Sweet Home: 10 Hours of Absolute Thrill | By Jeypraba A/P Veerapan
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| Source: Netflix. |
As I am writing this, I hear strange creaking noises in my room and I am scared out of my wits. Scenes of monsters devouring humans flash before my eyes as my heartbeat rapidly increases. I am prepared to run out of my room when I discover the source of the noise: my table fan. Maybe staying up late to write a review on a horror drama I just finished watching wasn’t a good idea after all.
[TL;DR: SPOILER-FREE]
Popular Netflix series Sweet Home tells the story of Cha Hyun-Soo, a suicidal 19-year-old who is trapped in an apartment complex with his neighbours when a strange phenomenon causes people to turn into man-eating monsters. The main theme of Sweet Home is that there is always more than meets the eye, and every character in this series is not what they seem on the surface. From the apparently bad gangster to the former ballerina with an attitude—they all have a story to tell, which adds so much depth and flavour to the series.
Main character Cha Hyun-Soo is played by 27-year-old actor Song Kang, who displays amazing acting skills in bringing his complex character to life. In the series, Song Kang had to play three different versions of himself—a suicidal teenager, his happier past self and a monstrous hallucination version of himself. A challenging task, but Song Kang managed to pull it off so well.
Sweet Home also stars Lee Si-Young as Seo Yi-Kyeong, a tough firefighter whose action scenes are nothing short of impressive. Additionally, Lee Jin-Wook is cast as Pyeon Sang-Wook, a mysterious and eye-catching persona who is best described as chaotic good.
What I like most about Sweet Home is that it forms a deep bond between its many characters who will bring you through a 10-episode emotional roller-coaster ride. What I didn’t like so much about the series is its not-so-realistic CGI. I expected more from a Netflix series which costs $2.4 million per episode. As for the ending, all I have to say is that it left me with more questions than answers.
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| Source: Netflix |
Overall, I would rate this series 8.5/10. Suspenseful, intriguing and well-written. 10 hours of absolute thrill and awe that will pass by in the blink of an eye and leave you longing for more. If you are a fan of horror and thriller, you are in for a treat as this series is heavy on terror and gore in addition to a generous amount of well-choreographed action scenes. Even if you are not a horror fan, I am sure that the show’s superb plot and stellar acting would impress you nevertheless.
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| Source: Netflix |
[SPOILER VERSION, so be warned!]
Sweet Home is a 10-episode Netflix original series which premiered on 18 December 2020 and ranked top in 10 countries including Malaysia, Taiwan, and South Korea. From director Lee Eung-Bok, who also famously directed Descendants of the Sun and Goblin, Sweet Home is an adaptation of a wildly popular webtoon which recorded a stunning 1.2 billion net views on Line Webtoon.
Sweet Home starts with the story of Cha Hyun-Soo (played by actor Song Kang), a suicidal 19-year-old who lost his whole family in a car crash and had to move into a dilapidated apartment complex called Green Home. Green Home houses many mysterious and questionable characters who were forced to band together for survival when the tenants began to transform into terrifying man-eating monsters. Green Home is a far cry from the usual beautiful and pristine sceneries we are so accustomed to thanks to South Korean rom-coms like Crash Landing On You. It is unapologetically dirty, raw and real.
Sweet Home also stars Lee Si-Young as Seo Yi-Kyeong, a tough firefighter who lost her fiancé two days before her wedding and Lee Jin-Wook as Pyeon Sang-Wook, a mysterious man whom everyone mistakes for a gangster.
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| Source: Netflix |
The Theme: There’s More Than Meets the Eye
The one thing that I quickly noticed while watching this series is that every character is not what they seem to be on the surface and makes one itch to know more. For instance, in the early episodes, Pyeon Sang-Wook was portrayed as a gangster who tortures people in his room, but the later episodes tell a different story.
It is satisfying to peel off the layers of the characters one by one in a span of 10 episodes. Frustrating, yes, but worthwhile as you slowly unfold their stories after getting sucked into their world. You will find yourself at the edge of your seat trying to figure out what is going on. I find it impressive that the showrunners managed to build depth behind each character even though it is a relatively short series with a runtime of just 50 minutes per episode. It is also refreshing that minor characters are given the opportunity to shine with their own suspenseful narrative while the focus on the main narrative is not lost. A wonderful balance in storytelling.
