Politics of Violence
It is a truth universally acknowledged that if a movie has a death game, it must be related to Battle Royale. For the purpose of this article, and perhaps a proposal for future discussions, let us consider “death games” as a genre with its own genre markers. For example, participants tend to include those ranging from pacifists to sadists, the game is usually for the entertainment of a person or group with power (be it money, governmental, or both), and settings often include islands, forests, or locked-down facilities.
In reality, it would be better to place the cinematic beginning of the death game genre with the 1932 film, The Most Dangerous Game. “Game” has two meanings—the first is the idea of a game that is played, but the other is an animal hunted for resources, trophies, or entertainment. The elusive Russian Count Zaroff has become bored with standard “big game” hunting and has moved on to man—the most dangerous game. Sourcing his prey from shipwrecked boats next to his private island, he makes a deal with another big game hunter who has become his prey on the island—with a hunting knife and lead he has until midnight until the hunt begins and 4 am to survive. The setting, life or death stakes, “evening” the playing field have become expectations of the films to come. What has remained has also been the motivation of those that enjoy the bloodshed—ennui of the wealthy.
Would You Rather, while vastly different in many aspects, is hosted at the behest of a wealthy “benefactor”. This term is used lightly, as his dinner party for cash strapped guests results in nearly all their deaths. His style of game is to choose to face their deepest fears and traumas and the value of the lives around them. The protagonist, Iris, is given the option to leave empty-handed, but with a clear conscience. Of course, her conscience cannot be completely clear when she is attempting to save the life of her brother with the money she would get, as well as a donor for his bone marrow transplant.
Source: IMDB
Before getting into Squid Game’s spoilers—Battle Royale. Specifically, a difference that is in a way also a similarity. The purpose of Battle Royale’s game is not for the wealthy. In contrast, it is a government program to curb juvenile delinquency. It would be remiss to discuss Battle Royale without discussing Japan’s culture at this time. These fears about the youth were not new and had persisted through student demonstrations following the Post-War constitution. These student protests, while primarily led by college students, were an inspiration for the writer of the novel Battle Royale, Takami Koushun. The director of the film, Fukasaku Kenji, said that he was drawn to the source novel due to his own childhood experience working at a munitions factory during World War II. Only 15, his classmates and him were struck by an air raid attack—with no choice other than to remain in place and hide under the cover of friends. After the living were forced to dispose of the corpses, Fukasaku realized the adults had lied and could not be trusted. The youth of Battle Royale hold a hatred and resentment towards adults for their deceit, their cruelty—both on a systematic and personal scale. Shinji’s bomb textbook that he uses is Hara Hara Tokei—The East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front’s book on bomb-making and guerilla warfare. The term “battle royale” came to Takami from the world of wrestling. In a battle royale, alliances are formed and broken as the fight goes on—deceit and cruelty to each other are also necessary.
It’s no surprise that Battle Royale was an inspiration for Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. With the opportunity to turn Squid Game into a series, instead of his original plan for a feature film, there are many topics that are discussed which are interlinked through class struggle. While many of the following topics and themes are not restricted to a single character, often one character is used to tell that perspective to the fullest. For example, Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) and other players all have massive amounts of debt. Seong Gi-hun’s story describes a reality for many South Koreans as the household debt in South Korea is around $1.6 Trillion in USD. The automotive strike that he suffers PTSD from was a real event, the 2009 Ssangyang Motor Strike, which caused numerous deaths, injuries, and suicides after the fact. Abdul Ali (Player 199) represents the migrant workers in South Korea facing terrible working conditions and what amounts to an estimated $126.6 Million USD in unpaid wages.
Source: Netflix
The story treads more carefully with Kang Sae-byeok (Player 067) with her status as a North Korean defector. When Kang says that she came to South Korea because she “thought things were good here” she doesn’t respond when Ji-yeong asks, “Were you right?”. Due to South Korean censorship laws about media surrounding North Korea-based in the 1948 National Security Act, silence is the most honest answer Kang can give. Viewers can fill in the blanks—her family’s struggle to only get her and her brother into South Korea, her status as an outsider, the broker needing more money to get her mother over—feeling the need to play in the games is an answer in itself.
Episode 2 makes it clear in its title that South Korean life for most is “Hell”. A less than 1% chance at escaping it is better than living in a purgatory that can still cost their life. The games are only a choice for the VIPs who chose to view them and Oh Il-nam (Player 001). Oh Il-nam made his fortune from lending money, but at the amount that he has made, it is not a wild stretch to assume he was a predatory lender. He describes himself and those with an excess of wealth as living in ennui. While wrongly, drawing Seong Gi-hun and other poor people to be just the same. Seong and the other players didn’t choose the game for enjoyment, but for survival. Oh, and the VIPs enjoy the dehumanization with no risk. The justification Oh gives everyone gave their signatures neglects the outside pressures that coerced the players to sign the contract.
Squid Game and Battle Royale are enjoyable for all audiences, but it is easy and far too common for the cultural messages to be lost, or ignored, in translation. Battle Royale being reduced to just a “weird Japanese movie”, Squid Game as a “Battle Royale copy”, or them as just “violent” neglects to acknowledge the messages within them that are specific to their home countries’ history.
Sources: https://archive.ph/www.battleroyalethemovie.com
https://www.ft.com/content/dde09e0c-f999-4c87-b0a2-51439064f17a
https://libcom.org/news/death-toll-mounts-after-defeat-2009-ssangyong-strike-15042011
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20211011000208
