In 2016, a South Korean zombie film titled Train to Busan took the world by storm. The highest-grossing domestic release of that year now holds a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, proving its international appeal. However, not all fans know that the film is part of a series, and The story begins with the animated film by creator Yeon Sang-ho Seoul Station. Where Train to Busan disarmed audiences with its combination of bloody violence and moving drama, Seoul Station The incisive social commentary makes the viewing experience that much more intense.
Train to Busan features a selfish businessman who finally learns to prioritize his family during the crisis, offering a general critique of capitalist greed. Meanwhile, the deeply flawed stars of Seoul Station struggle with extreme disadvantage (disability, mental illness, poverty and homelessness) and their stories forcefully address serious political issues, despite the film's fantastical premise and the abstract effect of the animation.
Seoul Station and the Train to Busan Tell Connected Stories with Very Different Tones
Train to Busan begins with an infected young woman falling onto the titular vehicle and infecting other passengers, forcing a cynical fund manager to selflessly protect his young daughter. This unnamed actress appears on screen for only a few minutes, but she is the star of Seoul Station. Hye-sun (Shim Eun-kyung), a prostitute on the verge of losing her home, abandons her abusive boyfriend Ki-woong (Lee Joon) as a zombie outbreak ravages the South Korean capital. Hye-sun's father, Suk-gyu (Ryu Seung-ryong), forms an uneasy alliance with Ki-woong to find his runaway daughter before it's too late.
Yeong Sang-ho's series
Infernal
AND
Parasyte: The Grey
are available for streaming on Netflix.
Seoul Station AND Train to Busan They're both father-daughter films about overcoming your flaws, but the brutal animated film has a stronger social message. Hye-sun is a weak-willed coward, Ki-woong is a narcissistic wannabe pimp, and Suk-gyu becomes incredibly sadistic. The most sympathetic characters are the homeless; the first 20 minutes show the spread of the virus among this endangered population, offering a vivid depiction of the impact of a crisis on people with absolutely no resources, whom society blames for its own misfortunes.
Yeon designed Seoul Station to have strong political significance, complementing real-life demonstrations calling for the impeachment of corrupt President Park Geun-hye. Park's policies heavily favored corporations and contributed to extreme economic inequality. Yeon told Korean Cinema Today:
(I imagined) making an interesting zombie film in which zombies are among the people protesting for the democratization of Korea. The work will be quite different from previous zombie films. One could think of the film as a kind of fairy tale disguised as a genre film.
That said, while Seoul Station the message is deadly serious, but it is also a relentlessly emotional example of hanguk aeni (Korean animation) with lots of exciting and stylish action sequences. The final act of the film makes it clear that Hye-sun appears at the beginning of Train to Busanbut knowing his fate does not make him Seoul Station less exciting to watch.
Seoul Station and Train to Busan are both 2016 releases, but the animated film came out first.
Seoul Station he was released three months later Train to Busan and is generally considered a prequel: a flashback film conceived After an original version. However, not only the story of Seoul Station happen before Train to Busanbut the animated film was developed first. Interviews suggest that Train to Busan was inspired by Seoul Stationand, as an animator at heart, Yeon Sang-ho never imagined he would try his hand at a live-action film. He told Screen Daily:
With
Train to Busan
I just got the idea for a psychological thriller about what happens the next day
Seoul Station
and I didn't think of directing it myself. But [distributor Next Entertainment World] they kept suggesting live-action, and they suggested expanding the idea. It's a good thing they did that.
The series continued to expand, with the 2020 standalone sequel Peninsulawhose post-apocalyptic depiction of a militia-ridden community recalls George Romero's Land of the Dead. In 2022, Yeon teased the development of another film that would take place in the same universe. Meanwhile, V/C/S regular Timo Tjahjanto and Salem's Lot Director Gary Dauberman has edited an American film Train to Busan remake titled Last train to New YorkThe film was originally scheduled for release in 2023 and has since been delayed, but not yet cancelled.
If and when the remake comes out, it will be interesting to see how it addresses economic inequality and social justice. The success of The last train to Busan AND Seoul Station demonstrates that these issues have international appeal, as does the popularity of theories centered on class struggle Squid Game AND Parasite. Some things may get lost in translation in foreign remakes, but such cultural exchanges can also highlight concerns that unite us all.