High Society (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story unfolds primarily in Seoul, where university and political scenes highlight elite circles in a modern metropolitan setting. Paris appears as a contrasting backdrop for a pivotal affair and represents the gallery's international reach, juxtaposing Korean institutions with the glamorous but dangerous art world that spans across borders.

• seoul
• paris
• setting
• locations
• korea

High Society is set in contemporary times, specifically in the late 2010s to early 2020s. The film reflects modern politics, media manipulation, and elite culture, featuring corporate-funded campaigns, the commodification of art, and the fragility of reputation in the digital age.

• contemporary
• modern
• time period
• 2010s
• 2020s

Ambition drives both Tae-jun and Soo-yeon as they chase political influence and control over institutions. The story exposes how parties, galleries, and conglomerates collude to shape policy and culture. Personal choices, affairs, secrets, and surveillance, reveal a system built on compromise rather than principle, and the pursuit of power ultimately destabilizes the very elite it relies on.

• power
• ambition
• elite
• politics
• corruption

Art is treated as currency and spectacle in the film, with the chairman claiming to create art through scandal and canvases that capture celebrity bodies. Soo-yeon's intimate footage is weaponized as leverage, turning private acts into public performance. The narrative critiques voyeurism and the commodification of art within a corrupt elite, with the climactic exhibition reframing private desire as a critique of the gallery's ethics.

• art
• gallery
• commodification
• voyeurism
• exhibition

Public exposure becomes both a tool and a threat, capable of derailing careers and reshaping alliances. Evidence is manufactured, traded, and weaponized to bend power to the holders' advantage. The ending redefines confession as both guilt and emancipation, allowing the couple to abandon their pretensions. The film treats exposure as a catalyst for moral reckoning rather than pure triumph.

• exposure
• scandal
• confession
• blackmail
• public

Tae-jun is a university professor and political aspirant who champions a citizen's bank, only to discover party collusion and the manipulation of policy. He becomes entangled in an affair with a young aide, exposing vulnerabilities behind his polished public persona. His arc moves from idealistic ambition to a choice between integrity and power.

• tae-jun
• professor
• politician
• citizen bank
• ambition

Soo-yeon is the deputy director of an art gallery who brokers influence through personal and professional moves, including supporting her husband's bid while pursuing her own advancement. She rekindles a relationship with an ex-boyfriend, leading to a controversial sex tape that threatens her rivals. Ultimately she negotiates a replacement path to power, even as the moral price is paid.

• soo-yeon
• gallery
• deputy director
• art world
• ambition

The film carries a heavy emotional weight, dealing directly with themes of corruption, exploitation, and the dehumanizing cost of ambition. The tone is dominantly tense, underscored by the protagonists' precarious position and the ever-present threat of exposure. The intensity remains high due to relentless power moves, public scandals, and personal betrayals that create a constant sense of anxiety and moral decay.

• tone
• emotional
• tension
• corruption
• anxiety

The ending is bittersweet; while the protagonists achieve a form of authentic liberation by exposing and undermining the corrupt systems they served, they do so at the cost of their prestigious positions. They must rebuild from scratch, representing a victory of principle over power that is both hopeful and sobering. Confession becomes both guilt and emancipation.

• ending
• bittersweet
• liberation
• rebuild
• victory

The film depicts the art world as a corrupt, manipulation-filled arena where art serves as currency and leverage. Galleries, chairmen, and directors engage in ruthless competition, with personal relationships weaponized for professional gain. The climactic exhibition becomes a platform for moral reckoning, reframing private desire as a critique of the gallery's ethics.

• art world
• corruption
• gallery
• manipulation
• competition