If you just can’t get enough of Netflix’s bloody battle royale series Squid Game, you’re certainly not alone. Since the show first hit Netflix back in September, it’s gone on to become the most popular Netflix original series ever, with 111 million households tuning into watch it in its first month alone and an absolutely staggering net worth of nearly $1 billion. In fact, Squid Game is doing so well, it’s actually causing viewers to seek out similar foreign films and shows — such as Japan’s Alice in Borderland — and has ignited quite an interest in the works of Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk.
Luckily for us, Netflix is taking note.
Before bringing the visually astounding and socially relevant Squid Game to life, Hwang Dong-hyuk directed several acclaimed South Korean feature films — and now, three of those movies are available on Netflix in The US! pic.twitter.com/FV0nUQV91D
— Netflix (@netflix) November 3, 2021
As of today, three of Hwang’s films — Silenced, The Fortress, and Miss Granny — are now available on the streaming service for U.S. subscribers, The Verge reports. Fans of Squid Game will be delighted to know each one of the movies carries Hwang’s signature style, poignant commentary and all, and while they might not reach the same nearly unattainable levels of success Squid Game has seen, they should help tide folks over as they wait for the series’ potential second season.
For those looking to hear a bit more about Netflix’s newest additions, Hwang’s 2011 film Silenced is a crime drama based on real events that took place at Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired, in which deaf students were the victims of repeated sexual assaults by faculty members over a period of five years. The intense film follows a new teacher at the school who discovers the crimes shortly after starting and seeks to bring the institution down only to discover just how many people are eager to cover the truth up.
Released three years later, Miss Granny is drastically different from Silenced in both tone and subject matter. The comedy film follows a woman in her 70s who escapes her retirement home and magically finds herself transported back in the body of her 20-year-old self after getting her picture taken at a strange photo studio. Decidedly more charming than grim, the film was a massive success in South Korea and might provide Squid Game fans with some much-needed levity.
Hwang’s most recent film, 2017’s The Fortress, is a 17th-century drama based on the Korean novel Namhansanseong by Kim Hoon, and takes place during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea. The film follows King Injo and his court as they are forced to retreat into the fortress known as Namhansanseong, and debate whether or not to fight for their land or try to make peace with their invaders.