In a room at a run-down luxury hotel, a prostitute discusses prices and salacious details with her client. The young woman’s behavior seems strange, but the businessman is too eager to act and would rather jump into the shower than worry about his fate. While he is still in the bathroom, a surgeon opens the door and injects him with an anesthetic.
A few minutes later, a group of men and women of all ages and backgrounds entered the premises with signs in hand. And as the unfortunate man wakes up tied up, auctions begin in which his organs will be distributed to the highest bidder. Had it stopped there, the Bargain scenario would have been frightening but extremely effective. However, for Byun Seung-min, the mastermind of the series, this is just an introduction.
The true story begins when an earthquake causes the hotel to collapse, taking all of its residents hostage. As the men behind the organ trade try to make the tracks and witnesses disappear, the girls who work for them and their clients must choose their allies carefully to reach the only possible exit at the top of the building. “Each floor represents a layer of society,” explains the director. It is a metaphor for the social level, deliberately surreal and spectacular. »
“Bargain,” from October 5th on Paramount+. © DR
The masterpiece “Parasite”
This crazy and violent race for survival was a real explosion at every festival it was presented at. Although “Bargain” is a poignant UFO, the series particularly benefits from the aura that has surrounded South Korean fiction of late. If before 2019 some films from the Land of the Morning Calm stood out in the rest of the world, “Parasite”, Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece, marked a turning point in the history of cinema: the first non-English language film to win Best Film at the Oscars, Palme d’Or in Cannes, twenty nominations at the biggest ceremonies, ten awards won, full cinemas…
It must be said that South Korean cinema has long moved with the country’s political waves. All films that could harm the image of the Asian country (communism, sexuality, religion, etc.) were subject to censorship. Directors with limited liability were bound to see a decline in the quality of their work. The dark rooms were abandoned by a disappointed audience and then finally turned off. by the arrival of the small screen in homes.
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To save the local industry, the government drastically restricted the distribution of foreign films in the 1970s. An idea that only resulted in the red armchairs becoming even emptier. It was only ten years later that the rules were finally relaxed. And we had to wait until 2012 for the number of tickets sold to explode: 195 million in one year. A historical record.
The following year the revolution began. A handful of South Korean directors – Bong Joon-ho (“Snowpiercer”), Kim Jee-woon (“The Last Stand”), etc. – have started working in English, opening themselves up to the rest of the world. A phenomenon that could have accelerated if it had not been slowed down by a structural problem. In fact, the market is controlled by three giants (CJ, Lotte, Orion) who oversee everything from the script to the distribution of the films. The projects fit into the same pattern and independent productions have no chance of being created. “The film industry and the television industry are very different. Many directors have preferred to go into television in recent years,” explains Byun Seung-min.
The success of platforms
But that was before the platforms were introduced. Because “Squid Game” marked the second historic upheaval in the industry in 2021. With almost two billion hours watched, it is the most-watched series on Netflix in all countries combined. Building on this success, the platform announced a $2.5 billion investment plan to develop its South Korean content. There is no question of control or censorship here; this unprecedented freedom allows for uninhibited, modern creation.
This explains the development of certain genres, such as: B. Science fiction, which has so far been little researched and is becoming increasingly attractive for local directors. Particularly noteworthy is the very successful “Black Knight,” which appeared on Netflix before the summer. Another significant advantage: the audience. Paramount+, Netflix and others offer these little Asian gems to the world without borders.
Its increasingly extensive catalog, with more and more films in French versions, has made it possible to attract a wide audience. The latter is delighted to discover a culture, new actors, different codes, a different environment and asks for more. After decades of fighting, the South Korean warrior has definitely captivated the West.