This 100% Rotten Tomatoes Korean Disaster Movie Is a Must-See for 'Parasite' Fans

Summary:

• Concrete Utopia is a South Korean disaster movie that became one of the country's box office hits and was nominated for an Oscar, but was not shortlisted.
• The movie tells the story of survivors of a terrible earthquake who gather around the only surviving apartment building and oppose its residents.
• While Concrete Utopia is a disaster film, it strongly focuses on social issues – injustice in the community of survivors and the behavior of people in life-threatening conditions.

Concrete Utopia is a hit of South Korean cinema, one of the top five highest-grossing films in the country in 2023, and a project that was nominated for an Oscar (but unfortunately was not shortlisted). It is an ambitious disaster movie with, as is often the case in South Korea, important reflections on the unjust structure of society in a post-apocalyptic setting.

What Is Concrete Utopia About?

A disaster strikes Seoul in the form of a colossal earthquake that destroys everything in its path. It is unknown what has caused the disaster, how many cities have been destroyed and how many people are under the rubble – there is no communication, no rescuers, no police, and no doctors. However, there is one building that is still standing for some reason, and the survivors begin to flock to the apartment complex.

Cold and tired homeless people are crammed into unoccupied apartments. Life seems to go on until bloody clashes begin between locals and strangers.

Leader Yeong-tak, elected by the residents of the building, comes up with a cunning plan to evict the unwanted guests. After first announcing that all the homeless will be given apartments, he tells all the survivors to go outside and then announces that there is no room for newcomers, sending them to certain death in the harsh winter weather.

Concrete Utopia Is a Striking Social Drama

The residents of the complex manage not only to repair the building, but also to reinforce the perimeter of the territory with cars and useless equipment. Divided into groups, people form self-appointed police, doctors, food providers, and ordinary residents. In addition, a set of rules is established for housing, food distribution, and even hygiene.

It is useless to guess what the cause of the earthquake was – a comet or a volcano, because the film's creators focus on a social problem that from the first minutes concentrates on the unfair world of the survivors.

Together with the decisions of the main characters – the young civil servant Min-sung and his wife Myeong-hwa, who repeatedly find themselves at a crossroads between conscience and cynicism – the movie seems to be the best example of a social drama in recent years which is proved by its 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Where to Watch Concrete Utopia?

Concrete Utopia is available exclusively on Rakuten Viki.