Following a run of hit drama series out of South Korea, Han Jae-rim’s new dystopian Netflix series, ‘The 8 Show,’ was released on Netflix on May 17. Within three days of its release, it reached the number one spot in South Korea and became the top-ranked series globally twelve days later, on May 29.
The series follows the tragic antics of eight contestants in a twisted TV show. They entertain the viewers to keep the show running and accumulate an ever-growing prize pool.
Han Jae-rim, director and writer of the Netflix Series ‘The 8 Show,’ said in an interview with The Chosun Daily on May 29, “The 8 Show contains my thoughts on ‘cinema’ from episodes 1 to 8, and how we filmmakers, who are supposed to entertain in the hyper-capitalist era, should satisfy the audience.”
Trapped in a specially constructed eight-story facility, the contestants are separated by social classes by ‘Floor.’ Their desire for money and subsequent drive to entertain to obtain that money and simultaneously consume naturally lead to lethal ends as they struggle to elevate their station, both within the ‘show’ and in real life.
Han is a film industry legend in Korean film, known for major box office hits like ‘The King’ (2017), ‘The Face Reader’ (2013), and ‘The Show Must Go On’ (2007), but ‘The 8 Show’ is Han’s first drama and foray into a streaming platform like Netflix. The series is co-produced by Magnum 9, the production company he founded in 2007, Lotte Cultureworks, and StudioN, a subsidiary of Naver Webtoon, the company behind its original webtoon series ‘Money Game’ and ‘Pie Game.’
Han said the audience’s engagement is the biggest difference between a film and a series. “A movie is compressed into two hours, so the audience searches out the metaphors and symbols that the director hides. However, I think the audience that watches long-form dramas tends to focus on the story and characters. It’s a pity that they don’t notice the openly revealed metaphors,” he said.
Han’s current ‘struggle’ with ‘cinema’ is evident throughout the entire series. Each episode begins with a scene featuring one of the characters, starting with Jin-su (Ryu Jun-yeol), who represents the Third Floor, struggling with debts. In the first episode’s opening scene, Han captures the ‘silent film’ feel of cinema’s origins.
“When Jin-su is running away from reality, he opens the velvet curtain and enters the screen, which is also a movie set, and he speaks his lines in front of the camera, representing a movie,” Han said.
“When Seventh Floor (Park Jeong-min) says, ‘We have to control the degree of entertainment,’ even when he has to extend his survival time, he later reveals that he’s a filmmaker. This scene reflects my concerns about how a filmmaker like me should approach the audience in a capitalist society.”
Just as “entertainment” determines the characters’ survival time in the show, Han’s film also points to our society’s obsession with satisfying our collective ‘dopamine’ cravings. Not identifying the show’s organizers in the movie is another tool to make the viewer feel like an audience member of the show.
“Nowadays, people consume more short-form content than two-hour movies, and that’s where the money is. It’s a dopamine rush, and I’m apprehensive about the path ‘cinema’ should take in this day and age and what kind of entertainment we, the creators of that ‘entertainment,’ should be having,” Han said.
Han’s concerns are embodied in the second half of the series, when the ‘First Floor’ (Bae Seong-woo) falls from the ceiling, pulling down the projector, and the film catches fire, ultimately leading to his death—a scene reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin. He said the scene represents that ‘cinema is dead in the end.’
Han’s concerns are embodied in the second half of the series with First Floor’s(Bae Seong-woo) death. In a scene reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin’s slapstick comedy, Bae trampolines on a tightrope, attempting to jump higher and higher, reaching new heights of ‘entertainment.’ The ceiling becomes the sky, and he finally catches the sun, only to find himself clutching the lens of a projector, which falls, catching fire and burning both Bae and the film.
While the film’s critique of the capitalist system may seem similar to the Netflix Series ‘Squid Game,’ Han distinguishes the two, saying, “The only similarity is the setting, which is a survival game, but the two are diametrically opposed.”
“‘Squid Game’ starts fairly and has a clear winner, but ‘The 8 Show’ is a completely unfair situation, and no one is supposed to die,” Han said, “I wanted to tell a story about eight different social classes trying to figure out how to live together in this unequal world.”
—'The 8 Show’ ranked number one globally. Are you aware of its popularity?
“At the read-through with the actors, I told them not to expect a big box office hit from this production because I thought it would be uncomfortable and niche for audiences. However, since it was released globally on Netflix, I heard about the great overseas engagement from associates, and viewers were discussing it more than I expected. In the series, Jin-su laments that he earns 9,860 won a day from his part-time job. When I saw a comment from someone in another country saying, ‘We are rich, even on that amount of money,’ it made me reflect again on the disparities in our world.”
—You talk about your worries about the future of ‘cinema’ but chose OTT over theater. What does it mean?
“I really love theater, and I’ve been loved by the audience, but I chose OTT partly because of the difficulties facing theaters. Filmmakers have to survive in the capitalist era, but more than that, I wanted to explore OTT even before Netflix came to Korea. I’m curious about different genres, and I think the current situation for theaters is very challenging. Because of that, there are limited opportunities for directors, and the channels need to be diversified, forcing the creators to explore different formats.”
—'The 8 Show’ is your first foray into OTT and your first drama. What was your biggest challenge?
“Whether it’s a drama or a movie, eight people are on the same set for eight episodes. So, how do I keep the audience interested in the same place and with the same people without getting bored? I looked at the original ‘Money Game’ and thought about artistic devices. We placed the staircase, a classic symbol of class, right in the center of the set. With eight characters and only eight episodes, we focused on one character per episode and rotated them in the opening credits, which was a fun way to keep it engaging.”
—Can you tell us about your next project, ‘Delusion,’ which is currently in the works?
“The genre is a vampire fantasy melodrama. I usually like experimenting with genres, but this is more of an authentic melodrama. The story is very engaging, and the original webcomic artist Hong’s drawings are amazing. I fell in love with it. It’s an eight-episode drama, and I just finished writing part four yesterday. I’m about to start looking for an OTT platform for its release and am in the process of deciding the cast.”
—What do you hope to make in the future?
“As I said, I try not to conform to genre archetypes, so it’s always a challenge. Like any director, I always want to create something original and interesting, but I think that’s more of an ideological goal. Whether it’s a movie or a drama, it’s the creator’s world, so I’d love to try sci-fi, which I’ve never done before. Of course, I’d have to make it well.”
