If you watch movies on Netflix you surely have heard of the new trending South Korean survival drama Squid Game (오징어게임). Released on 17th September 2021, the TV series directed by Hwang Dong-Hyuk follows the main character Seong Gi-hun, a father of a 10-year old girl who is broke and gambles away his and his mother’s money. Unfortunately, he is out of luck during a horse race, where he actually won money, but gets mugged by a young thief called Kang Sae-byeok. Gi-hun shows his frustration. Actor Gong Yoo who plays a salesman, invites Gi-hun to play a game with him. The catch: if Gi-hun loses, he owes the salesman money. He loses at ddakji and takes on a bargain to play games again, but signing away his own body.
Gi-hun gets kidnapped to an unknown location, where he has to compete in old children’s games against the 455 other players, which also includes North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, the thief. The first game is called Red Light, Green Light, which trends on TikTok because of its catchy melody. Losing at these games in the show however, does not mean to just quit the game. It means death. During nine episodes, the characters have to give their all to survive the games and eventually win the prize money of 45.6 billion Won. The audience also gets a view inside the various character’s tragic lives, understanding the struggles of needing money desperately. Kang Sae-byeok for example, needs money to finance her mothers escape from North Korea, and bring her family together.
Be aware, that this series is heartbreaking. Many characters die, get betrayed, or sacrifice themselves for others. Watching it reminded me of The Hunger Games, where only one person survives. The only difference here is that the players choose to attend the games out of desperation, and some out of an addiction to gambling. Another TV series that comes to mind is Alice in Borderland, so if you want to watch something similar, you can try this Japanese show. However, the Korean equivalent showcases their culture and tradition with the games. So while watching the series, you also actually learn a bit about South Korea’s traditional games, which makes it even more fun to watch.
Also, according to an interview director Hwang Dong-Hyuk first started working on this project back in 2008 and it shows. They used as little CGI as possible, so the amount of people you see, and the playgrounds really have been built for the show. They tried to rebuild the playgrounds, and bring in a child-like feeling during the games. The colours are bright pink, blue, and yellow even in the staircase on the way to the playgrounds. Only the room in which the players sleep and stay in outside of the games are rather dull, and serves as a prison. The players also get referred to as their player number, which enhances the prison image.
Watch the interview here:
In conclusion, the great acting, screenwriting, setting, and music make Squid Game the best K-drama I have watched so far. Hoyeon Jung, a top model in South Korea, debuted in the acting world as Kang Sae-byeok, delivering a phenomenal job of depicting the strong woman. Lee Jung-jae, who won many awards for best actor, plays our main character Seong Gi-hun. You may also know him from Svaha: The Sixth Finger, where he plays Pastor Park. The series also includes a Pakistani character called Abdul Ali, played by Indian actor Anupam Tripathi. He has had roles in Descendants of the Sun or Hospital Playlist before. Let’s not forget that every Korean Drama also needs a handsome young hero, which in this case is depicted by Wi Ha-joon in the role of smart police officer Hwang Jun-ho, whose follower count on Instagram is currently exploding thanks to this role.
