Because the “Squid Game” series is brilliant
Netflix production also deserves on a creative and emotional level, from games for children to its “vision” of reality
The Netflix series “Squid Game” is brilliant, even from a creative and emotional point of view: here’s why. From children’s games to the “vision” of reality, it is a production that has a very curious history.
Games for children
One of the main engines of the plot, without spoiling too much for those who have not yet seen the episodes, is precisely this: hundreds of adults on the margins of society are locked up in one place, a recurring theme in South Korean cinema if you think of directors like Kim Ki-duk (“Iron”), Park Chan-wook (“Old boy”) and Bong Joon-ho (“Parasite”).
Basically, all these people are forced to participate in games for children in which the reward for the winner is to become rich while the penance for the loser is to die. I find it a simply brilliant idea, well supported by the development of the characters’ stories and the context in which everything happens, remaining in the traditional narrative path of the journey of the hero who accomplishes a feat together with the team of his travel companions.
Flashes of South Korea (and Pakistan)
Among the interesting elements of the series is the fact that it does not neglect the historical and social setting. The episodes retrace the personal stories of the protagonists, explaining why desperation leads them to take part in a lethal game of this type. The story thus allows us to discover some aspects of South Korea, the skyscrapers and the streets of Seoul, the small houses — all the same—the little money, the work that does not exist, the failures, the lights and shadows of some lives that have more or less hit rock bottom.
The episodes had an incredible hold on the imagination of people in Korea and beyond: just think of the boom that the sweet caramelized sugar cookies featured in one scene and known as Dalgona have experienced. The Asian kiosks that sell these products are now being stormed and see customers queuing for hours to grab them. Furthermore, the series does not forget to include other countries through the stories of some co-protagonists, as happens with the “players” from Pakistan who find themselves interacting with South Koreans and learning both the details of their language and their games childhood.
The curious vicissitudes of the screenplay
“Squid Game” had been ready for about ten years but nobody wanted it. Proposed to all the big production companies, it received only waste, until Netflix’s yes arrived, perhaps at a time when there is a tight search for new content. A decade ago the same number of productions were certainly not made that can be seen flourishing today on small screens all over the world.
One of the strengths of the series certainly lies in the ability to create a creative and emotional tension capable of keeping viewers attached to the screen and thrilling them or even making them loyal. This is demonstrated by some recent news: in Abu Dhabi, to begin with, a real game inspired by the production was staged, obviously eliminating the possibility of dying.
Another example explains it all. In the first episode of “Squid Game”, a telephone number appears several times, the one that the “players” must call if they want to register for the “fatal” children’s games tournament. Well, many people have tried to really call and have received an answer because that number, by chance, really exists in reality.
Another merit of the series, therefore, is that of being able to create a world in which to recognize and identify with, a “vision” to be experienced, a reading of the world that is compelling and at the same time makes us reflect. Finally, the plot can keep you on your toes. I love going to bed with tension and images still in my eyes. It is from this that I understand if I liked a film and if it struck me.
