When Twilight met Zombieland

As K-drama fans continue to tune into All of Us Are Dead, director Lee Jae-gyu and actor Cho Yi-hyun discuss the emerging Korean Zombie genre, and the possibility of a season 2

Bullies, mean girls, friendships and heartbreaks — just your regular high school fare until the school becomes the epicentre of a contagious virus that turns students and teachers into zombies. The series, All of Us Are Dead, continues to top Netflix’s viewing charts three months after its release in January.

An adaptation of the popular 2009 Naver Webtoon of the same name, it is directed by Lee Jae-gyu (popularly known as Lee JQ), who admits that he is “dumbfounded” by the show’s global success. In an virtual press conference, he says, “There is a universal fandom of the genre in western narratives, but the Korean zombie genre finds resonance in its emotive storytelling,” he says. “It was interesting to see how students, who are still at the cusp of adulthood, react in a bloody battle for survival, and what drives their decisions as opposed to adults.”

For his cast, Jae-gyu chose a host of relatively new and upcoming actors “who could be dimensional” in their portrayal. And Cho Yi-hyun ( Hospital Playlist 2, School 2021), Park Ji-hu ( House of Hummingbird), Park Solomon ( Sweet Revenge), Lee You-mi ( Squid Game), and Yoon Chan-young ( Doctor John) have proved to be just that.

Yi-hyun, 22, plays the cool-headed class president, Choi Nam-ra, who steps in to help her classmates survive the zombie outbreak. In an email interview with The Hindu Weekend, she shares that her character touched a chord with Gen Zers. “Nam-ra is calm and has a strong personality. Her attitude through the zombie apocalypse is a reflection of the mindset of the current generation — speaking her mind and willing to take charge, whatever be the risk,” she says.

Some of her most challenging sequences, both physically and emotionally, came after her character gets infected. “The process of going back and forth between half-human and half-zombie was not easy. I needed to get the emotional quotient right. I took ‘zombie lessons’ from a choreographer, to get my facial expressions and body language right,” she says, adding, “ Twilight was a great reference, too — to imagine a ‘vampire’ lurking within me.’’

In recent years, South Korean entertainment has been exploring the zombie genre ( Alive, Train to Busan, Kingdom) to address systemic socio and political issues. The bloody battle of survival in All of Us Are Dead highlights the country’s socio-economic disparities, toxic masculinity, and acts of violence and bullying that have been a severe issue in schools.

Director Jae-gyu recalls how nervous he was about the show being tagged the next Squid Game. “Then Director Hwang [of Squid Game], who is a close friend, told me that I should not feel burdened, but be grateful that the show has opened the gateway for Korean content.”