[Drama 2022] Model Family, 모범가족 -Jung Woo, Park Hee-Soon, Yoon Jin Seo

[larus]

Director Kim Jin-woo of 'A Model Family' looks to break the perfect stigma

 

Director Kim Jin-woo of upcoming Netflix original series “A Model Family” is attempting to dismantle the stigma of words “model” and “family” through his series.
 
“A Model Family,” which will be released on the streaming platform Friday, tells the story of a very ordinary, model family that one day becomes entangled with drug cartels. The narrative starts off showing the breadwinner of the family, Dong-ha, portrayed by Jung Woo, who is on the verge of bankruptcy and divorce. With a teenage daughter and a sick son in desperate need of a heart transplant, he needs money, when all of a sudden he comes across just that — in a car on an empty road, a bag full of bills, and two bodies.
 
The series uses the cash bag and drug cartels to draw in other characters in the story in order to ask viewers what defines the ideas of exemplary and family.

 

“The meaning of the word ‘model’ is given by others based only on your exterior elements,” Kim explained at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul in eastern Seoul on Tuesday. “People often use the word to describe others without really knowing their inner thoughts or circumstances. In some ways, the word is irresponsible.
 
“Family is something that we are innately born into, we cannot be pre-educated or know in advance how to form a family,” he continued. “Particularly regarding our local culture, we have a distinctive social stigma on what defines a family, and what kind of family is considered to be exemplary. By seeing the story of Dong-ha’s family, I wanted viewers to think about how can we really define those two words.”
 
The local sentiment related to family is what differentiates his work from other similar stories. After the trailer’s release last month, some commented that the narrative resembles American crime drama series “Ozark,” which is also a Netflix original.
 
“I have heard from people who’ve read the script that [it is similar to] ‘Ozark,’ and though I believe the two series use similar elements [such as money laundering and drug cartels], I haven’t seen the series before I heard such opinions,” Kim said. “Then I purposefully did not watch the series because I thought it would involuntarily affect me [and ‘A Model Family].”
 
Other leads are Park Hee-soon who portrays Gwang-cheol, the infamous drug cartel’s second-in-command who chases after the cash bag; Yoon Jin-seo as Dong-ha’s wife Eun-joo; and Park Ji-yeon as a cop named Joo-hyun who is on the chase after the drug cartel.
 

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]

 

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/08/09/entertainment/television/A-Model-Family-Netflix/20220809170213980.html

 

 

Netflix’s next Ozark is a nerve-shredding Korean series coming this week

 

It’s been said that there are really only two kinds of stories. They amount to the following: Either, a man goes on a journey. Or, alternatively, a stranger comes to town. In the case of a new Netflix series like the Korean drama A Model Family, however, let’s go ahead and add a third option to that list in light of the series debuting on the streamer this week:

A desperate man will do anything for his family.

Debuting on Netflix on August 12, A Model Family combines elements that will seem familiar to fans of Ozark, along with the presence of actors from some of the biggest and best Korean dramas in recent memory. This series’ cast includes Jung Woo from Reply 1994; Park Ji-yeon from Hospital Playlist 2; and Park Hee-soon from My Name.

 

A Model Family on Netflix

Here’s how Netflix describes A Model Family. “A crime thriller that takes place as Dong-ha, the ordinary head of the household on the verge of bankruptcy and divorce, accidentally discovers the dead man’s money and is desperately intertwined with a criminal organization.”

 

 

Therein is the comparison, at least for me, to something like Netflix’s Ozark. In the latter case, an otherwise normal family man finds himself pursuing a last-ditch idea of working for a drug cartel as a money-launderer. He keeps digging himself deeper, in order to save his family.

In the case of A Model Family, the patriarch here — a cast-strapped professor — eventually comes to realize that the only way to save his family, beset by one problem after another, is for him to work as a courier for the cartel that he stole money from.

 

Put A Model Family on your list if you’re a fan of crime thrillers as well as Korean drama, something that Netflix excels at better than almost every other major streaming service. For proof, here are 5 of the best Korean dramas that you can watch on Netflix right now.

 

https://bgr.com/entertainment/netflixs-next-ozark-is-a-nerve-shredding-korean-series-coming-this-week/

 

 

 

 

 

[larus]

A Model Family review – South Korea’s answer to Breaking Bad is a thrill ride

byJonathon Wilson

 

This review of A Model Family Season 1 is spoiler-free. You can check out all of our coverage of this show by clicking these words.

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Those of us who were watching South Korean television long before Squid Game became an international phenomenon weren’t exactly surprised by that show’s record-breaking success. In fact, it had felt like just a matter of time before something from the region entered and reshaped the cultural zeitgeist, and Squid Game, with its simple premise, resonant themes, and meme-ready presentation, was just the first to get there. A Model Family might be the next one. There’s nothing new or even especially interesting about it, which might be the point. It takes a well-worn Western subgenre — the desperate times, desperate measures thriller typified by stuff like Breaking Bad, Ozark, and Your Honor — and delivers it in a slick and efficient binge-ready ten-episode package.

 

The simple premise runs thusly. Park Dong-ha is a man at the end of his tether. After banking his family’s future on achieving tenure, which he attempted to bribe his way into, he’s left completely adrift in his own failure. His wife, Eun-ju, wants to divorce him and isn’t afraid of telling the kids, Hyun-woo and Yeon-woo, that she has had enough. Hyun-woo, though, has a heart condition and will die without a transplant, so the family’s bank balance isn’t just a matter of pride but of life and death.

