After a long stint with romantic Korean dramas, I watched two horror series back-to-back – one being The Revenant and the other one, Happiness. To be honest, I selected the latter because I had read wonderful things about the chemistry between the lead pair. I was not left disappointed!

Disclaimer: This post shouldn’t be treated as a review because I am far from qualified to give an objective and professional take on cinema. It should be treated as a subjective viewpoint of a cinephile who loves to watch movies and dramas purely for entertainment. I have only one criterion – I shouldn’t get bored. The film will be judged on that factor alone.

What’s It About?

Happiness is not a typical horror or zombie series, as the trailer might make you believe. It’s about a medical drug gone wrong, causing severe side effects, leading the infected to develop zombie-like symptoms.

Thoughts

“Happiness” is anything but happy. It is frightening, frustrating, and emotional. Either the makers were playing games with us by choosing that title or maybe there is a deeper meaning to it (“Be happy today, because tomorrow you might turn into a zombie”). Or, maybe, for them, zombies equate to happiness (who am I to judge?). The meaning is left to the viewer’s discretion.

Supernatural stories often feel artificial, but when the horror elements are scientific, you can’t help but sit back and ponder its possibility.

The series takes inspiration from the recent pandemic, especially the human psyche. I almost wanted to pull my hair out because of the irrational behavior of the residents who wanted to venture out when they were given explicit instructions not to. No one followed the rules. Sounds familiar?

When I set aside my annoyance, I realized this is precisely how people behaved during the pandemic. Many flaunted rules by avoiding masks and ventured out even if lockdowns were imposed in the country out of sheer frustration, ego, loneliness, and desperation. You saw people quick to call out, ostracize, and shame others infected with the virus but were notoriously silent when it concerned their own family members. You see glimpses of these traits (and more) in Happiness, and you can’t help but applaud the reality of it all.

The quiet romance between the leads is not the main plot, but it still makes a mark. Park Hyung Sik and Han Hyo Joo have fantastic chemistry, and I wish they act in a full-on romantic story in the future. The way they have their moments, with that beautiful melody playing in the background, makes it a wholesome treat overall.

I would definitely recommend the series. Streaming on Netflix.