Rivalries Between Adults and Children

One form opponents take on is that of rivals, each trying to come out more superior than the other in a situation. The era of the movement is one of rivalry and opposition between political sides, between the government and the people, amongst the people and amongst neighbors and families.

            What is most interesting is the parallel between children fighting and adults fighting. With the children, an insult and its associated challenge are thrown down and the child attacked (generally Nak-An) fights back, more successfully in some situations. And it is relatively equal where they get to fight, verbally or physically, and then a combination of the two will lead the other to win. And it is only these two things that help them win, rather than connections or position, which come into play when the adults come in.

            When the adults interfere, it only matters about the parent’s social clout – our Barber loses out to Mr Ahn (the father of the kid Sung Han-Mo gives money to) and then to the President (obviously) even though the other kids are obviously in the wrong for insulting Nak-An’s father and an adult. The just person is not necessarily the victor, with Nak-An repeatedly losing out, just as the Sunbae does too. The same is seen in the adult rivals – the head of the CIA and the head of Security (?) who are generally with the president. They use their position and ‘successes’ to outdo the other. Interestingly enough, at first, it was more equal footing but soon the hoobae started gaining more power which culminated in the scene where he forces the sunbae out of the barber chair using his lackeys, which is just wrong, especially in that kind of a situation where it’s just petty and a show of power. 

            The gradual loss of control, and forced endurance of unjust and manipulated situations is something that is part of the adult world and even then, it only keeps getting worse as you keep growing older, as seen between the heads. It may be commentary on the situation in the bigger context, where the people struggled against the government, which had more power; where those with more social capital were able to avoid situations faced by others not so lucky. The parallel rivalries show the injustice of the adult world and the way, even when we know we are in the right, there is nothing to be done and how terrible and despicable that is. Maybe this could be seen as a call to change this situation, to not allow social capital to interfere with matters of honor and justice. Or at least, that’s how I’d like to think of it rather than just a bleak portrayal of the realities, which wouldn’t quite work with the comedic and satirical aspects of the movie, I think.