It has been stated time and time again that a well-executed genre movie may be able to present a provocative, yet necessary view on recent developments within our world. While it is perhaps the most obvious choice to use the elements of drama, especially with a family at its center, to tell a story dealing with these themes, the same can be said for horror and science-fiction. Some of the most relevant and also timeless stories have utilized aspects of horror and dreams to create a vision which still resonates with audiences today. Director Yoon Eun-kyung (“Hotel Lake”) seems to share this view considering her latest feature “The Tenants” blends elements of both genres, resulting in a Kafkaesque tale about the human condition, especially the value of the individual within a system seeking to control and observe everything.
The Tenants is screening at Singapore International Film Festival
For most of his adult life, Shin-dong (Kim Dae-geon) has been working for a company selling and producing artificial meat. The living conditions in the city, as with many areas of the world, have worsened over time, with air pollution, overpopulation and expensive (if not unaffordable) housing making everyday life even worse for its inhabitants. As his landlord tries to evict him, a friend of his advises him to rent out a part of his apartment to someone else, complicating the process for the landlord and giving Shin-dong the necessary time to figure out where to move.
After a short period of time, Shin-dong welcomes an eccentric gentleman (Heo Dong-won) and his wife to his home. The couple is eager to rent the bathroom to the apartment and after a short negotiation, they move in. However, while his landlord now has to face the fact he cannot throw out his tenants as easily as he anticipated, the couple becomes a strange presence in the apartment, disturbing Shin-dong's sleep. As he confronts the husband with their behavior, he gets a glimpse just how strange matters really have become and the kind of trap he has gotten himself into.
Before you get into the story, we are introduced to this Orwellian vision of the future, which, at the same time, feels distant but also somewhat familiar. Through the voice-over of the main character, we observe what is essentially the everyday life of any office worker, even though it is made clear Shing-dong feels very detached from his surroundings, Considering the living conditions which have made going out in the city quite difficult, he has resorted to making his own little bubble within his apartment, stating quite early that he much prefers this sort of living to the company of others. Given certain events, especially the worldwide pandemic, many viewers will see the parallel between the life of the main character and the personal, presumably safe space everyone has created as a result of lockdowns and social distancing.
Check also this interview
However, “The Tenants” goes much further than being just another post-COVID movie. In fact, what Yoon Eun-kyung seems to be after is an exploration of loneliness and how society, urban architecture and politics have contributed to people seeking isolation rather than community. Kim Dae-geon plays a person who feels comfortable in his own thoughts, thus becoming estranged from the world around him. Confronted with a system whose aim is to threaten his bubble, he has to act and therefore communicate with others, igniting a nightmare which often feels surreal, but also has a distinct humor to it. For example, the main character's idea to perform certain roles, such as the “nice guy”, in order to be more presentable and communicative, while also making sure his demands are being followed, is quite comic and of course complicates matters even further. The design of the world, which has been roughly described before, parallels the main character*s deterioration as his struggle is made worse by his inability to act and communicate.
“The Tenants” is a blend of science-fiction and horror, dealing with themes such as loneliness and isolation. Yoon Eun-kyung manages to tell a story which at the same time feels outlandish and strangely familiar, highlighting perhaps the kind of development we have all gone through in the last years, as we have established our own seemingly safe spaces.
