December 13, 2023
FILM: CONCRETE UTOPIA
DIRECTED BY: TAE-HWA EOM
STARRING: PARK SEO-JOON, LEE BYUNG-HUN, PARK BO-YOUNG
RATING: 2 ½ out 4 stars
By Dan Pal
It’s been a few years now since Parasite became the first and only foreign language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. The South Korean film was a monster hit throughout the world. This year the country has entered Concrete Utopia as its submission for the same award. Both films star Park Seo-joon, which is a plus. He’s a very good young actor. The same goes for the other leads of this film, Lee Byung-hun and Park Bo-young. It’s too bad that the film itself is a pretty run of the mill dystopian story about an earthquake that leaves Seoul in complete ruin. That is, except for one apartment building.
An intriguing set up is presented just before the destruction. Beautiful apartment buildings dominate the landscape in the city. A promotional “commercial” highlights apartment living as one of the best possible choices for interested dwellers. Then the tragedy occurs and Seoul is turned into a wasteland of crumbled concrete and dead bodies. Because only one such building remains, its residents are now the have’s in a sea of have not’s. They have the power to start life anew, with an elected leader, Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun) and a self-determined system of governance.
Initially all of this seems to work but rather quickly they must determine what to do with the “cockroaches,” or outsiders, who were not previous residents of the building. A decision is made to keep them out. Many of the original residents see themselves as the “chosen ones.” Min-sung (Park Seo-joon) and his wife Myung-hwa (Park Bo-young) are the heart of this world and film. Myung-hwa is a nurse and tends to the many wounded. Min-sung attempts to take various matters into his own hands but is overpowered by Yeong-tak who has a strong edge and a curious air of mystery surrounding him. Eventually they must decide if they should do right as a team or take care only of themselves.
In some ways, the film is a reflection of those governances/States today that want to ostracize anyone that comes from the outside (migrants, refugees…) Is it important to take care of everyone or just original residents? If the former is chosen, what happens to the others? Should we care? I think thematically that is what writer/director Tae-Hwa Eom is going for.
While the film early on includes some humor in its tones, images, and score it turns pretty bleak for most of the rest of its run. Perhaps that is Eom’s intent but it doesn’t make for a particularly entertaining or optimistic experience. Comparing this to something like Max’s mini-series The Last of Us, the limitation in attempting to tell a complete story in two hours is evident. There’s a lot going on here that could use some further development and breathing room. Without it, the film feels like a fairly typical disaster story lacking in any other real depth. The potential and actors are there but instead we get an increasingly dark narrative that doesn’t offer a lot of hope.
The digital effects and production design are both pretty effective though. They effectively capture a city that goes from architectural wonder to rubble. The look is reminiscent of destroyed worlds found in films such as Roman Polanski’s The Pianist.
Ultimately, I’ve no doubt some viewers will be enthralled by some of what occurs plot-wise here. I expected more.
Concrete Utopia opens in limited release theatrically on Friday.
FILM: CONCRETE UTOPIA
DIRECTED BY: TAE-HWA EOM
STARRING: PARK SEO-JOON, LEE BYUNG-HUN, PARK BO-YOUNG
RATING: 2 ½ out 4 stars
By Dan Pal
It’s been a few years now since Parasite became the first and only foreign language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. The South Korean film was a monster hit throughout the world. This year the country has entered Concrete Utopia as its submission for the same award. Both films star Park Seo-joon, which is a plus. He’s a very good young actor. The same goes for the other leads of this film, Lee Byung-hun and Park Bo-young. It’s too bad that the film itself is a pretty run of the mill dystopian story about an earthquake that leaves Seoul in complete ruin. That is, except for one apartment building.
An intriguing set up is presented just before the destruction. Beautiful apartment buildings dominate the landscape in the city. A promotional “commercial” highlights apartment living as one of the best possible choices for interested dwellers. Then the tragedy occurs and Seoul is turned into a wasteland of crumbled concrete and dead bodies. Because only one such building remains, its residents are now the have’s in a sea of have not’s. They have the power to start life anew, with an elected leader, Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun) and a self-determined system of governance.
Initially all of this seems to work but rather quickly they must determine what to do with the “cockroaches,” or outsiders, who were not previous residents of the building. A decision is made to keep them out. Many of the original residents see themselves as the “chosen ones.” Min-sung (Park Seo-joon) and his wife Myung-hwa (Park Bo-young) are the heart of this world and film. Myung-hwa is a nurse and tends to the many wounded. Min-sung attempts to take various matters into his own hands but is overpowered by Yeong-tak who has a strong edge and a curious air of mystery surrounding him. Eventually they must decide if they should do right as a team or take care only of themselves.
In some ways, the film is a reflection of those governances/States today that want to ostracize anyone that comes from the outside (migrants, refugees…) Is it important to take care of everyone or just original residents? If the former is chosen, what happens to the others? Should we care? I think thematically that is what writer/director Tae-Hwa Eom is going for.
While the film early on includes some humor in its tones, images, and score it turns pretty bleak for most of the rest of its run. Perhaps that is Eom’s intent but it doesn’t make for a particularly entertaining or optimistic experience. Comparing this to something like Max’s mini-series The Last of Us, the limitation in attempting to tell a complete story in two hours is evident. There’s a lot going on here that could use some further development and breathing room. Without it, the film feels like a fairly typical disaster story lacking in any other real depth. The potential and actors are there but instead we get an increasingly dark narrative that doesn’t offer a lot of hope.
The digital effects and production design are both pretty effective though. They effectively capture a city that goes from architectural wonder to rubble. The look is reminiscent of destroyed worlds found in films such as Roman Polanski’s The Pianist.
Ultimately, I’ve no doubt some viewers will be enthralled by some of what occurs plot-wise here. I expected more.
Concrete Utopia opens in limited release theatrically on Friday.