This article contains spoilers for Concrete Utopia.
In the Old Testament, the Book of Leviticus chapter 19, verse 18, states “…Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,” a simple sentiment that stands against time and ever so strongly in Um Tae-hwa’s Concrete Utopia.
The South Korean film had its North American premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10 with cast members Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-jun, Park Bo-young, and Park Ji-hu in attendance.
The cast of CONCRETE UTOPIA takeover the Roy Thomson Hall red carpet at #TIFF23. #ParkSeojun #ParkBoyoung #ParkJihu #LeeByunghun pic.twitter.com/UJF5UvfgnK
— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) September 11, 2023
This marks the latest project by the South Korean director and screenwriter and let’s just say fans can expect an experience. His first directorial feature debut was Ingtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls in 2013 and three years later, he directed the highly-acclaimed fantasy film, Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned (2016).
Tae-hwa’s Concrete Utopia is a post-apocalyptic parable centered on a massive earthquake that wreaks havoc on Seoul, leaving most of the city in devastating debris. In the thick of ashes and rubble, only one high-rise apartment complex is left standing and it is up to the residents to decide who shall live or die amid dark and desperate conditions.
In an effort to establish order, the residents of Hwang Gung Apartments elect local resident Yeong-tak (I Saw the Devil’s Lee Byung-hun) as their leader. Yeong-tak then bestows public servant Min-seong (Parasite’s Park Seo-jun) under his wing as the leader of the anti-crime task force.
From there, the residents collectively decide it is in their best interest to strictly allow only residents to remain in their apartments and evict imposing outsiders seeking shelter. This verdict triggers the beginning of a domino effect of violent consequences, as both leaders attempt to protect its haven.
For those unfamiliar, South Korea is a leading giant in today’s film industry. Recently, the country secured Best Picture at the 92nd Oscars in 2020 for Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, a historic and monumental win for Koreans everywhere.
Now comes a film with similar origins to that of the 2019 thriller. Tae-hwa’s Concrete Utopia is also a social critique on class disparity and details the extreme lengths people will go to just to survive in the guise of precarity. This dystopian epic is a manifestation of humanity’s worst qualities, as moral compasses are tested, greed ensues and blood becomes the barter to being.
For a film with a grim premise, viewers will be shocked by the comedic elements carrying the first half of the drama. Not only does it break through the seriousness of the situation, but it provides somewhat of a temporary, optimistic backdrop for the rest of the film.
This factor is what also makes the disaster film exceptionally unique. Tae-hwa’s choice to use satirical humour gives viewers a cushiony start to the rollercoaster of emotions that is Concrete Utopia. Unlike other dystopian films, such as Snowpiercer and The Hunger Games series, audiences get to laugh before they’re met with the chaos and brutality of tougher subject matters.
In Concrete Utopia, leaders assure the residents that everyone is equal, no matter if a person was once a “murderer or pastor” in their previous lifetime. According to them, being a resident of the apartment building is all that is required to reap the benefits of survival.
Due to this precedent, residents soon develop a God complex where they believe they’re at the top of the world because of the privileges they bear. Some residents become accustomed to receiving daily food/water supplies and living in the comfort of their own apartment, so much so that when a new resident (a woman who lives in the building but was elsewhere when the earthquake hit) joins their clan and points out their lack of awareness for the outside world, they are enraged by the accusation.
This is an example of the paradox of ignorance where residents are choosing to ignore the harsh realities of the apocalypse and how it is affecting outsiders, thus overestimating how dreadful it truly is. Since the residents hold a level of advantage in the crisis, they feel euphoric and believe the overall situation is fairly tolerable.
Concrete Utopia embodies a reverse Plato’s Allegory Of the Cave. Residents were first living life normally but following the earthquake, they are forced to be confined within their building quarters and, in turn, it becomes the only reality they know.
Apart from the selected group of men who are chosen to occasionally scour for supplies, people are left inside the building for the remainder of the time. Therefore, those who never stepped foot outside the area are unaware and out-of-touch by the atrocities and horrors of the post-earthquake reverberations.
Eventually, this vain mentality of “our apartments belong to the residents!” (their group chant) is the reason for their demise. Lies, betrayal, and gluttony reigns over leading to ungodly wars, bloodshed and calamity. Cracks begin to form on the surface and the biggest fear among residents comes back to bite them.
Aside from the phenomenally layered plot, leading actors Byung-hun and Seo-jun give incredible performances in their respective roles. Byung-hun as the delegate leader is deserving of the utmost praise for showcasing the intricacies of his character who can easily go from a charismatic individual to a cold-hearted madman. Yeong-tak meticulously undergoes moments of vulnerability, deceitfulness, and unmitigated cruelty.
In addition, Min-seong’s wife, Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young), also brings a remarkable realness to her character as well. Myeong-hwa acts as a conflicting barrier between her and her husband. In comparison to Min-seong who thinks self-servingly, his wife is the opposite and believes in altruism, a principle which would later put both their lives at harm.
Lastly, Min-seong is a man of many somber secrets which tend to dictate his decisions. His position as anti-crime task force leader takes him back to a dismal place he thought he left behind. With power and obligations piling against him, he must tread a fine line between vile and virtuous.
South Korea has selected Concrete Utopia to compete for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Oscars.
Currently, it appears there is no official release date set for Canada or the United States.
