Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)

An idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action.

Director:

Bong Joon Ho

Writers:

Bong Joon Ho, Ji-ho Song

Stars:

Bae Doona, Sung-Jae Lee, Ho-jung Kim

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sung-Jae Lee	...	Yun-ju
Bae Doona	...	Hyun-nam
Ho-jung Kim	...	Eun-sil
Byun Hee-Bong	...	Janitor (as Hie-bong Byeon)
Su-hee Go	...	Jang-mi (Hyun-nam's friend)
Roe-ha Kim	...	Shadow Man
Jin-gu Kim	...	Granny (as Gin-goo Kim)
Sang-soo Im	...	Senior Joon-pyo
Jeong-seon Seong	...	Aengbali
Jae-ha Jo	...	Aengbali's baby
Chae-rin Hwang	...	Seul-gi
Sookyung Lee	...	Seul-gi's mother
Hyuk-Poon Kwon	...	Management office chief
Yeongi Lee	...	Management office old-timer
Yong-ok Kim	...	Management office director

Storyline

The disconnections of urban life. Yun-ju is diffident, almost without affect; his wife is pregnant, and he's wonders if he should bribe the dean to secure a professorship. He's also bothered by a yapping dog that disturbs him in the large block of flats where he lives. Hyeon-nam is equally disengaged; she's a bookkeeper at same block of flats, animated only when she learns of a lost dog. Over the course of a few weeks, three dogs in the building go missing - Yun-ju and Hyeon-nam have a connection to each. So might a janitor. Is it a man-eat-dog world? Is there any cure for this ennui? Can anyone connect?

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | south korea | directorial debut | dog | bookkeeper | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally the role of Yun-ju was designed for another actor who Bong Joon Ho was drawn to while working on the film Motel Cactus (1997). But when it came to shooting the film, the actor who Bong referred to as "P", disappeared completely and he ended up casting Sung-Jae Lee in the role.

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Connections

Referenced in Growing Up Fisher: Trust Fall (2014)

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Soundtracks

Barking Dogs Never Bite
Composed and performed by Cherry Filter

User Reviews

If Slight, Still Very Satisfying

It's possible that this dark comedy will slip from my memory before too long, but as I write this just having viewed the film (on home video), I have to say it made for an excellent viewing experience. It's rare to see a comedy in this day and age with such an offbeat sense of humor, let alone one that keeps viewers guessing so much as to where the plot will head next. There's also a lot of care put into the cinematography and editing of this film, adding some extra layers of satisfaction from a cinephilic perspective; this is one comedy that doesn't insult the viewer's intelligence, and need never be regarded as a guilty pleasure.

Specifically, the way this issue pinpoints its moment in time regarding Korean culture's evolving relationship with dogs is constantly mined for humor, but also provides moments of real insight and touching emotion.

I watched this film on the strength of director Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder, an excellent thriller with a deep mordant streak. If this previous film had to be nailed down to a genre, I'd call it a dark comedy -- albeit an extremely idiosyncratic one -- but there are effective splashes of the thriller and horror genres throughout, not to mention some nicely done surrealistic touches. All in all, these two films make me sorely regret missing Bong Joon-ho's "Host" at this year's Toronto film fest; I've added his name to my short list of Korean directors (the others being Park Chan-wook, Hong Sang-soo, and Kim Ki-duk) to follow closely.

Details

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

19 February 2000 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Barking Dogs Never Bite

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,767

Company Credits

Production Co:

CJ Entertainment, Cinema Service, Uno Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1