[BIFF] 'The People Upstairs' review: Ha Jung-woo excels in cheeky sex comedy

3/5 stars Noisy neighbours are an all-too-common scourge of Asia's overcrowded cities, but what do you do when their intimate nocturnal antics become too loud to ignore? For the protagonists of Ha Jung-woo's "The People Upstairs," which just premiered at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, a direct approach backfires spectacularly, leading to an uncomfortable and frequently hilarious dinner party between two wildly different couples. This relocated adaptation of Cesc Gay's Sentimental is the latest in a string of Korean remakes of Spanish films, which also includes Door Lock and Intimate Strangers (both from 2018). The new film stars Gong Hyo-jin and Kim Dong-wook as a married couple whose relationship has grown so stagnant that they sleep in separate rooms and avoid any semblance of intimacy. When the incessant moans, gasps and repetitive thumping sounds from the couple upstairs become unbearable, Jung-ah (Gong) resolves to confront their new neighbours. But when she learns that it is her favourite online therapist, Kim Su-gyeong (Lee Hanee), and her husband (Ha Jung-woo) who liveWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times