Shenba, the main character in Netflix movie “Made in Korea,” is lost in thought at Cheonggye Stream in Seoul, where she begins to plan a new life. The film, which follows a young foreigner rebuilding her life in the Korean capital, topped weekly viewership charts last month in India as well as Morocco and Venezuela after its release. Captured from Netflix
“Made in Korea,” the Indian comedy-drama film which topped Netflix’s global non-English chart for two weeks, is set against the backdrop of Seoul.
One of its central episodes unfolds at Cheonggye Stream, where Shenba, played by Priyanka Mohan, encounters an elderly Korean woman and unburdens herself of the worries weighing on her mind. She was swindled by her boyfriend and had been working as a caregaver since moving to Korea.
The encounter eventually leads to the two opening a restaurant together. The young foreigner begins to piece her life back together, in Seoul, far from home.
For Korean audiences watching the film, one obvious question follows: Why in Cheonggye Stream though?
Shenba, the protagonist of Netflix film “Made in Korea,” speaks to an elderly woman she met at Cheonggye Stream in Seoul and talks about her plans for a new life. Captured from Netflix
“Cheonggyecheon is a place of restoration. Waterways that once vanished have returned. It reflects what our main character is going through — overcoming past wounds and beginning to piece her life back together,” director Ra Karthik told the Hankookilbo in a written interview.
“Cheonggyecheon is where that history becomes intertwined with Shenba’s story.”
Still, it is unfamiliar for Koreans to see a foreign director finding inspiration in an urban space in Seoul and use it to shape the protagonist’s arc. Barely a decade ago, Seoul was little more than a backdrop in foreign movies, for instance, when it was featured in an “Avengers” movie.
Since then, however, the city has undergone a dramatic turnaround, asserting its presence in global content. “Made in Korea,” a film entirely finance abroad, reflects that change in how Seoul is portrayed.
Source: Korea Times News
