When Twilight met Zombieland

Bullies, imply women, friendships and heartbreaks — simply your common highschool fare till the varsity turns into the epicentre of a contagious virus that turns college students and lecturers into zombies. The collection, All of Us Are Useless, continues to high Netflix’s viewing charts three months after its launch in January.

An adaptation of the favored 2009 Naver Webtoon of the identical identify, it’s directed by Lee Jae-gyu (popularly referred to as Lee JQ), who admits that he’s “dumbfounded” by the present’s world success. In an digital press convention, he says, “There’s a common fandom of the style in western narratives, however the Korean zombie style finds resonance in its emotive storytelling,” he says. “It was attention-grabbing to see how college students, who’re nonetheless on the cusp of maturity, react in a bloody battle for survival, and what drives their selections versus adults.”

For his forged, Jae-gyu selected a number of comparatively new and upcoming actors “who may very well be dimensional” of their portrayal. And Cho Yi-hyun ( Hospital Playlist 2, College 2021), Park Ji-hu ( Home of Hummingbird), Park Solomon ( Candy Revenge), Lee You-mi ( Squid Sport), and Yoon Chan-young ( Physician John) have proved to be simply that.

Classes to play useless

Yi-hyun, 22, performs the cool-headed class president, Choi Nam-ra, who steps in to assist her classmates survive the zombie outbreak. In an e mail interview with The Hindu Weekend, she shares that her character touched a chord with Gen Zers. “Nam-ra is calm and has a robust character. Her perspective via the zombie apocalypse is a mirrored image of the mindset of the present era — talking her thoughts and prepared to take cost, no matter be the danger,” she says.

A few of her most difficult sequences, each bodily and emotionally, got here after her character will get contaminated. “The method of going backwards and forwards between half-human and half-zombie was not simple. I wanted to get the emotional quotient proper. I took ‘zombie classes’ from a choreographer, to get my facial expressions and physique language proper,” she says, including, “ Twilight was an awesome reference, too — to think about a ‘vampire’ lurking inside me.’’

Not one other Squid Sport

Lately, South Korean leisure has been exploring the zombie style ( Alive, Practice to Busan, Kingdom) to deal with systemic socio and political points. The bloody battle of survival in All of Us Are Useless highlights the nation’s socio-economic disparities, poisonous masculinity, and acts of violence and bullying which have been a extreme subject in colleges.

Director Jae-gyu recollects how nervous he was concerning the present being tagged the subsequent Squid Sport. “Then Director Hwang [of Squid Game], who’s an in depth good friend, informed me that I mustn’t really feel burdened, however be grateful that the present has opened the gateway for Korean content material.”

Ok-dramas, a thriving sub class of Korean popular culture, are actually part of world mainstream leisure. Yi-hyun says it’s an thrilling time for storytellers and younger actors like her. “Because the variety of OTT platforms has elevated, so has the demand for content material. The genres and characters have turn into extra various and it’s influencing the tales we inform,” she says. (Her social media noticed over one million subscribers inside hours of All of Us Are Useless’s première.)

Although Season 2 is but to be introduced, Yi-hyun is optimistic. “My character, Nam-ra, says on the finish, ‘There are a couple of individuals like me, so I’ll maintain them.’ Judging from that line, I sit up for seeing what’s going to unfold subsequent… Extra confrontations for positive, and probably a love angle with Soo Hyuk (Park Solomon).

All of Us Are Useless is at present streaming on Netflix.

Others to observe

Jung Ho-yeon: Her debut as a North Korean deflector within the 2021 hit present, Squid Sport, has catapulted her into worldwide stardom.

The 27-year-old grew to become the primary Asian actor to bag the Display screen Actor Guild Award for Excellent Efficiency in a Drama in addition to pose on the quilt of Vogue. The actor and mannequin just lately featured in The Weeknd’s music video, ‘Out of Time’, and has been signed on for 2 Hollywood initiatives — director Alfonso Cuaron’s subsequent manufacturing, Disclaimer, and Joe Talbot’s The Governess.

Yoon Chan-young: He performs the heroic Lee Cheong-san, who sacrifices himself to save lots of his classmates, in All of Us Are Useless. The 20-year-old received the Finest Younger Actor award for Every little thing and Nothing, and Physician John, and was just lately seen taking part in a marijuana farmer within the collection Hope Or Dope. The actor has been signed on for the fantasy collection, Supply Man.

Choi Hyun-wook: The affable Ji Woong in Twenty 5 Twenty One has obtained a number of nods for his performing skills, bagging Finest New Actor on the 2021 SBS Drama Awards for Taxi Driver and Racket Boys. The 20-year-old will subsequent be seen in Weak Hero with Park Ji-hoon.

Kim Ji-Yeon (aka Bona): Enjoying fencing gold medallist Ko You Rim within the hit coming-of-age drama Twenty 5 Twenty One was a turning level for this singer-turned-actor. Bona made her debut with Hit the Prime in 2017 and was the lead within the 2018 teen drama, Women Era.

Park Solomon (aka Lomon): The reformed delinquent Lee Suhyeok from All of Us Are Useless, he gained recognition along with his 2017 position in teen drama, Candy Revenge. The mannequin and actor has just lately been signed on to star within the Disney+ collection, Third Particular person Revenge, reverse Shin Ye-eun.