 

So, when Dong-ha happens upon a van containing two dead bodies and a holdall stuffed with cash, he does what any desperate father would do — he steals the moolah and buries all the evidence in his backyard. Of course, the dough belongs to some unsavory types who want it back and it quickly becomes apparent that Dong-ha is hugely out of his depth. But it also becomes apparent at the end of the first episode that the family he’s risking everything to provide for might not be all they seem either.

Nothing further on the plot from me, at least not here. But that should suffice to give you a decent sense of what A Model Family is trying to achieve. It might not be a direct remake like the recent South Korean re-do of Money Heist, but it’s obvious that the point here is to one-up recent Western variations of the same theme, and that doubles as a clever marketing ploy. “Oh, you liked Ozark?” this show seems to ask, “Well, here’s how you do that kind of thing properly.” And just like that, there’s an audience knocking at the door, eager to either prove the show right or wrong. Either way, it gets watched, tweeted about, and discussed.

 

So, when Dong-ha happens upon a van containing two dead bodies and a holdall stuffed with cash, he does what any desperate father would do — he steals the moolah and buries all the evidence in his backyard. Of course, the dough belongs to some unsavory types who want it back and it quickly becomes apparent that Dong-ha is hugely out of his depth. But it also becomes apparent at the end of the first episode that the family he’s risking everything to provide for might not be all they seem either.

Nothing further on the plot from me, at least not here. But that should suffice to give you a decent sense of what A Model Family is trying to achieve. It might not be a direct remake like the recent South Korean re-do of Money Heist, but it’s obvious that the point here is to one-up recent Western variations of the same theme, and that doubles as a clever marketing ploy. “Oh, you liked Ozark?” this show seems to ask, “Well, here’s how you do that kind of thing properly.” And just like that, there’s an audience knocking at the door, eager to either prove the show right or wrong. Either way, it gets watched, tweeted about, and discussed.

 

For the most part, I’d say people will walk away pretty satisfied. Dong-ha isn’t as capable a protagonist as, say, Walter White, a guy who found himself in over his head but at least had some expertise to fall back on. Dong-ha is a bit of an idiot, and a lot of the suspense stems from him constantly making bad decisions. But the addition of a more familial mystery that existed before Dong-ha even made the ill-advised decision to take the money in the first place adds a different texture and prevents A Model Family from feeling too reiterative. It’s still a very familiar setup, but the devil is in the details, after all.

 

https://readysteadycut.com/2022/08/12/a-model-family-review-south-koreas-answer-to-breaking-bad-is-a-thrill-ride/

[larus]

A Model Family – Netflix Series Review

Posted by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard

 

 

 

 

A MODEL FAMILY is new Netflix crime-thriller series from South Korea. If you’re already familiar with some of the other amazing South Korean genre productions (film and series), then there will be a few familiar faces in key roles.

In this series, the episodes are around 45 minutes in runtime and you get 10 episodes to the season. As always with South Korean productions, it’s very character-driven. And also, does not hold back on realistic depictions of violence. Including the clumsiness of it.

Continue reading our A Model Family series review below. It premieres on Netflix on August 12, 2022.

Lots of plot twists in A Model Family

The first major plot twist of A Model Family comes at the end of episode 1. Obviously, this will make you want to hurry on to episode 2. And in episode 2, you’ll get another plot twist fairly early on. It’s not these crazy or wild things, but rather plot elements that play with our assumptions and expectations.

While this South Korean Netflix series might be a bit slow-burn, there is plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. The season has 10 episodes and is off to a bloody and very violent start from episode 2.

In other words, you don’t have to worry about being caught up in some drama without any action. This is a thriller that takes place in the criminal underworld. The main character is a college teacher who suddenly gets caught up in this world when he sees the opportunity to make some easy money.

To be fair, he is also in desperate need of money. Both because he’s an idiot who took a gamble that didn’t pan out his way and because his young son needs a new heart.

Some familiar faces in the South Korean Netflix series

While the new South Korean Netflix series has many faces you might not find familiar, there are also several actors, you should recognize. Mostly if you’re a fan of awesome genre films or series, obviously.

The lead character – who really is quite a loser – is portrayed by Woo Jung (A Werewolf Boy). One of the main bad guys is played by Park Hee-soon who we saw most recently in the Apple TV+ series Dr. Brain. Also in the cast are Kim Shin-rock (Hellbound) and Oh Kwang-rok (Park Chan-wook’s Lady Vengeance).

As always with South Korean storytelling, no one is all good or all bad. Everyone is flawed and everyone can do both good and bad no matter their past. This is one of the best things about South Korean genre productions. Well, to me, anyway!

It certainly makes for stories that can surprise and evolve in unexpected ways.

 

Also, unlike South Korean productions that are made for national television and then sold to Netflix, the season is shorter as is each episode. With a runtime of around 45 minutes and 10 episodes to the season, it’s a classic Netflix series.

Of course, the style is still very much classic South Korean storytelling and has extremely high production value. You could take many shots from any episode of this series and make them into a poster. Gorgeous lighting and composition. And even without the amazing visuals, the story (and acting) holds up.

 

Kim Jin-woo is the director of A Model Family with Lee Jae-gon as the writer. Right off the bat, I don’t think I’ve come across either in the past. However, we have watched (and loved) many South Korean productions, so that might be wrong. IMDb is not to be trusted when it comes to South Korean filmmakers.

 

https://www.heavenofhorror.com/reviews/a-model-family-netflix-series/

[confusedheart]

New Event: My Soompi Corner- Summer Round-Up 

 

 

 

Chingus, so how was the summer of 2022? What dramas have you been watching?  Time to we catch up with each other. Do drop in and share what you have been up to.  

 

 

 

Your friendly, neighbourhood EO Team 

 

@confusedheart @partyon @Sleepy Owl and @agenth