Over the last fifteen years, it could be argued that no single nation has had as much of an impact on international film as South Korea. When trying to pinpoint the moment the rest of the filmmaking world (and audiences) stood up and took notice of South Korea, 2003 springs immediately to mind; that’s when Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder and Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy (Stream now on Fandor) hit big screens. Since then, movies like The Host, The Handmaiden, and Okja, among many others, have found wide appeal in audiences and critics around the globe. It’s because of this global impact, and the continued amazingness of the movie, that we feel that Oldboy not only deserves, but needs to be included in the new canon of contemporary classics. Oldboy is remarkable in the way that it is written, shot (find out why here), directed and acted, and should be required viewing for film lovers everywhere. After you watch Oldboy, stream other movies in Fandor’s New Canon with A Touch of Sin and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Then find out just why we think these movies are necessary viewing in our video essays, here: Uncle Boonmee and A Touch of Sin. And if you love the Vengeance Trilogy, don't miss out on Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, available to stream right here on Fandor!