Survivors from a massive earthquake struggle for a new life in Seoul. — IMDB
Based on the webtoon Pleasant Bullying by Kim Soongnyung and inspired by British writer J.G. Ballard‘s 1975 novel High-Rise, South Korea’s Best Feature Film entry to the 96th Academy Awards, Concrete Utopia, is directed by Um Tae-hwa (Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned) and written by Tae-hwa and Lee Shin-ji, and stars Park Seo-jun (Parasite), Lee Byung-hun (Squid Game), and Park Bo-young (Strong Girl Nam-soon) in the leading roles.
Want to know what we thought? Here is our review, available to read now: OBEY OR LEAVE.
How Concrete Utopia compares to the original webtoon
It begins with a literal earth-shattering event and ends with an emotional one that will have you pulling tissues from the box till it’s empty. Following an incredible seismic disaster, the residents of the Hwanggung apartment complex find that their building is the last one standing in Seoul, South Korea. This leads to a restructuring of power, which pushes many of our characters to their absolute limits.
Whereas the original webtoon, which isn’t translated anywhere, seems to focus on children in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, Concrete Utopia focuses on adults who suddenly find themselves in way over their heads in an apocalyptic scenario and who end up making tough calls that at times can feel understandable until eventually, it all becomes too cruel. The film’s director, Tae-hwa, uses the backdrop of the mysterious event to shine a spotlight on Korean apartment culture, casting the drama between the residents of the complex and the “outsiders” (survivors seeking asylum) as that of a home invasion.
We never get an explanation for the disaster, nor does anyone ever arrive to save the day— implying a potential global catastrophe—but none of that seems relevant to this movie’s personal story of community and survival. Indeed, to include either of those story beats would take away from the film’s sense of urgency and the mystique surrounding the characters.
However, it isn’t all doom and gloom as Tae-hwa imbues some wonderful black comedy into the film, some of which is excellently brought to life by actor Lee Byung-hun as the apartment leader Yeong-tak, a fascinating character. Without giving too much away, Yeong-tak’s arc takes him from a sympathetic, likable character into very divisive territory. Byung-hun sells this portrayal of a deeply broken man trying to do everything to survive while protecting the Hwanggung tenants. While, interestingly, I find the character more tragic than sympathetic, I’m curious how audiences will respond.
Exceptional performance from the leading cast
The performances from the entire cast, especially the lead cast, are exceptional throughout the film. Seo-jun embodies the pathetic Min-sung, who’s caught between trying to be brave and trying to survive and wanting to help out his community while proving himself but still not fully sure of himself. It’s a beautiful dichotomy and makes seeing Min-sung come into his own, and then where that journey takes him, all the more powerful by the end of the film.
Bo-young as Min-sung’s wife, Myung-hwa, is the film’s unsung hero. Mostly relegated to a supporting but crucially motivated role throughout most of the film, Myung-hwa then acts as a wonderful trojan horse that ends up bringing this entire “utopia” down to the ground as the last vestiges of a false community begin to rear its ugly head for the final time. She’s able to bookend the film in a beautiful way that made me quite emotional.
If it isn’t clear by now, I very much loved Concrete Utopia and how it explored the faces we put on to make both ourselves and others feel comfortable. I also loved how the film explored how we try and hold onto feelings of safety and control when the world would rather see us dead, simultaneously stripping that same power from others. Ultimately, there is no bad guy, there is simply tragedy, and we can work together to carve out a place to call home or let every man fend for themselves. We can, if we try, create a concrete utopia…
Watch the Concrete Utopia trailer below:
Concrete Utopia hit theaters in December 2023. While Concrete Utopia was South Korea’s official Oscar selection, it didn’t make the shortlist.
