The critically-acclaimed Netflix release Squid Game tells the story of a kind yet foolish man named Seong Gi-Hun who struggles with debt. He must play Korean children’s games with 456 people who all share his same financial situation. The prize money for this game is 45.6 billion won, which is enough for the winner to live in relative luxury while also paying off all their debts. However, the innocent games that they play come with a dark twist: the losers are killed, often brutally. This battle-royale style thriller shot against the backdrop of a children’s playground illustrates the dangers of capitalism in a creative and nontraditional way.
Director Hwang Dong-Hyuk’s expert storytelling shows the compelling backgrounds of everyone involved in the game. The main character Gi-hun, though amiable, suffers from a gambling addiction and unemployment following the unsuccessful strikes at his previous job. Kang Sae-byeok, the main female character, is a North Korean defector who has to steal in order to keep both her brother and herself alive, while also trying to provide funding to help their parents escape. The mysterious old man is a kind soul who is about to die from a brain tumor. Many of the characters have sympathetic backgrounds so the audience is compelled to root for their victory. However, many of the less righteous characters develop the theme as well. Cho Sang-woo, the SNU business graduate, serves to show how no matter how smart or accomplished a person is, they can still fall into destitution. Jang Deok-su, a gangster who kills many characters in the show, is still a poor man who has to steal to earn money. The purpose of these characters is to show that anyone can suffer from poverty, especially in Korea, the Asian country with the highest amount of household debt.
Many of the plot devices represent different critiques of capitalism. For example, the billionaires are portrayed using human furniture, betting on human lives, and generally indulging in depraved behaviors. Their depiction emphasizes that billionaires are not to be put on a pedestal: they are as depraved and immoral as regular people. The use of human furniture and participation in these games show the villains\’ utter disdain for human life, a direct reference to the exploitation of people that billionaires often do to accomplish different goals.(sweatshop labor, Epstein’s island, etc). Their crimes go completely unpunished because of their money, which can bribe police officers, blind the eyes of lawmakers, or buy an entire private island to ensure complete anonymity. However, some of the players may be endlessly persecuted for theirs if they survive (like Ali, who accidentally cut off the hand of a corrupt businessman). The background of the playground and the different shapes used to signify the authority of the soldiers are all very reminiscent of scenes from the characters’ childhoods, further accentuating the cruel juxtaposition of how little they matter to the billionaires with the severity of their situation. While people’s lives are at stake, the people running the game view it as nothing more than a way to pass time and have fun.
Squid Game reveals the brutal and sadistic nature of capitalist society to those who lose at its “game.” The ultimate representation of this message is the old man, who is revealed to be the organizer behind the games. So disillusioned and bored with his life, he decided to imitate the games he played as a child, except with much higher stakes for the people participating. As the end of his life neared, he decided to participate in the games in order to have a little fun before he died. However, while the legitimate players’ deaths are real, his death is faked. When something actively endangers the old man, the games are immediately stopped to save him, like when the lights were turned off so the players could kill each other. When he lost at the game of marbles, his death was faked so he could return to running the games. There are no real consequences for him because he already “won” the game when he became rich. Squid Game follows a new trend of anticapitalist entertainment like a similar piece of South Korean media, Parasite. Perhaps the relatable problems depicted in Squid Game contributed to its meteoric success in numerous countries.