Bong Joon-ho may be best known for his Best Picture-winning Parasite, but his precise craftsmanship and social commentary have been on display since the beginning of his directing career, as his sophomore feature film makes clear. The events in Memories of Murder are inspired by the Hwaseong serial murders in the late 1980s to early 90s, the first identified case of serial killings in South Korea which only closed after the murderer was identified in 2019. Staging a masterclass in film direction and shot efficiency, Bong ambitiously casts the events of the case as a window into South Korean society during a time of great political unrest and economic upheaval. Ultimately, the film becomes just as much about the viewers, the participants of society, as it is about the murderer himself. – Hahn Lheem, Harvard College '24