“We are all dead”, is a title that says a lot about the hope of these young high school students who survived a zombie invasion. After Squid game, All of Us Are Dead made a stunning entry into the ranking of the most popular South Korean series of the moment. Posted on Netflix last January 28, it is the new non-English speaking TV series created by Cheon Seong-il. This is the adaptation of the webtoon ‘Now at Our School’ by Joo Dong-geun (webtoons are South Korean comic books available online).
The plot of All of Us Are Dead chronicles the adventures of teenagers who find themselves trapped in their high school in Hyosan in the face of an invasion of zombies following infection by a mouse.
Every high school student bitten by a zombie becomes a dismantled zombie hungry for fresh flesh. Over the course of the episodes, we discover a mutation of the virus which generates ‘humbies’, half-human half-zombie. Intense bonds are woven between the teenagers and it is about friendship, love and betrayal, all in an atmosphere of fear. The themes covered reflect everyday subjects, which makes it a rather fresh series despite its side horrific.
The high school as a mirror of today’s society
Beyond a gory and sometimes wacky dance of zombies gesticulating like puppets, this series implicitly reveals a portrait of the company current human being not unlike the Covid-19 pandemic.
The teens survivors find themselves forced to show solidarity despite their previous animosity, and show maturity in finding a way out of high school and into town together. They discuss and get to know each other: the good silent student delegate, the handsome, childhood friends, the harassed among others.
They act according to their personality and try to temporize each other by finding logical solutions in the face of the surrounding chaos. Each reveals their more or less aggressive character traits. The high school clubs, often perceived as old-fashioned, take on their full importance here (singing, drone, archery). Each then uses their skills to defend themselves and find ways to fight off the blood-hungry creatures.
A critique of the adult world
Teenagers often feel misunderstood, which is accentuated in this adventure of high school students left alone in the face of an apocalyptic world populated by dangerous beings. They feel neglected by the adult world, the headmaster having only thought of saving his skin in the first place. Indeed, the adults have forgotten them in their school, the helicopters pass in the sky but without lingering too much on the scene. With this microcosm of unheard teenagers, the director paints a portrait of society by highlighting current issues such as bullying schoolthe violencesocial origins, discrimination.
At the beginning of the series, each high school student presents his family, the links maintained with the parents with all its psychological weight which is reflected within the friendly relations inside the school.
Each teenager has his emotional and affective baggage that builds him up and with which he moves forward in society. Having gone beyond bloody images, this series is enriched with a more subtle reading of history that speaks directly to young people. It’s about stories of love and friendship, complexes, hidden vices, etc.
A season 2 is approaching
This microcosm becomes the mirror of our society with this fear of a virus, this fear for one’s own life. The adults in charge (government, military, police) are portrayed as rather contemptuous initially and it’s unclear why the special forces make no effort to break into the school. It is only the direct parents of high school students who risk their lives alone to save their own children. But STOP, no need to spoil the end because a second season could see the light of day very quickly given the smashing success of this season 1.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
