Abstract
Park Chan Wook is one of South Korea’s foremost contemporary film directors. This thesis examines the evolving role of architecture in nine of Park’s feature-length films, beginning with his directorial debut in 1992 with The Moon is…the Sun’s Dream to his most recent work in 2016, The Handmaiden. Through the lens of auteur theory, the thesis draws connections between Park’s personal relationship to architecture and the representation and use of buildings and their spaces in his films. Analyzing the films in chronological order, the thesis documents how Park’s use of architecture changes throughout his oeuvre. The thesis weaves together biographical information and diegetic data to explore how Park’s architectural aesthetic develops throughout his directorial career.