High Society

High Society

Year: 2017

Runtime: 100 mins

Language: German

Director: Anika Decker

Comedy

Opposites attract Two girls from very different social backgrounds discover, at the age of 25, that they had been switched at birth.

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Timeline & Setting – High Society (2017)

Explore the full timeline and setting of High Society (2017). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Contemporary (late 2010s–2020s)

Set in present-day times, the film chronicles modern politics, media manipulation, and elite culture. It shows campaigns funded by corporations, the commodification of art, and how reputation can be fragile in the digital age. Private desires collide with public performance, heightening the sense of a translucent, celebrity-led society.

Location

Seoul, Paris

Seoul anchors the story with its university and political scenes, highlighting elite circles in a modern city. Paris appears as a contrasting backdrop for a pivotal affair and the gallery’s international reach. The film juxtaposes the Korean capital’s institutions with the glamorous and dangerous art world that spans across borders.

🏙️ Metropolitan 🎨 Art world 🗺️ Cityscape

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 07:55

Main Characters – High Society (2017)

Meet the key characters of High Society (2017), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Tae-jun

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.

🏛️ Power 💼 Ambition 💔 Relationships

Soo-yeon

A 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.

🎨 Art world 💼 Ambition 💔 Relationships

Chief Min

An uncompromising rival for the gallery’s director position who seizes on the threat of exposure to maintain control. He embodies the competition and ruthless tactics within elite circles.

🗝️ Rivalry 🗳️ Politics

Chairman

Chairman of the conglomerate that owns the gallery; he claims to make 'art' by having celebrities on canvas and uses power to demand compliance.

🏢 Conglomerate 🎨 Art world 💰 Power

Director

Current director of the gallery; storms in during the power struggle and is leveraged by Soo-yeon’s transactional approach, before being replaced.

🏛️ Authority 🎭 Power

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 07:55

Major Themes – High Society (2017)

Explore the central themes of High Society (2017), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🏛️ Power

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. In the end, the pursuit of power destabilizes the very elite it relies on.

🎭 Art

Art is treated as currency and spectacle, 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. The climactic exhibition reframes private desire as a critique of the gallery's ethics.

🔍 Exposure

Public exposure becomes 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.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 07:55

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High Society Summary

Read a complete plot summary of High Society, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

High Society Summary

High Society Timeline

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High Society Timeline

High Society Spoiler-Free Summary

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High Society Spoiler-Free Summary

More About High Society

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