(The) Construction of Colonial Korea's Memories through Contemporary South KoreanCinema A Comparative Study of '2009 Lost Memories,' 'Fighter in the Wind,' 'Blue Swallow' and 'Habando':

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This thesis examines how colonial Korea is perceived in contemporary Korean movies. By examining four films: 2009 Lost Memories, Fighter in the Wind, Blue Swallow and Habando; this research attempts to clarify current patterns of memories regarding this controversial phase of Korean history. The movies chosen for the study were produced and released between 2002 and 2006. These motion pictures will be analyzed from a historical perspective, taking into account the construction and redefinition of Japanese colonial legacy. Our argument establishes that the weakening of the nationalistic paradigm stimulated the emergence of heterogeneous subnarratives which redefine the reminiscences of the occupation, in comparison with the master narratives which dominated films referring to the colonization during the post liberation period. Nowadays there is a clear tendency to renovate the issues that the movies discuss. Indeed, it will be proven that the movies selected retake the theme of colonization in order to produce a more dramatic effect on their respective narratives rather than to make a political point.