There isn’t a day the world does not discuss the Netflix viral hit, Squid Game. What might come as a surprise for the survival drama fans is that the concept and plot of the show were all-ready by director Hwang Dong-hyuk over a decade ago.
A significant part of Squid Game’s success is its easy relatability with the characters. The struggles of financial instability, the misery it causes, and the courage to do whatever it takes to get out of debt, makes the audience connect with the story.
The financial misery that people worldwide felt through the COVID pandemic has made them relate much more to Squid Game’s story, is what director Hwang Dong-hyuk feels.
According to an interview by The Korea Times, the director created the plot back in 2008 and even wrote the entire script a year later. But due to its “bizarre” and violent concept, it took over a decade to be made.
Releasing a blood and gore survival drama where deep-in-debt adults compete in children’s games to win a massive cash prize in 2008 was experimental at its best. And Hwang knew it.
It was a risk that the director wasn’t sure whether to take up or not. The risk would have let the show be “either a masterpiece or a quirky flop.” Thankfully, he waited for a few years for society to accept the violence and hit the nail right on its head.
After about 12 years, the world has changed into a place where such peculiar, violent survival stories are actually welcomed. The series’ games that participants go crazy over align with people’s desires to hit the jackpot with things like cryptocurrency, real estate and stocks. So many people have been able to empathize with the story.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, Director
Think Sweet Home, the dystopian-apocalypse movie that reached No. 3 spot on Netflix U.S., or Hunger Games, or even As the God’s Will.
The world slowly opened up to survival dramas, and Squid Game, filled with its cultural nuances (Dalgona coffee, Red Light, Green Light game), unexpectedly reigned across multiple countries.
Now seen as viral TikTok sensations, director Hwang realized that it would have been a rare sight for the audience back in 2008.
The idea behind this work was very experimental. So I would keep on asking myself if audiences will find it convincing that the characters are risking their lives to play children’s games.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, Director
Keep in mind this was also the pre-streaming times; the era of Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and YouTube had just begun.
It was also before the explosive spread of the Hallyu Wave, brought by global superstar K-pop band BTS and the historical moment of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite winning an Oscar.
With a super boost from Netflix, millions are finally tuning into foreign-language content and rising above the two-inch subtitle gap, discovering a whole new world of content.
About Squid Game
Squid Game is a South Korean survival show written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The nine-episode series released on Netflix on September 17, 2021 and has become an internet sensation.
It features an ensemble of Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, O Yeong-su, Wi Ha-joon, Ho Seong-tae, Kim Joo-ryung, Jung Ho-yeon and Anupam Tripathi. It became the first Korean show to reach No. 1 in the U.S.
The plot revolves around 456 people deep-in-depth, playing multiple dangerous games based on children’s games in a bid to win 45.6 billion KRW. The employees wear a mask with a triangle, square and a circle, signifying the hierarchy and an ode to the ‘Squid Game’ Koreans play.
It’s acclaimed for its dark satire, violence and the class and wealth inequality showcased flawlessly.
Source: Koreatimes
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