Byun Hyuk directed and wrote the South Korean film High Society, released in 2018, which depicts the moral degradation of a married couple in the context of South Korea’s socio-political elite. The film features strong lead performances from Park Hae-il and Soo Ae and highlights the damaging effects of rampant ambition and greed on societal structures fueled by corruption, ego, and exploitation.
High Society merges the realms of politics and the art world with a media show, and while doing so, it reveals, and critiques, the failing personal and societal focal points of 21st century Korea’s urban successism.
Plot Overview
The film’s main characters are Jang Tae-joon, an economics professor at Seoul National University, and his wife Oh Soo-yeon, a deputy curator at a prominent gallery. Tae-joon gains widespread media attention when he saves a man from self-immolation at a public protest. So he, a self proclaimed media darling, and political aspirant, is offered a political party’s nomination.
Soo-yeon is assiduously striving for a position that puts her at the top of the hierarchy at her gallery. As it happens, her gallery is owned by a patriarchal conglomerate. Her hard work, passion, and talent for the field do not seem to alleviate the attention she receives. Her ideals slowly start to shift as she begins to lower them in order to find success in a morally fractured, male-controlled, unethical system.
Tae-joon and Soo-yeon are reconciling work and personal life through means that would be considered unethical. As a result, they are both changing for the worse. Tae-joon begins his moral descent by cheating on his spouse with a political aide. On her side, Soo-yeon is rekindling a romance with a provocative painter.
Both of them, at this stage, are completely swept by a mix of sexual blackmail, deception, and power. In her attempt to reposition herself in the art world, Soo-yeon markets a leaked sex tape as art. Tae-joon reveals the political underbelly of his rapid rise to fame, which consists of publicized faux events and posed heroism.
Even after the twisting journey both characters take, they seem to find a spark of liberation. As the credits appear on the screen, they seem to be hinting towards the fact that these characters are attempting to overthrow the system that exploited them. In the end, it becomes ambiguous if achieving such a foundation is a mark of personal failure.
Themes and Analysis
High Society focuses on how ordinary people with good values can become entangled in unethical systems due to ego, resentment, or a desire for recognition, rather than scandal for the sake of scandal.
Ambition and Corruption
The most salient feature of the film is the cost of aspiration. Tae-joon starts as a reformist intellectual but becomes vulnerable to exploitation after he comes into contact with the world of political power. And equally, Soo-yeon is a capable professional who becomes unrelentingly aggressive in fighting the institutional sexism of her profession. Their downfall is not abrupt, but rather slow and multifaceted.
Power Relations and Gender
Soo-yeon’s sexual power and feminism is of particular interest to me because it deals with the misogyny in the cultural elite. Despite her competence, she is literally ignored, underestimated, and sexualized by those above her in the hierarchy. In the end, she also makes use of the same system, but only after losing some parts of her. Her story is a symptom of the problem women have in dealing with a male-dominated institution where in seeking power, they have to resort to some form of their own objectification.
Public Image vs. Private Reality
The movie is a scathing critique about the facade of public virtue. Tae-joon’s “heroic” moment that catapults him to political fame is a “heroic” moment that was preordained by the elites. This image-driven approach is the main premise of the movie; whether in politics or a domain as esteemed as ‘fine art,’ image takes the lion’s share of what is essential. Substance is never realized when the pretense of influence and optics reign supreme.
Art as a Commodity and a Weapon
The film does not depict art as pure expression. Rather, it is a means of climbing up the social ladder, a method of control, and a means of manipulation. One of the film’s most controversial scenes is the performance of her personal sex tape by Soo-yeon. This act straddles the line between exploitation and empowerment, and forces the audience to grapple with the question, is this a confession, a defiant act, or a capitulation to a market that thrives on shock value.
Performances
The fight within a man of intellect and ambition is portrayed strikingly by Park Hae-il playing the character of Jang Tae-joon. The slow and tragic metamorphosis as the character changes from a considerate professor to a political puppet resonates with many as it is laced with subtle movements and internalized struggle.
As Oh Soo-yeon, Soo Ae gives a performance that is multilayered. She shows both control and vulnerability as her character tries to survive in a toxic workplace. The gallery scenes as well as the ones where she faces off against her superiors are emotionally chilling and complex.
As the architect of a morally corrupt and powerful art foundation, Yoon Je-moon depicts the untouchable, manipulative, and cynical elite class.
The supporting characters, aides, rivals, gallery executives and political figures deepen the web of deceit, power and hypocrisy that the main characters find themselves trapped in.
Direction and Cinematography
The visual style of the film is polished and deliberate, reflecting the cold, curated real of politics and art. While the film is glossy, as a mirror to the emotions of art and politics, the coldness in the framing and lighting shows the emotional detachment that lies underneath the surface.
The grandeur of political rallies and gallery openings is countered by intimate and personal betrayals, and intimate talk framed tightly, with brutal lighting. The stark difference reinforces the disparity between one’s public image and the private reality.
The pacing is calm and sometimes slow, but this underscores the characters’ psychological unraveling. The script leaves space for every compromise and turning point to be meaningful, and doesn’t rush to the next stage.
Reception and Critique
High Society seemed to gather mixed responses. While the headline performances and bold themes of the story received praise, its execution was labeled overly melodramatic and unfocused by critics.
Some viewers were bothered by slow pacing and the sex scenes, considering them gratuitous and distracting. Others, however, thought these scenes highlighted the commodification of relationships within elite society. Regardless of these divergent opinions, the film sparked conversations, both within Korea and internationally, about class, power, and the moral emptiness of those who seek to climb over others to reach the top.
The film commercially did well during the first week and set records for domestic R-rated films of that year. It established itself as an provocative, although divisive, addition to South Korea’s rapidly expanding collection of class-focused cinema.
Conclusion
High Society is never about comfort, and like any film, it does not offer redemption in a traditional manner. Rather, it reflects the harsh reality faced by the social elite and questions how far one goes in the pursuit of wealth, power, and cultural prestige. The film is masterfully directed and acted, containing thematic elements regarding complicity, control, and belonging, delivered in a slow-burning narrative that is impactful.
With sophisticated execution, the film warns us about society. In the pursuit of “high society,” what one gains in status, one might lose in soul. Telling a sophisticated yet scandalous tale makes one cautiously intriguing and invites deeper contemplation.
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