#lee kyu hyung
LEE KYU KYUNG ACTING *chefs kiss*
this post is not about korean films - but a special space is carved out to two of the best korean dramas i’ve ever watched. a potent mix of everything i wish for in a drama converges in Signal andSecret Forest - tightly written plot, poignant but un-didactic social commentary, excellent acting, composed direction, remarkable cinematography and music. these two dramas are on another level of distinction compared to the rest.
Signal is a crime drama with a dose of fantasy. when a young upstart prosecutor (Lee Je-hoon) encounters a walkie-talkie that connects him to the past, he teams up with a determined cop (Kim Hye-soo) to solve cold crimes and unearth the truth about a cop who had mysteriously disappeared (Jo Jin-woong). dealing with similar themes, Secret Forest features Jo Seung-woo as an apathetic and principled prosecutor, who works together with a warm-hearted kick-ass cop (Bae Doona) to expose and punish the rampant corruption in the prosecution, police force, and conglomerates.
*spoilers ahead*
what i really appreciate about both dramas are that its stories are based on real cases, and pays extreme detail in imitating them. Signalbegins with the Hwaseong serial killings, which have been amply covered in other works (e.g. Memories of Murder) and form the groundworks for many korean films/dramas’ creative reimagination. Signal also covers the Miryang gang rape case (a la Han Gong Ju), and even incorporated the line that outraged the korean public into the script (”my boy’s not at fault for being a rapist - she seduced him”). it also makes reference to the collapse to the Seongsu bridge collapse in 1994 (as in House of Hummingbird too). in fact, a family member of a victim of crime sent a message of gratitude to the Signal production staff, for recognising and giving space to their pain.
Secret Forest does not make such direct references to cases of corruption that happened, but does so in more subtle ways. when a security guard is unable to hand over a CCTV tape from a month ago, citing that they typically discard the tapes after 14 days although the rules stipulate a 2-month period, Jo Seung-woo’s character coldly points out that this trivial attitude towards following the law will eventually lead to the sinking of a ship or the collapse of a department store. (Sewol ferry incident in 2014, Sampoong Department Store collapse in in 1995). in doing so, it is not afraid to pointedly criticise the ills that have gone unchecked. when the corrupt conglomerate CEO is arrested and arrives in court feigning illness on a wheelchair, we laugh because we’ve seen this before - in different countries, in different eras.
***more spoilers***
another area that distinguishes these two dramas from the rest, is the rich and complex characters created. the cops in both dramas were coerced into ill-doings because of the widespread corruption in the system around them that punished those who tried to stay morally upright. but there remain people who would sacrifice themselves to uproot corruption. Shin Hye-sun’s character in Secret Forest was a sacrificial victim that eventually pointed the team to the culprit, Jo Jin-woong’s character in Signal knowingly risked his life so that his remains could become evidence for indicting the culprit. Kim Hye-soo’s muted optimism, which so quickly deflated into a cold-hearted realism, was especially painful to watch.
but the character that fascinated me most was Yoo Jae-myung’s character in Secret Forest, who unintentionally tumbled into corruption step by wicked step. it all started with an uneventful lunch that a senior volunteered to paid for; it then became a senior doting on him buying him a luxury wallet; and it ends with him being pressured to do him favours. while pretending to be a corrupt prosecutor, Yoo Jae-myung’s character secretly collected evidence, created a special investigation taskforce for Jo Seung-woo’s upright prosecutor, accumulated power to protect the upright prosecutors, before handing the evidence over and committing suicide in disgrace.
*end of all spoilers*
one final spoiler - both dramas do not end in blinding optimism for the future (why should it?) but this should not deter you from watching the drama. rectifying crime & undoing corruption is a systemic unearthing that requires stamina. and if you’re a fan like me, thankfully season 2′s of both dramas are in the works!
