25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
'The Noisy Mansion,' a comedic take on Korea's urban nightmare
Rookie director Lee Ru-da tackles anxiety of apartment living with warm humor
South Korean cinema has long cast apartments as sites of dread and the uncanny, from the deadly mysteries of "Hide and Seek" (2013) and "Door Lock"(2018) to the apocalyptic imaginations of "Concrete Utopia" (2023).
In "The Noisy Mansion," first-time director Lee Ru-da has transformed what could have been formulaic subject matter into something distinctive — part whodunnit, part facetious comedy, about one of South Korea's most pervasive urban afflictions.
The film centers on Geo-wool (Kyung Su-jin), an unemployed busybody who investigates the source of mysterious thuds that wake her every morning at 4 a.m. It is a premise that taps into a deeply felt Korean anxiety: the thundering noise from upstairs neighbors that sparks psychological distress and even violent crimes among the nation's densely-packed urban dwellers.
"I experienced severe inter-floor noise firsthand," Lee said during a press conference that followed the prerelease screening of the film at Megabox Coex in Seoul on Monday. "The experience was revelatory," Lee shared. "When the noise finally stopped, quality of life improved dramatically. That's when I realized this story would resonate with many people."
In a country where more than two-thirds of the population live in apartment buildings, such disputes have escalated well beyond mere annoyance. Extreme cases have led to stabbings, arson and deliberate explosions, some fatal.
Lee's approach to the material is, however, unmistakably buoyant. "People might expect a horror film about noise complaints," she says. "But I've always been drawn to more lighthearted mysteries. The contrast actually highlights the issue while keeping viewers engaged."
This tonal choice manages to strike a chord. While many recent Korean films drain away reality with forced optimism, "The Noisy Mansion" employs a zippy pace and humor to underscore its social commentary. It also weaves in broader urban concerns — inadequate child care infrastructure, the corrupting influence of property speculation behind reconstruction schemes — with remarkable deftness.
That triumph of screenplay stems from Lee's perceptiveness, rare for a debut feature. As her flawed but likable characters join forces against both the noise and its origins, the film renders its ethical vision as crystal-clear and engaging as the propulsive plot — after all, Korea's urban nightmares require communal solutions. Towards the end, the balance between a lighthearted tone and the structure of the whodunnit pays off nicely, allowing the work to channel individual frustrations into a persuasive call for collective action and solidarity.
Kyung brings convincing determination to her role as the amateur sleuth. "My personal experiences with injustice shaped my approach to Geo-wool," she said. "Years ago, I stood outside my employer's door with colleagues for weeks after they withheld our pay. That same refusal to back down from wrongdoing drives this character."
The ensemble cast includes Ko Kyu-pil as an unemployed accountant, Kim Joo-ryeong as the overbearing but well-meaning representative of the apartment complex and former K-pop idol Choi Yoo-jung making her film debut as a bratty Generation Z civil servant exam candidate.
"Transitioning to acting felt natural," Choi said of the experience. "To prepare, I drew from my generation's digital fluency and immersed myself in social media trends. Seeing everything come together on screen for the first time today was incredibly rewarding."
While the film will be released Feb. 26, just two days before Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17," this David-and-Goliath situation does not intimidate the first-time director. "Sharing theater space with such a momentous work is an honor," Lee said. "While there's obviously a budget disparity, our human-centered approach offers something different but equally valuable. I believe audiences will embrace both."
