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New episode out now! We watched Bong Joon Ho\u2019s Memories of Murder (2003), a cult crime movie often considered one of the best East Asian films ever made. We get right into the main characters, discussing how they are not good at their jobs and start out morally and ethically terrible, rightfully being called out by the community. We talk about the journeys the detectives go through and how their country and city cultures clash, discuss the aspects of masculinity the film depicts, hit on the many parallels we saw between Korean and American culture, and figure this is more a slice of life/culture of crime-solving film rather than a straight detective story. We also consider the fact that it is the first non-English language film we\u2019ve covered, wonder if some of the aspects went over our heads because of an unfamiliarity with both Korean culture and 1980\u2019s Korean history, and talk about the visual style of the film such as desaturated colors and impactful composition. Katy severely misremembers Stand By Me, Carrie shares product placement theories, Maddy teaches us how the Swiss lightly curse, and Mack remembers a psychological study about bullying. We get terrified of killers in fields, believe America is a Western ideal but a bad reality, get infuriated by sexism in the police force, and wonder about the real life case this is based on. We also talk about getting old, medical consent, cool chase scenes, great adages, and generalizations about men. Listen to the very end for a post credit surprise!

TW: Rape, murder, abuse of developmentally disabled individuals, police brutality both past and present, abuse, torture and coercion, militarization of police, school shootings, abuse by Christian leaders, emergency amputation, authoritarian military politics

Show Notes:

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• Guillermo del Toro on Bong Joon Ho's 'Memories of Murder' | Rotten Tomatoes

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• 10 Things I Learned: Memories of Murder By Curtis Tsui for the Criterion Collection

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• IndieWire article Carrie mentioned about the real life case finally being solved

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• IMDB Trivia about the film

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• BBC article Dec 2022 \u201cAs South Korea abolishes its gender ministry, women fight back\u201d

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• NYT article Jan 2023 \u201cWomen in South Korea Are on Strike Against Being \u2018Baby-Making Machines\u201d

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• Third-Degree Wiki Here

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• Appeal Article: Chicago Police Torture: Explained

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• Book Carrie mentioned: Link The Color of the Third Degree: Racism, Police Torture, and Civil Rights in the American South, 1930\u20131955 by Silvan Niedermeier

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