For some South Koreans, "Squid Game" hits too close to home
CBSN
Seoul, South Korea — "Squid Game," a brutal Netflix survival drama about desperate adults competing in deadly children's games for a chance to escape severe debt, hit a little too close to home for Lee Chang-keun. The show has captivated global audiences since its September debut on its way to becoming Netflix's biggest hit ever. It has struck raw nerves at home, where there's growing discontent over soaring personal debt, decaying job markets and stark income inequalities worsened by financial crises in the past two decades. In the dystopian horrors of "Squid Game," Lee sees a reflection of himself in the show's protagonist Seong Gi-hun, a laid-off autoworker coping with a broken family and struggling with constant business failures and gambling problems.
Seong gets beaten by gangster creditors into signing off his organs as collateral, but then receives a mysterious offer to play in a series of six traditional Korean children's games for a shot at winning $38 million.
Trying to capture a life in film – never mind one as complex as that of Amy Winehouse – can be a challenge. When it comes to biographical films, critics often fire from both sides, calling them exploitative or sanitized. It's not for the faint-hearted director. But according to Sam Taylor-Johnson, "There's something about tackling difficult subjects where I just think, come on, let's go!"
Comanche chanting kicked off the Southwestern Association for Indian Art's inaugural runway show, as singer Marla Nauni opened with a blessing song for Native people. Peshawn Bread, the designer behind House of Sutai, quickly followed the prayer by sending a model in bell bottoms and roller skates down the runway to set the tone for her colorful disco-influenced collection.
Malmo, Sweden — Not everyone was welcoming the Eurovision Song Contest to the Swedish city of Malmo. Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested in the Swedish port city Thursday against Israel's participation in the pan-continental pop competition. Protesters waving green, white and red Palestinian flags packed the historic Stortorget square near Malmo's 16th-century town hall before a planned march through the city for a rally in a park several miles from the Eurovision venue.
On the heels of his third Super Bowl championship and in the thick of unstoppable fanfare over his relationship, Travis Kelce is apparently moving into a different kind of spotlight. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end has confirmed he's attached to the upcoming television series "Grotesquerie," from "American Horror Story" creator Ryan Murphy. According to Deadline, the venture will mark Kelce's acting debut.