Jang Hye-jin

In Parasite (2019), Jang Hye-jin's physical presence gives Chung-sook, the Kim family's matriarch, an authority that needs little explaining. Warmth and brusqueness are both available to her; neither has to become the whole character. We laughed at the family con, then felt uneasy about how readily we had taken their side. Bong Joon-ho needs us to believe in this family for his plotting to work, and Jang's grounded performance helps him. She gives us someone recognisable to hold on to in a thriller that keeps us uncertain.

Lee Chang-dong cast her in Secret Sunshine (2007) and Poetry (2010), before the succession of supporting parts that occupied much of the following decade. In Poetry she is Mr Kang's second daughter-in-law, within a drama led by Yoon Jeong-hee. It is a film we recommend warmly, though anyone approaching it chiefly for Jang should know that hers is a supporting role.

The shift after Parasite was towards more television alongside supporting film work. Crash Landing on You (2019), in which she plays Go Myeong-eun, makes room for a broader, more exaggerated comic manner. It is useful evidence that she can do more than play naturalistically, though it is another mother role. The persistent reservation is about the casting: a performer can distinguish one mother from another and still be offered too many versions of the same job.

Bong gets particularly good use from her steadiness because Parasite has so much else going on. The writing and music sometimes insist on a point already made; the performances help keep the thriller gripping. Her value lies in helping the ensemble remain credible without demanding separate attention for the work. We would welcome a part that tested that authority outside the family; until then, start with Parasite, where being one of several good actors is quite enough.