Noisy neighbours are an all-too-common scourge of Asia's overcrowded cities, but what do you do when their intimate nocturnal antics become too loud to ignore?
For the protagonists of Ha Jung-woo's "The People Upstairs," which just premiered at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, a direct approach backfires spectacularly, leading to an uncomfortable and frequently hilarious dinner party between two wildly different couples.
This relocated adaptation of Cesc Gay's "Sentimental" is the latest in a string of Korean remakes of Spanish films, which also includes "Door Lock" and "Intimate Strangers" (both from 2018).
The new film stars Gong Hyo-jin and Kim Dong-wook as a married couple whose relationship has grown so stagnant that they sleep in separate rooms and avoid any semblance of intimacy.
When the incessant moans, gasps and repetitive thumping sounds from the couple upstairs become unbearable, Jung-ah (Gong) resolves to confront their new neighbours.
But when she learns that it is her favourite online therapist, Kim Su-gyeong (Lee Hanee), and her husband (Ha Jung-woo) who live above them, she invites them to dinner instead – and the couple prove warm, affectionate and friendly.
Rather than chastising them for their disruptive behaviour, Hyun-su (Kim) and Jung-ah soon find themselves being wooed and seduced into a world of swinging, partner swapping and group sex that could not be further from their cold, repressed lifestyle.
Unfolding entirely within a single apartment, "The People Upstairs" has the feeling of a stage play, but Ha does a great job at establishing a breezy pace and lighthearted tone, gifting himself a number of the film's best moments as the playfully unabashed "Pikachu" Kim.
While this is a film about breaking down conservative attitudes towards sex and normalising a plethora of kinks and fetishes, "The People Upstairs" remains at its heart a wholesome film that reinforces monogamy and traditional family values.
Gong Hyo-jin, left, and Lee Hanee in a still from "The People Upstairs" by4m studio
All of the salacious content is confined to playfully exaggerated noises and rapid-fire dialogue, with nothing even vaguely considered erotic appearing on screen.
The film marks the fourth time Ha has stepped behind the camera, and is far and away his most adept offering yet, displaying growing technical skills and confidence without diminishing his abilities as a performer.
This cheeky comedy of manners dares to broach some surprisingly steamy subject matter and boasts several big-name cameos that speak to Ha's popularity within the industry.
While the film certainly could have gone further, never going so far as to condone the Kims' unconventional behaviour, it does earn plenty of big laughs at the expense of the prudish and closed-minded.
