Only One Can Survive: Portraying Class Disparities Through Ritualized Violence in Film/TV

Description: The South Korean drama series Squid Game, released on Netflix in Sept. 2021, became the streaming platform’s most viewed series to date with approximately 142 million household views worldwide in its first 28 days. The series is about individuals in financial debt who agree to participate in deadly children’s games for an enormous cash prize. This survival game genre has been a popular trend in the entertainment industry in the past few decades; films that follow this premise include The Hunger Games trilogy and Battle Royale. These films and shows also share an underlying theme: the divide between the rich and the poor. Produced By: Michaela Zee, Ally Santana, Olivia Conforti, and Tasmia IslamMusic: “Way Back then” by jun jaeil (Squid Game Original Soundtrack)Image Credit: Youngkyu Park/Netflix