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| Source: GOKpop |
The Cast and Characters:
1. Song Kang as Cha Hyun-Soo
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| Source: Netflix |
Cha Hyun-Soo is a character that you want to just hug and tell him that everything’s going to be alright. First, he was bullied at school, then his parents just had to make him feel worse by trivializing his struggles and the final blow was when his whole family died in a car accident, leaving him to fend for himself at such a tender age. All these horrible things that happened to him proved to be too much to handle as he tried to take his own life multiple times, albeit unsuccessfully.
Actor Song Kang showcased superb acting skills in portraying not only a troubled, depressed teen, but also his happier past self in addition to a hallucination version of himself. The 26-year-old actor said in an interview that he would arrive on the set 20 minutes before the shoot just to get into Cha Hyun-Soo’s character. He also tried to focus on his introversion and the darkness within himself as much as he could during filming. Not an easy task, but Song Kang managed to pull it off flawlessly.
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| Source: Netflix |
2. Lee Si-Young as Seo Yi-Kyeong
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| Source: Netflix |
Lee Si-Young’s action scenes are something to look forward to. The 38-year-old actress trained for six months to gain muscles for her role and it definitely paid off.
In episode four, Seo Yi-Kyeong was caught by a spider monster when she went to the utility room alone to turn the electricity back on after a blackout. She skillfully escaped the spider cocoon she was trapped in and even fought off the monster all by herself. Seo Yi-Kyeong is a vital character in the series as her fiancé, whom she thought was dead, actually knew about people turning into monsters way before all hell broke loose. Her loyalty is put to the test when the military offered to let her uncover the truth about her fiancé’s mysterious “death” in return for bringing them Cha Hyun-Soo, a “special infectee” who might be key for a cure. It was rather interesting that Seo Yi-Kyeong did not disclose her location to the military despite the possibility that her fiancé and father to her unborn child might still be alive.
3. Lee Jin-Wook as Pyeon Sang-Wook
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| Source: Netflix |
Pyeon Sang-Wook caught my attention from the beginning. He emits a dark, mysterious aura and looks as if he has a tragic story to tell. In the first few episodes, I was dying to know the reasons for his questionable actions. In one scene, he is torturing an unknown man in his room and in the next, he is saving a helpless girl from a monster attack. It’s like, he is a bad guy, but that does not mean that he is a bad guy. Pyeon Sang-Wook could be best described as chaotic good.
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| Source: Meming Wiki |
Over a span of 10 episodes, Sang-Wook showcases impressive character growth as in the beginning, his sole reason to live was to avenge a child’s death, but he later becomes an admirable character as he fights alongside his comrades and learns to care for others. The scene where he murders the child killer is truly satisfying to watch and I find myself rooting for him till the end of the series. Lee Jin-Wook did an amazing job in portraying this multi-dimensional character who went through so much pain and tragedy in life.
Personal Thoughts:
My first thought when I started watching this drama is that this drama is weird. The characters are eccentric—from the ballet-dancing girl on the rooftop to the aunty giving her rotten fish to the security guard as an act of noblesse oblige. The series made me very uncomfortable at times but in my opinion, that’s what makes it so appealing. The characters are so strange that I want to know more about them and their stories. The cast managed to successfully build emotional attachment between the many characters in just 10 episodes and throughout the series, you will find yourself sympathizing with the characters as they face their deepest fears and fight for their lives.
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| Source: Netflix |
However, I was slightly let down by some of the CGI in Sweet Home. While the practical effects were extremely realistic—nosebleeds, broken bones and missing limbs—the computer generated effects were not as smooth. For a Netflix series which costs a whopping $2.4 million per episode, I expected more.
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| Source: Netflix |
Another aspect that I’m dissatisfied with is the fact that they did not provide enough backstory for the katana-wielding character, Jung Jae-Heon played by actor Kim Nam-Hee. Jung Jae-Heon piqued my interest when he started wielding a katana (long, single-edged Japanese sword) in the series to slay monsters. I was so curious about the katana but to my disappointment, they did not tell his story till the end.
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| Source: Netflix |
I was quite surprised that they kept introducing new characters to the story even in the last few episodes. I was constantly wondering if they would be able to cleanly wrap up the series in just a few more episodes. The answer to that is no. The ending raised so many questions: Was Pyeon Sang-Wook’s body taken over by Jung Ui-Myeong or is he still alive because he is turning? Did Lee Eun-Hyeok really die? Where were the survivors taken to by the military? Why did Seo Yi-Kyeong leave her job in the special forces to become a firefighter? If the ending is anything to go by, there will be a season two even though director Lee Eung-Bok stated that there are no such plans for now.
Sweet Home is available for streaming on Netflix.
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