After an earthquake hits Seoul, survivors face each other, in dynamic dystopian disaster thriller.
After Seoul is demolished by a massive earthquake, survivors gather to Hwang-Goong Apartments, the only place left standing. Improvising and using all available skills, they try to cope with the situation. But when the swelling numbers of survivors start to threaten the apartment's original inhabitants, they resort to extreme measures.
Um Tae-Hwa’s first film in seven years, and Korea’s Oscar entry, is loosely based on the webtoon Cheerful Outcast Part II, Cheerful Neighbour and starts peaceful enough, showing the apartment block as a shining example of tolerance and progress. But once the earthquake has hit and the veneer comes off, it becomes a mix of black comedy and violent, dystopian sci-fi, echoing J.G. Ballard’s High Rise and the satire of Triangle of Sadness.
In the dynamic final stages of the film, the surviving characters face new moral dilemmas as they are confronted with ever increasing levels of savagery. Essential viewing.
