THE WORK ALIENATION PHENOMENON AND PROLETARIAT KKANGPAE IN FILM PIETA

Abstract

Film director and controversial screenwriter Kim Ki Duk has a unique way of executing his ideas. In producing his works, Kim Ki Duk often uses social phenomena and does not refrain from social criticism. Through the critically acclaimed Pieta (2012), Kim Ki Duk illustrates the social phenomena taking place amidst the South Korean proletariat, portraying the effects of capitalism. Through this research, it attempts to present the related social phenomena depicted in Pieta under the lens of Marxist Sociology of Literature. A qualitative-descriptive method is applied, specifically through the sampling of several scenes relevant to the topic, then analyzed further. The research eventually carries the conclusion that Pieta presents two existing phenomena within the South Korean proletariat: work alienation and kkangpae. Accordingly, this research concludes that the two phenomena are correlated, being the receiving end of a domino effect caused by the existing capitalist system, now on a global scale.KEYWORDS: Capitalism; Marxism; Sociology of Literature; Work Alienation; Kkangpae; Korean Film Studies