From the very first impression, the movie <The People Upstairs> delivers both intense bewilderment and a fresh shock to the audience. This is because the screen is filled with provocative themes and uninhibited dialogue that are rarely encountered in the Korean commercial film market. What are commonly referred to as "dirty jokes" or high-level sexual banter are not merely used as devices to induce laughter, but are utilized as a core means of conversation penetrating the entire film. The movie attempts a frontal breakthrough by blatantly and honestly revealing points that might feel uncomfortable or awkward given the conservative Korean sentiment. This bold direction becomes even more intriguing when coupled with the fact that actor Ha Jung-woo took the megaphone, allowing us to guess the unique color and cinematic ambition he wanted to showcase as a director.
Looking at Director Ha Jung-woo’s filmography, the production process of this work itself is quite interesting. Even before his previous directorial work <Lobby> was released to the public, he announced that he had already finished filming his next project, and that result, completed at such an incredible speed, was <The People Upstairs>. The reason such a rapid production—which seemed physically impossible considering the usual film production period—was feasible was due to the movie's unique format. The film consistently deals with events occurring within the limited space of a house, filling the running time solely with the characters' dialogue and reactions instead of location shifts or grandiose visual effects. This gives the impression of a small theater play transferred to the screen, a result where efficient production met focused direction.
The "Chamber Drama" format, where the story unfolds in a limited space like an apartment living room (a "locked room" scenario), acts as a double-edged sword. Since there are no spectacles to distract the audience's attention, the film must succeed solely on the power of the screenplay and the actors' performances. When choosing a theatrical composition despite using the medium of film, the "flavor of the words"—the dialogue—must be alive to avoid boredom. <The People Upstairs> accurately grasps these genre characteristics and creates tension through ceaseless "Tiki-Taka" (rapid-fire) conversation. The breathing exchanged between outstanding actors like Ha Jung-woo, Kim Dong-wook, Gong Hyo-jin, and Lee Ha-nee as they sit around a small dining table creates a rhythmic sense akin to watching a well-composed string quartet, providing an immersion that transcends the limitations of space.
The core subject matter the film deals with is the "open sexual discourse" that is still taboo in Korean society. Beyond the level of peeking into the private lives of a couple, shocking words like swapping or group sex fly across the dining table, making the audience doubt their ears. The characters do not express their sexual desires and complaints in a roundabout way but pour them out in a naked and direct manner of speech. While this setting is a point that might give catharsis to some and discomfort to others, the movie does not stop and digs deeper. The sexual conversation acts not as a tool for simple stimulation, but as a sharp scalpel revealing the lack of communication and the deficiency of relationships in modern couples who look peaceful on the outside but are festering on the inside.
Watching the movie, the level of the subject matter and the texture of the dialogue were so exotic that I suspected, "Did Ha Jung-woo really write this script himself?" As it turned out, there was a separate original work. This piece is a remake of the Spanish film <Sentimental>, produced in 2020. Once you understand the cultural background of Director Cesc Gay's original work, which possesses the unique passionate and open nature of Spain, you can accept why such rare settings appear in a Korean film. Although there must have been a process of adapting it to the Korean situation while maintaining the skeleton of the original, the strange heterogeneity and collision that occur when the provocative energy and European sensibility of the original are spoken through the mouths of Korean actors become the unique charm point of this movie.
The opening of the movie begins with the extremely Korean and realistic subject of "inter-floor noise," but the identity of that noise is the sound of the upstairs neighbors' passionate lovemaking, reminiscent of animal cries. What is noteworthy here is the reaction of the protagonist couple living downstairs, Jung-ah (played by Gong Hyo-jin) and Hyun-su (played by Kim Dong-wook). Amidst the noise that would make others blush, they look at their smartphones in their respective rooms like roommates tired of boredom and fall asleep. Early in the movie, when the subtitle "Cohabitants" appears on the screen, the atmosphere between the two is so cold that the audience might mistake them for roommates rather than a married couple. The hot noise from upstairs and the cold silence from downstairs form a stark contrast, implying that the events to unfold will stem from the temperature difference between the two couples.
The beginning of the incident starts with Jung-ah inviting the upstairs couple to dinner. Hyun-su, a film director with a sensitive and prickly personality, expresses extreme rejection and opposes the invitation, but Jung-ah cleans the house neatly, prepares food, and finishes preparations to welcome the upstairs people. Eventually, Hyun-su reluctantly compromises with the condition that he will "only endure it for exactly one hour" and sits down. The defensive attitude of Hyun-su and the active attitude of Jung-ah shown in this scene are cross-sections showing how misaligned their relationship is. In a situation where it is obvious that it will be an uncomfortable meal, the audience watches with bated breath to see what kind of repercussions this invitation will bring.
Finally, the upstairs people appear, and the movie enters its full-fledged second act. "Mr. Kim," played by Ha Jung-woo, is a high school Hanja (Chinese character) teacher, and "Soo-kyung," played by Lee Ha-nee, is a psychiatrist. The job combination of a Hanja teacher, who seems like he would be stuffy, and a doctor, who seems like she would be rational, forms a strange dissonance with the free-spirited speech and behavior they display, inducing laughter. In particular, it is revealed that Jung-ah, an art instructor, is a fan who has admired Soo-kyung while subscribing to her YouTube channel. This explains the reason Jung-ah invited them despite the strain, and the psychological basis for not being able to let go of her curiosity even while being overwhelmed by the energy of the upstairs couple. On the other hand, Hyun-su is just uncomfortable with this situation regardless of their professional backgrounds or social status.
As a few rounds of drinks circulate and the atmosphere ripens, the upstairs couple confesses a shocking truth. They confess that the protagonist of the tremendous noise that tormented the downstairs every night was not just them, but a multilateral act involving other partners. They even shock Hyun-su and Jung-ah by saying that they had been watching the downstairs couple for over six months since moving in and "wanted to propose the same experience to you." This proposal goes beyond simple sexual temptation; it acts as a catalyst that cracks the relationship of Hyun-su and Jung-ah, which had been blocked, and explodes their suppressed emotions. The provocation of the upstairs couple nakedly touches the shame of the marital relationship that the downstairs couple had tried hard to ignore.
Consequently, although <The People Upstairs> is packaged with stimulating sexual jokes, its essence is closer to a psychological drama about communication and relationship recovery. As the movie progresses, the audience laughs at the dirty jokes but soon becomes immersed in the process of the couple, who only inflicted wounds on each other, finally facing each other. The unpredictable development and the great performances of the actors make this movie something more than a simple comedy. It is clear that likes and dislikes will be sharply divided due to the unfamiliar subject matter and high-level dialogue that have not been easily attempted in the Korean film industry. However, for audiences tired of cookie-cutter commercial films, this uncomfortable but honest and cheeky "psychological therapy"-like movie will approach them as quite a fresh stimulation.
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