limited) North American theatrical release. Bong has also been touring with the film, giving introductions and Q & A sessions to enhance the understanding of his work. Part of Bong’s popularity is due to the fact that he likes to use familiar genres and provide his own revisions. This is certainly true of his three major works thus far: MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003), THE HOST (2006) and now MOTHER. But Bong’s directorial debut, BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE (aka A HIGHER ANIMAL), is a much different film, with no real genre affinity. As a result, it is his least well-known and available title. While not as rich as his later films, it is still an accomplished first attempt.

Even though BARKING DOGS does not belong to any genre, it does have some similarities to Bong’s later films. It is still intimately concerned with the whole idea of storytelling and its importance to how people construct their reality. The story alternates between two lead characters, who do not meet until the final act. It begins with Yoon-ju, who has recently completed his PhD but is still not a professor at his university, and he is discussing whether or not he needs to bribe the dean. However, he gets sidetracked by his annoyance with a dog barking in his apartment complex, leading him to become almost a serial dog killer (he kills one and is basically responsible for the death of another). He also has to deal with his pregnant wife, who, comically, later gets a dog for herself. The other main character is Hyun-nam, an eccentric young woman who works in the apartment building office. She witnesses from afar one of the dog murders and befriends an old woman whose dog was killed. After seeing a report of a woman foiling a robbery attempt at a bank, she begins to fantasize about capturing the dog killer herself. Bong also includes a scene in which the apartment janitor (who is interested in the dead dogs for food) tells a ghost story about the construction of the apartment building back in 1988.

By including these reflexive stories within his tale, Bong is acknowledging the social function that all fictions perform. However, I think the genre revision of his later movies works better in this regard. The black comedy of Bong gives way in this film to something closer to farce. The first half balances the absurd and dark comic tone with more serious drama, but by the conclusion it tips to the side of burlesque and irrelevance.

As filmmaking, Bong’s deft mixture of realism and slick craftsmanship is already on display. There are a number of long take shots that use either lens distortion or camera movement to redefine the audience’s relationship with the characters.

It is already evident that Bong has an ability to create arresting images and shot compositions, and the cinematography of the film is strong throughout. But, like the story itself, it ends up being impressive and slick but not as deep as its opening half would suggest. The best moments of the film’s second half are actually the otherwise under-developed story of Hyun-nam and her best friend, who works at the store in the same apartment building. There is a slight hint of a romantic relationship here, but it is never really explored. It is telling, however, and I would say refreshing, that many of the more emotional moments occur between the two, and that it ends with them walking together in the woods.

Unfortunately, that potentially much more interesting story takes a backseat to the less intriguing although more colorful concern over the killing and eating of dogs. Needless to say, given the typical sensitivity many Koreans have towards the whole dog eating issue, this aspect of the movie has also not helped its marketability either in Korea or overseas. But, given the greater success and profile that Bong is beginning to accumulate, the film will hopefully become more visible in the future.

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