The neoliberal world order and patriarchal power: A discursive study of Korean cinema and international co-production

Abstract

"This research is an attempt to examine the ideological aspects of Korean cinema in the context of politico-economic changes. Korean cinema is in the process of economic restructuring, driven by neoliberal forces on a global scale. These economic forces also influence film texts on a concrete level, creating hybrid characters and narratives in blockbusters and co-produced films. These new genre films have tended to reinforce patriarchal ideology, making it increasingly pronounced, as Korean films become more technologically advanced and the production system globalized. To illustrate these effects, this article offers a textual analysis of Never Forever [Kim Jina 2007], which was the first U.S.-Korean co-production.