Actor Ha Jung-woo’s fourth directorial work, The People Upstairs, is a carefully mischievous and oddly spirited farce, as well as a dense and provocative chamber drama infused with sharp humor. Jung-ah (Kong Hyo-jin) and her husband Hyeonsoo (Kim Dong-wook) are plagued by the couple living upstairs who seem to have a very active relationship. Every night, loud noises from above and seductively charged sounds disturb Jung-ah and Hyeonsoo. The constant racket of late-night noise makes their daily life unbearable. Yet unlike Hyeonsoo, Jung-ah shows goodwill toward the people upstairs, Sukyeong (Lee Honey) and Mr. Kim (Ha Jung-woo), even inviting them over for dinner. As expected, the meal quickly descends into chaos. What begins as polite conversation between the couples soon crosses boundaries, giving way to disarmingly candid exchanges. Eventually, their dialogue demolishes every pretense, turning into a verbal sword dance. Guided by the seasoned actors’ rhythmic dialogue and gestures that are both subtle and bold, we find ourselves drawn deeper and deeper—until we reach the innermost recesses of a couple’s heart.
