In 2019, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite opened the eyes of mainstream American audiences to Korean films. Taking home a slew of honors at the Academy Awards and finding both critical and mass acclaim, Parasite compelled audiences through its thrilling plot, beautiful direction, and thoughtful social commentary. Concrete Utopia, the latest Korean entry for a Best International Feature nomination at the 2024 Oscars, is reminiscent of Parasite and similarly uses the thriller genre to explore issues of class inequality. Both films shine through thoughtful direction and social commentary; but while director and writer Um Tae-hwa is often very thoughtful and clever, the film never reaches the heights of Parasite. Whereas Bong kept the viewer on their toes as the story twisted and turned into darker levels, Um follows a fairly predictable storyline.
In the film’s introduction, we see how Korean society views one’s home as a sign of worth and status. Though apartments obviously have utility, the film presents them as status symbols, defining one’s self-worth. When an apocalyptic earthquake spontaneously reduces the city to rubble, only one of these buildings is left standing. Before the quake, being a resident in the Hwang Gung Apartment complex merely represented your place in society; now it’s the difference between life and death. Um explores what happens when the more innocuous divisions that we’ve created persist in a more dangerous setting, and how far people will go to retain them.
Though it fits the blueprint of the dystopian genre, Concrete Utopia sets itself apart from the pack by focusing on the degradation of society and the emergence of hate, over the traditional plotline of the lowly protagonist who dismantles the system. Though it’s set against the backdrop of a natural disaster, the earthquake is more of a MacGuffin than a central event in the film. Naturally after the earthquake hits and the immediate chaos quiets down, the residents create a system of government and elect a leader ‒ Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun), aka Mr. Delegate, a man who displayed courage and quick thinking by literally running into a fire when others were frozen in fear. The residents see him as someone willing to do what they aren’t. He soon establishes order and restores some semblance of society, allowing the residents to return to societal roles instead of reconciling the unfair nature of their reality in which chance alone has saved them. Unfortunately, the cream doesn’t always rise to the top ‒ Yeong-tak creates a system that is built on hate and fear. The makeshift government justifies any actions, claiming it’s all for protection of their family, and harbors ill-will for outsiders, referring to them as cockroaches. The political, if not human, parallels are obvious.
This social commentary is the most compelling part of the film. However, it blends in with the overt plot and doesn’t feel particularly unique over the course of the 140-minute runtime. As the third film from Um (his last since 2016) and the first credited to co-writer Lee Shin-ji, the film doesn’t feel nearly as polished as those from a seasoned director like Bong. That said, there is still a lot to like aside from the rich social commentary and Um’s direction. Stylistically, Concrete Utopia feels chic and modern, featuring emphatic use of color and dramatic close-ups. Complete with an orchestral soundtrack, the modern apartment backdrop matches the feel of the film. The cast does quite well, albeit some overly dramatic moments, and Lee in particular delivers a stellar performance.
Concrete Utopia reminds us of the universality of humanity and that history is told by the victors and not necessarily the good guys. Um shows how easily xenophobia can run rampant, the situations that create the atmosphere for it to exist and the techniques used to reinforce dehumanizing beliefs. The film reminds us that we are still part of the animal kingdom ‒ though we have these abstract and polite societal norms, we might not be as far removed from our basic evolutionary tendencies as we’d like to think.
Photo courtesy of Climax Films, BH Entertainment
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