Synopsis
Serve the People (Korean: 인민을 위해 복무하라), the film from South Korea directed by Jang Cheol-soo, was recently released in South Korea. The film is based on the contentious Chinese novella of the same name by Yan Lianke, from 2005. The film adaptation shifts the setting from Maoist China into a fictional socialist country, resembling North Korea. Serve the People, focusing on stern themes of sexual repression and control, paints a morally deep story of desire and love in a rigid world.
The story is of a strictly governed society with obsessive loyalty to the ‘supreme leader. ‘Gwan-su (Yeon Woo-jin), a model disciplined and loyal soldier, has been reassigned to a remote military post serving a Captain. Upon arriving at the isolated outpost, Gwan-su learns his primary duty is to the general’s household, particularly to the alluring and mysterious Su-ryun (Ji An), the general’s wife.
Su-ryun is a lonely, bored woman living in a lifeless marriage to a much older man. She is trapped behind the gates of their grand, empty house, living a life of despair and confinement. Her days are monotonous, her emotions blunted after years of subservience. But the arrival of Gwan-su changes everything. They initially interact in a rigid formal manner, but soon, unspoken desires and exchanged glances give way to a perilous affair.
As their sexual affair progresses, the danger of being discovered deepens. In a culture where fidelity to the country and the hierarchy is the highest virtue, these relationships are not only taboo, but also a form of treachery. It is this challenge to personal autonomy, which serves as the lens through which the film critiques authoritarian regimes, that is so deeply troubling, where freedom is crushed in the pursuit of harmony and fidelity.
Their romance blooms in the shadow of propaganda that harps on “serving the people”—a mantra superiors repeat ad-nauseam, and is even scrawled in giant red letters across the military compound. Ironically, Gwan-su’s covert romance at first contradicts the doctrine of “serving the people.” Later, as the romance deepens, Gwan-su starts unlearning the lies he previously believed in. His change shows the film’s heart: that the state’s claim on people’s lives and actions should not replace their humanity.
Both tragic and inevitable, the film’s climax is Gwan-su’s and Su-ryun’s affair. Their state-sanctioned romance is doomed the moment surveillance cameras catch them crossing the boundary set by the state. Gwan-su’s terrifying incursions of duty’s boundaries, and Su-ryun’s fate—destined to remain a symbol of the desires brutally suppressed in a fearful society.
Cast & Crew
Yeon Woo-jin as Mu Gwan-su
Yeon Woo-jin gives a great performance of a man struggling with devotion and longing. He starts off as a loyal, stoic, and a rigid figure, and his unraveling into a passionate and desperate lover is both subtle and immensely powerful. Yeon portrays Gwan-su’s internal conflict well, as he transforms from an ideal soldier into a man who is ready to risk it all for love.
Ji Aan as Su-ryun
Ji An’s performance of Su-ryun is equally captivating. She portrays the character’s solitude and silence of longing with ghostly small movements. Su-ryun is both alluring and tragic—a woman who hopelessly seeks freedom in love, only to find herself entangled in a different sort of prison. Ji An gives a multi-faceted performance infused with raw, sensual, and emotional fragility.
Jo Seong-ha as General Lim
Jo Seong-ha has a lesser role, but he greatly enriches the story with his portrayal of authoritarian General Lim. He is married to Su-ryun and Gwan-su’s superior, and he embodies an oppressive system that serves both as a literal and symbolic foe.
Director: Jang Cheol-soo
Jang Cheol-soo is widely known for the critically acclaimed film Bedevilled (2010) and is someone who explores the never-ending cycle of power, oppression, and human suffering. Serve the People takes a more sensual and political route, blending eroticism and ideology together in a single film. He balances intimate moments with broader socio-political commentary, ensuring the film resonates on many levels and beyond its surface eroticism.
Screenplay: Jang Cheol-soo
Transforming a story set in Maoist China into a Korean context is no easy task, but Jang manages to do so. Keeping the control, oppression, and rebellion ideas from the novella in mind, he shifts the setting to a_opts demestic political reality, enabling Korean audiences to engage with the story.
Cinematography: Lee Seung-hoon
The film is equally appealing from a visual standpoint. There is an abundance of symbolic imagery contrasting cold, stark military on the lovers sensual scenes. The cold, stark corridors, shadowy rooms filled with sensuality heighten the emotional intensity of the story, creating an ongoing battle between tight control and freedom.
Music: Mowg
The score by Mowg highlights movie’s intensity. The music moves smoothly from militaristic and austere to romantic and haunting, illustrating the characters’ feelings. It provides another layer Mowg’s Gwan-su world integrating psychoanalysis.
IMDb Ratings
Serve the People has a score of 5.8/10 on IMDb as of the latest update. The score indicates a mixed reception, reflecting a divide where some viewers appreciated the movie’s thematic ambition, and some critiqued its execution.
Critical Reception:
Critics have acknowledged the film’s boldness in tackling brutal themes within high style and eroticism. Yeon Woo-jin and Ji An’s performances were mostly praised especially for the emotional and physical commitment to the roles. The film’s blend of eroticism and political statement has always been its strength and point of contention.
Some critics thought the film was overly focused on eroticism and shifted toward the melodramatic and sensationalistic angle instead of delving deeper. Other critics embraced the film’s more controversial angle, with many praising the director for being bold enough to adapt such politically fraught material.
Audience Response:
Audiences were somewhat split. Viewers hoping for a romantic or erotic picture found it visually engaging, but some viewers were put off by the bleak tone and the film’s grim denouement. Those interested in the philosophic and political themes of the film dealing with unquestioning obedience and freedom found it to be engaging, if not wholly satisfying.
Conclusion
Serve the People is a visually daring film an issued an erotic call to dalliance to critique authoritarianism, obedience, and the sacrifice of individuality for the sake of ideological purity. Although some may find the pacing of the film sluggish and the symbolism overly blunt, it is remarkable in its political audacity in offering a South Korean context fairly restricted narrative.
The film is captivating not only for its steamy plot but also its sharp critique of the psyche within a culture dominated by ideological tyranny. With strong performances, especially by Yeon Woo-jin and Ji An, and the film’s atmospheric direction by Jang Cheol-soo, Serve the People is a layered, at times, uncomfortable reflection on the lives dictated by oppression.
The film poses heart-wrenching questions such as: in a system engineered to obfuscate emotional ties, is it possible for love to flourish? What is the ultimate price of unquestioning obedience? And, in the final analysis, who do we serve? Others or ourselves?
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