MaryMeKpop

Back in the old days (when I had a lot more energy), I would recap my experience at different events such as BTS concerts. Since then, I’ve been to a few more concerts of various artists but just never really had the time or energy to post about them. But things are a little different this time for I’m back to recap about my recent experience at a film screening for director Bong Joon Ho’s 2017 film “Okja” as well as his new exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA.

Note: All photos belong to me. Please do not steal, repost, and/or take out without permission and proper credit.

To start off, I barely found out about the museum exhibit and film screening pretty late thanks to a random Twitter account who shared information about the exhibit (special shout-out to this Twitter account! You’re the best!). I then did some research and learned that there was going to be a special exhibition dedicated to Director Bong Joon Ho’s work as well as a film screening for “Okja.” Along with the film, director Bong himself would be doing a talk alongside actor Steven Yeun who worked with Director Bong in the movie. Of course, by the time I had learned about the film screening, all the tickets had already been sold out (rightfully so) and the museum would only have a stand-by line. Regardless, I wanted to at least bet my chances of getting in to not only watch the movie but also to see Bong Joon-ho and Steven Yeun do the Q&A after. So I arrived at the museum right when it opened and spent my time checking out the different parts of the museum (including Director Bong’s exhibit which was so cool!). Throughout the day, my anxiety kept on creeping up on me about the stand-by line so I finally had enough and went to go get in line (I lowkey felt like one of those fangirls who camp out in line 2 days before a concert to get the best spot in the pit which, by the way, I’ve never done before and will probably never do in my life). I was in line for a little bit more than an hour before the film screening and was at the front of the line. I thought I had a pretty good chance of getting in but at the same time, I was still a little anxious and nervous. I really wanted to go!

So while I stood in line, I tried my best not to stare at the groups of people going up the stairs to enter the theater. I avoided it by watching and finishing “Hyper Knife” on my phone. And then the time had come and it was finally time to learn if we would get in or not. And yippeeee, the museum staff finally gave us the green light to go. So I bought my movie ticket and made my way up the stairs to the movie theater. And as I was walking inside, I looked outside to my left for a few seconds and saw Director Bong himself walking past the entrance gates and into the museum!! I knew I was going to get to see him during the talk after the film, but what were the chances that I would also get to see a glimpse of him beforehand! The timing was crazy and just perfect! So I snapped a few photos of him entering the museum (I was sooo starstruck.. as the kids would say, the guy has insane aura LOL) and then entered inside the theater to grab my seat. I had never seen “Okja” before so I was excited to finally watch the movie. And honestly.. it’s not my favorite and I’m not sure I would watch it again (sorry Bong Joon-ho… but you’re still a great director!). Of course, the part we were all waiting for the most was the talk afterwards with Director Bong and Steven Yeun so we were all enthusiastic upon seeing the two enter the stage together. It was so surreal to see the Academy Award director share little snippets and stories about “Okja”, his inspiration for the movie, and the work that went into creating it. It was also insightful and fun to hear from Steven Yeun about his character, K, and his experience of working with Director Bong (I wouldn’t be surprised if Steven Yeun is in Director Bong’s next project again! It seems like the two love working with each other).

There was this one point in “Okja” where Steven Yeun’s character, K, shares his real name before jumping out of the truck and into the Han river. And this scene stood out to me the most in the movie because the English subtitles didn’t match what K’s character said. Director Bong eventually talked about this scene later on during the talk which I felt kind of proud of. Like wow, I for once finally did something right in my life! I was proud of myself for noticing a specific scene that Director Bong pointed out about in the talk! The reason as to why he brought it up was because the panel was talking about K’s character and how the character is often caught in between two worlds (both the American and Korean side of himself) and since he uses an alias, he never really shows who he truly is. But in that specific scene, K introduced his real name so Director Bong noted how it was the only time in the movie where K was honest about his identity and who he was. He also added that there wasn’t really a literal translation that could capture the cultural context for this scene so the English translation was completely different from what K actually said (I remembered hearing K says the words “name” in Korean and was so confused when the English subtitles showed something else.. I was literally asking myself like wait that’s not what he said though! Lol).

The talk lasted for about 30 minutes (I wish it was longer!! It passed by soooo fast. The talk was so much fun!). After the talk concluded, I went to visit the rest of the exhibits that I didn’t get the chance to visit earlier in the day. Then I also stopped by Director Bong’s exhibit once again to check out the props and items for “Okja” given that I had just finished watching the movie. While I was there, I saw a small crowd gather after and some security guards walking around so I assumed that a celebrity must have been at the exhibit. And sure enough, it was Steven Yeun! He stopped by Director Bong’s exhibit after the “Okja” talk and I had no idea he would be there! I panicked a bit since we were in the same room with each other for a few seconds (and I made sure to snap some photos as evidence! Lol). There was only one way in and out of the room so even if I wanted to run away, I couldn’t. So we stood in the same room for a few seconds (and I tried my best not to panic). Of course, he was busy chatting with another lady so I respected his space and time and didn’t interrupt him. He ended up leaving shortly afterwards.

There was also a 7:30pm screening for “Parasite” and I debated on whether to stay at the museum and once again gamble my chances of getting into the screening for the movie. I’m sure it would have been fun given how successful and good of a movie “Parasite” is. Plus, Director Bong would also be present to give a talk again after the movie. But I ultimately decided to go home. It was getting late, there were already people in the standby line two hours before the screening, and I didn’t want to wait in line knowing that there was a chance I wouldn’t be able to attend. I did have a bit of FOMO at first but honestly, I was already so lucky and fortunate to have made it to the “Okja” screening/talk in the first place so I was satisfied. Plus, considering the fact that I got to see Director Bong enter the museum and was at Director Bong’s exhibit at the same time as Steven Yeun was already enough for me. I feel like I may have used up all my luck for the rest of the year just for this event! Haha.

Overall, the museum was fun but Director Bong’s exhibit was especially cool and special. There were so many cool details and information. He included his story boards (which he’s known for), scripts, and props from his projects (including the iconic suseok/rock seen in “Parasite”). I’ll definitely go back again later on to visit once the hype dies down a bit. There were so many cool details and information in his exhibit so I really want to take my sweet time in checking out everything the next time I go. And if you’re in the LA area, I highly recommend that you check out Director Bong’s exhibit. His exhibition is open from now until January 2027 so you’ll have plenty of time to catch it if you have the chance 🙂