Queenmaker Review: An Electoral Campaign Between Cheating and Hypocrisy
Cast: Kim Hee-ae, Moon So-ri, Ryu Soo-young
Creators: Oh Jin-seok, Moon Ji-young
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Queenmaker (Kwinmeikeo) is Korean series, Original Netflix, with 11 episodes, and the story of a strong female consultant. According to many cinematic representations, behind every great figure of power, there is another, even more powerful, who pulls the strings of the events. Queenmaker tells all the political subterfuges that exist behind the rich and powerful family at the head of Eunsung. The series, currently formed by a single season of eleven episodes, each about an hour long, is a South Korean political drama produced by Netflix. Written by Moon Ji-young and directed by Oh Jin-Seok, Queenmaker is characterized by a cast of figures known mainly in the national film scene: we find the actress Kim Hee-ae in the role of Hwang Do-hee. Moon So-Riplays Oh Seung-sook, a human rights lawyer fighting for the rights of working women; next to them we have Ryu Soo-young in the role of Baek Jae-min.
Queenmaker (Kwinmeikeo) Review: The Story Plot
Hwang is the leading figure in the Eunsung company, Son Young-sim’s right-hand man for more than ten years. Hwang is the one who takes care of solving all the problems caused by the various members of Son’s family, hiding secret skeletons and keeping the reputation of the noble lineage clean. Hwang is, together with Baek Jae-min, husband of one of Son’s daughters, an external figure, and therefore never totally accepted for this; she is treated like the family watchdog.
When Jae-min will commit yet another abuse on one of the girls who work at Eunsung, who will commit suicide in desperation, Hwang will refuse to cover up this crime too, leaving the company forever. At this point, Son will turn against her: a continuous war will be established between the two which will be fought on the battlefield of the elections for the mayor of the city of Seoul; while Son will try in every way to bring his son-in-law to victory, Hwang will collaborate with Oh Seung-sook, an extravagant lawyer for human rights and workers.
Queenmaker Review and Analysis
An interesting feature of Queenmaker is the fact that several relevant and interesting social issues are touched upon. The series, as a political drama, analyzes the reality of politics and electoral campaigns: it is not the first time that these issues have been brought to the big screen. So far there have been many series and films with similar themes: think of the series Scandal by Shonda Rhimes and House of Cards with Kevin Spacey. An element that unites these three examples is the fact that the place of setting is always the United States of America. Instead, in Queenmaker the political element merges with the South Korean cultural context, characterized by specific behaviors and traditions. An element to note right from the first episodes, before the actual start of the electoral campaign, is the role of the media; these are easily maneuvered by Hwang herself. Stories are woven from simple photos or unconfirmed news, to create strong mobilizations even on social networks.
Another factor that makes Queenmaker a captivating series is the presence of many strong and determined female figures; looking at the series with a keen eye, it emerges that all the most established, most powerful characters are women. Think of Ms. Son, head of the colossal Eunsung company, or even of the lawyer Oh Seung-sook, so tied to her cause for the protection of working women that she occupied the roof of one of the Eunsung skyscrapers for weeks on end.
The whole Queenmaker series is structured on the contrast between the political and economic elites, represented by the Einsung group, and by all the rest of the people, represented by Hwang and Oh Seung-sook. Son and Jae-in, from the top of their skyscrapers, impose themselves with all their strength on everyone, bribing and blackmailing for their gain; for this, they feel invincible. The same elections are only a way to obtain greater power, and to win they are also willing to cheat the poorest, considered as inferior and insignificant. Hwang herself, despite having been part of the noble world of Son for far too long, has never really been accepted: she was and has remained only a subordinate, a watchdog to be exploited.
Queenmaker, with her subterfuges and twists, keeps the viewer’s attention steady, while referring to the model of the political drama already seen several times in the cinema. This sense of superiority expressed by all members of the Son family also emerges from the inhuman and degrading treatment with which all employees are sometimes treated. Jae-min himself has no qualms about sexually taking advantage of his secretary, simply seen as an inferior woman: sometimes, alongside class discrimination, there is also veiled gender discrimination.
Queenmaker Review: The Last Words
The original formula for success was a series of revenge. like popular Korean television shows. But people still like it that way. By Korean series standards, the action continues to be entertaining. The narrative is gripping. thrilled by the history of political battles that used the media to attack one another. In any case, the weakness is that the entire story has just this kind of occasion, endlessly turning. No other political strategies were utilized. Until it becomes a show that plays with shallow politics. The antagonist for each character is excessively bad, leaving nothing positive. And in the end, it has little effect.
