Concrete Utopía

It is kinda like "Lord of the Flies", meets "I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash", meets a disaster movie.

Firstly, the effects are pretty good, and it is hard to tell what is practical and what is CGI for most part. There's not many studios out side Hollywood who can pull off these types of effects movies, and South Korea is certainly competing and catching up with them.

It is a psychological study of people in a crisis situation, and how you would react and what depths they would stoop to to survive.

It is well crafted, but there are some areas which you could only describe as major loop holes. I mean South Korea is a technically advanced nation, so where is the government within all this and the rescue operation. Even if the whole country was affected by the quake, there would be international aid. There is no explanation to why they are still in exactly the same position 2 months later.

Still, if you can put that aside, its an enjoyable disaster movie with plenty psychological twists.

After an epic earthquake disaster the concrete smoldering ruins of Seoul seem to stretch on as for as the eye can see.

In the centre of the massive disaster one building remains standing.

Dozens of outsiders from the surrounding area desperately seeking food and shelter from the cold. Feeling a threat to their very survival, the residents enact measures that questions the act of morals or survival.

Very well written, well done cinematography storytelling and great acting.

A must watch.

I had the opportunity to watch this at tiff this year. Tickets were sold out so I had to stand in Rush Line, two hours before the movie was being viewed,.

It was absolutely worth it.

Concrete Utopia doesn't do anything particularly new for the dystopian thriller sub-genre, but it's consistently engaging and well-executed. Is an emotional force of a film. Not concerned with the disaster itself or the spectacle it could employ to focus on the moment of tragedy, the film offers epic landscapes but always keeps an intimate eye on the people in the high rise.

Concrete Utopia presents a disturbing picture of humanity that dribbles into the absolute worst when the social structure is dismembered and survival becomes the only need of the hour. Talking about the direction, Uhm Tae Hwa did a good job in capturing raw human nature in every possible way. The cinematography and acting, especially by Lee Byung Hun, were also enthralling.

Concrete Utopia is a gripping, disturbing, and powerful representation of the worst of society, yet equally showcasing the best qualities in humans and how hope, community, and decency will always exist through the dust and devastation.

My Rating : 8.5/10.

A film that tells the story of humanity's survival from a terrible disaster. But the disaster that really threatens them is actually human nature itself. This film depicts humanity at its worst.

I love how the film opens with a documentary about the development of apartments and their importance in upgrading modern lifestyle and providing convenience. Throughout the film, the apartment becomes a symbol of protection and not just a place for them to live.

Right after that, we get to see the terrible disaster that seemed funny and absurd to me. They said it was an earthquake, but what I saw feels like Godzilla is coming out from surface of the earth. No reason prior to it, no news from the government, no presence of military powers.

There is a scene that discusses whether to accept the outsiders (non-resident) or to evict them. Since food resources have become scarce with the increase of people, they need to make an important decision which will be voted according to the majority of the original residents.

I felt like this scene should've been more intense and more dramatic because it questions the moral of humanity. Accepting and helping them will result in reducing food resources while casting them out means letting them to die with no protection. Doesn't this count as a 'Collective Act of Murder'?

But the scene felt light and less serious and the decision they chose also seemed easy to make without any strong objections from others. Maybe it's the director's vision to show the selfish nature of human greed when they feel threatened.

To be honest, there is not a single character in this movie that I like. The lack of character development makes it difficult for me to connect with them.

Overall, this movie is quite good and fun to watch especially for fans of disaster movies and survival movies.

Best Korean film of the year (that I've seen so far).

It follows a group of residents in an apartment complex that's the only thing left standing after a devastating earthquake. Other survivors try to move in to escape the cold, but the residents won't have it. Thus begins an intense scenario where people have to try and maintain some sort of order while battling the elements and hostile invaders.

This is an impressive disaster drama that begins almost lightheartedly, but turns darker by the minute. There's a comedic flair to the film's first act, but it mostly dissipates by the second hour. However, no matter how any of the scenes are played, there's a bleakness to everything that unfolds. It's like your typical postapocalyptic premise as seen in modern western cinema, but slightly deeper and infused with existentialism. The characters are also more fleshed out than you'd expect. Far from being archetypal heroes or villains, these are flawed people who find themselves in a heavy situation and react to it accordingly.

The whole cast carries the film well (Lee Byung-hun being the standout), with impressive technical specs that make me wanna rewatch this on a bigger screen (if only). In any case, big, big recommendation for this one if you're into disaster thrillers.

P. S. The final scene is really cool and stylishly displays the inversion of common human values in times of crisis. You'll know when you see it.