‘Trigger’ Reflects Society’s Relationship with Violence and Mental Health

Kim Nam-gil (left) and Kim Young-kwang (right) in a still from ‘Trigger.’ Image: thanks to Netflix.

Have you ever seemed like you’re suffocating mentally, like there’s no escape from the squashing pressure which it can press you over the edge whenever? Trigger raises comparable concerns: what activates an individual to act recklessly, as recklessly as getting a weapon and shooting? Is it a brief lapse in judgment, or is it years of suffering, disappointment, and anger triggering such an outrageous outburst?

The drama questions through its characters’ difficulties while highlighting the continuously moving lines in between justice and vengeance. It’s likewise what I’m attempting to dissect here: Trigger‘s representation of injury, morality, and the look for justice, and what it states about our society’s relationship with violence and psychological health, making it so appropriate as a program.

Trigger opens with illegal guns all of a sudden appearing in South Korea, a nation with rigorous weapon laws, and triggering a rise of mad violence. As the scenario spirals out of control, we are presented to Officer Lee Do (Kim Nam-gil), a previous soldier haunted by his past, who saw his household’s ruthless murder and later on dealt with the weight of taking lives as a sniper. He is now a police officer who prevents utilizing a weapon up until the intensifying weapon violence forces him to use up his rifle once again.

On the other side of the spectrum, Moon Baek (Kim Young-kwang) is a manipulative arms dealership who was trafficked for his organs as a kid and later on raised by a criminal distribute. Now, passing away of cancer, he goes back to Korea and sparks violence through totally free circulation of prohibited weapons to disenfranchised, disappointed individuals– consisting of a civil service examination prospect under tension, a bullied high school trainee, an overworked nurse, and a mourning mom looking for justice for her child’s death. It’s not for any monetary gain however totally for vengeance– he wishes to get back at the society that deserted him and show that the “trigger” is inside everybody which society by nature is susceptible to turmoil.

In a Netflix release, director Kwon Oh-seung spoke about the dark underbelly of society that Trigger represents. He highlighted the significance of making the characters relatable, stating, “It was necessary that the characters who ultimately get a weapon were not unique or severe. They needed to be common individuals we might quickly encounter in reality.” He thinks this method highlights the upsetting truth that anybody can be pressed to the edge. Kwon likewise discussed how habituated we’ve ended up being to social problems nowadays, describing, “We have actually ended up being desensitized to lots of concerns in our society due to the fact that we are frequently exposed to them through the news.” Therefore, the series checks out pushing concerns like class variations and flawed justice systems and links them and the resulting violence straight to the psychological and psychological battles of its characters.

The Cycle of Trauma and the Breakdown of Morality

In Triggerwe see how previous and present injury can grow out of control into social failures, which eventually press susceptible individuals to the snapping point. Yoo Jung-tae( Woo Ji-hyun ), standing for the civil service examination in the really first episode of the series, is currently on edge, handling disrespect and consistent sound from his hostel next-door neighbors. It’s the little things that get to him and gradually develop into a poisonous rage. The system is expected to support him since he’s likewise experiencing mental disorder, however it comes a cropper. When a prohibited weapon lands in his hands, it’s like the last nail in the casket. He snaps, leading to a bloody shooting spree in his structure.

Jung-tae sounds the alarm on the increase of unlawful weapons and ends up being the very first prime example of what Moon Baek thinks–“there’s a trigger in everybody’s heart.” Consequently, an unresponsive or corrupt justice system exposes itself to have actually mistreated everyone who gets a weapon. Oh Kyung-sook (Gil Hae-yeon) is a mom opposing for justice and an apology after her kid passes away in a work environment mishap, however her efforts show useless and eventually drive her to choose up the weapon. Trigger, Recommends that when individuals feel disregarded or tired by an inefficient system, they might focus on violent retribution over real justice, and that desperation is what Moon Baek makes use of as opposed to Lee Do, who condemns weapon violence and attempts to safeguard others regardless of his own haunting memories. The distinction in between Lee Do’s compassion and Moon Baek’s vengefulness forces you to question whether discomfort can ever validate damaging others.

Society’s Relationship with Violence

By setting its property in South Korea– a nation with a near-total restriction on civilian guns–Trigger uses a theoretical circumstance about the fragility of social order. It depicts Korean society as a tinderbox of bottled-up rage and discontent, over issues of inequality, school bullying, and financial challenges. The prohibited weapons just function as a driver that fires up the violence that was currently simmering below the surface area. Director Kwon has actually described that the program has to do with what occurs when daily problems satisfy a crammed weapon, recommending that a society that has actually ended up being too numb to its issues might not recognize how unsteady it is up until it’s far too late. In this context, the story can be thought about a review of American weapon violence, which is marked by a high rate of weapon ownership. According to a Seat Research Center report, “The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution ensures the right to bear arms, and about a 3rd of U.S. grownups report personally owning a weapon,” highlighting the scary of simple weapon gain access to. For a Korean audience, prevalent weapon violence is a scary and surreal idea. For numerous others worldwide, it’s an annoyingly familiar truth.

Mental Health and Societal Neglect

Triggerhighlights how an absence of attention to psychological health can have disastrous effects for people and the broader neighborhood, whose desperation and psychological chaos make them prone to Moon Baek’s adjustment– in truth, they end up being the “triggers” Moon Baek has actually been searching for to avenge his years of anger. For a number of the program’s desperate characters, such as Seo Yong-dong (Son Bo-seung), a regularly bullied trainee, the weapon represents a faster way to restore a sense of power and control in a world where they keep feeling ignored and helpless. Ultimately, it’s an impression that brings in more discomfort. By making normal, damaged individuals the ones shooting, the series advises us that psychological health concerns are a prevalent, not a fringe issue, and the characters’ actions are a wake-up call for a society that typically ignores the peaceful battles of its most susceptible members.

Activating Change: One Act of Compassion

In the tense ending section of TriggerLee Do stands at a crossroads at the “Free Guns” rally, where Moon Baek’s justification might have resulted in more bloodshed. However, when Lee Do sees a scared kid holding a weapon, he drops his weapon and welcomes him– a minute that’s broadcast live, promising and motivating individuals to surrender their weapons. The minute highlights that peace can’t originate from force however from an option to focus on compassion. Triggerat the end of all of it, motivates audiences to stroll in the shoes of those who may turn to weapons, cultivating understanding and a much deeper gratitude for the worth of tranquil options.