Actor-turned-director Ha Jung-woo delivers his most accomplished film yet with 'The People Upstairs,' a cheeky sex comedy that premiered at the 30th Busan International Film Festival. The film tackles the universal problem of noisy neighbors with a provocative twist, exploring what happens when a conservative married couple discovers their upstairs neighbors' loud intimate activities belong to people they actually admire.
The movie stars Gong Hyo-jin and Kim Dong-wook as Jung-ah and Hyun-su, a married couple whose relationship has become so cold and distant that they sleep in separate rooms and completely avoid physical intimacy. Their mundane existence is disrupted by constant sounds of passionate lovemaking from the apartment above – moans, gasps, and repetitive thumping that make their nights unbearable.
When Jung-ah decides to confront the noisy neighbors, she discovers an unexpected surprise. The couple upstairs turns out to be Kim Su-gyeong, played by Lee Hanee, who is Jung-ah's favorite online therapist, and her husband, portrayed by Ha Jung-woo himself. Instead of complaining about the noise, Jung-ah awkwardly invites them to dinner, setting the stage for an uncomfortable yet hilarious evening.
The dinner party becomes the centerpiece of this adaptation of Spanish filmmaker Cesc Gay's 'Sentimental.' The film joins a growing trend of Korean remakes of Spanish movies, following successful adaptations like 'Door Lock' and 'Intimate Strangers,' both released in 2018. Ha Jung-woo relocates the story to a Korean setting while maintaining the original's exploration of sexual liberation and conservative attitudes.
During the dinner, the upstairs couple – warm, affectionate, and refreshingly open about their sexuality – gradually introduces their repressed neighbors to a world of swinging, partner swapping, and group activities that couldn't be more different from their cold, traditional lifestyle. Ha Jung-woo gives himself some of the film's best comedic moments, playing the playfully uninhibited character nicknamed 'Pikachu' Kim.
The entire story unfolds within the confines of a single apartment, giving the film a theatrical quality reminiscent of a stage play. However, Ha demonstrates growing technical skills and directorial confidence, maintaining a breezy pace and lighthearted tone throughout. This marks his fourth time behind the camera, and represents his most adept filmmaking effort to date, proving he can excel both as a director and performer simultaneously.
Despite its provocative subject matter, 'The People Upstairs' remains surprisingly wholesome at its core. The film explores breaking down conservative attitudes toward sexuality and normalizing various preferences and behaviors, but ultimately reinforces traditional monogamy and family values. All the salacious content is cleverly confined to exaggerated sound effects and rapid-fire dialogue, with nothing explicitly erotic actually shown on screen.
The comedy of manners dares to address surprisingly steamy subject matter while earning plenty of laughs at the expense of prudish and closed-minded attitudes. The film features several big-name cameos that demonstrate Ha Jung-woo's popularity and connections within the Korean entertainment industry. While the movie could have pushed boundaries even further and never fully endorses the unconventional lifestyle it portrays, it successfully generates humor from the clash between conservative and liberal approaches to intimacy.
Critics have praised the film's technical execution and performances, though some note that it stops short of fully embracing the more radical elements of its premise. The movie earned a three out of five star rating, with reviewers highlighting Ha Jung-woo's growth as a filmmaker and his ability to handle sensitive subject matter with both humor and restraint.
