[Movie] Concrete Utopia, 콘크리트 유토피아 - Lee Byung Hun, Park Seo Joon, Park Bo Young

[Ephoenix]

September 8, 2023

[Planning] "Concrete Utopia" special makeup behind the scenes.

 

<Concrete Utopia> The Triumph of Teamwork 

View the source

 

“<Concrete Utopia> Casts had to put on winter makeup in the middle of summer, so it was a lot of hard work. It was a repetition of running after each cut and fixing the actors' makeup. It was a victory of teamwork, working in perfect order like a racing team. It is a work in which I feel extraordinarily affectionate as much as I have suffered together. Later, at the premiere, we were so overwhelmed by watching the screen that we had a separate dinner. (Laughter)

Young Tak is a character that confirmed the strength of actor Lee Byung-hun. When he adds detailed settings, he digests them as if he were his own body. I have never seen an actor as diligent and prepared as Lee Byung-hun. As we've known each other for a long time, we tease each other while working on it, and even though we grumble that it's not too much, I feel that we are more than happy when the character is well expressed. It takes a lot of courage to touch an actor's face differently.  He was so busy that he couldn't do the makeup test properly and almost skipped it, but I strongly insisted it, so I ended up finishing it safely. As a result, he is always a reliable actor who sets the overall tone.

I am also attached to each of other characters. In the case of actor Park Seo-joon, he has a very sparkling aura and is an actor who draws you towards him. For Minsung's character, erasing that image was the key. We worked hard to make it feel like life and fatigue were buried as much as possible. Still, I liked that we couldn't hide the twinkle in his eyes. 

In the case of actor Park Bo-young, I focused on showing her weak side because there should be no big change, but there is a regret that it would not have been bad if I had made her makeup more bold.

Actor Park Ji-hoo, who plays Hye-won, was very surprised to take a test shot. Purple hair was a color that reflected the nature of the chaotic movie, and it was covered with dust to make a faded purple. An uneasy expression and a pale expression were added to set the mood for the second half well."

 

Make up Director Song Jong Hee. source: Cine21 

 

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CONCRETE UTOPIA BOX OFFICE D-29

#3 Overall movies 

#2 Korean movies 

Attendance: 17,762 viewers 

Accumulated: 3,687,576 audiences 

 

GOOD JOB, CONUZZ!! Concrete Utopia jumped back to 2nd place in Korean movies from its previous position on the fourth. I hope tiff and NA premiere can create even more buzz and bring audiences to the theater. They have a press & Industry tomorrow and the red carpet on Sept 10. Can’t wait to see them shining on the red carpet! 

[Ephoenix]

September 9, 2023 

[CONUZZ…. ALL THE BEST!!!]

Lee Byung Hun, Park Seo Joon, and Park Bo Young leaving for Toronto to attend TIFF 2023

 

 

'Concrete Utopia' Selected by Forbes as Expected Movie at 2023 Toronto International Film Festival

 

 

The movie "Concrete Utopia" (directed by Um Tae-hwa), invited to the Gala Presentation section of the 48th Toronto International Film Festival, has been selected as one of the most anticipated works at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival by Forbes.

Amid continued international interest in Korean content, leading foreign media outlets such as Forbes and Metro Style are paying keen attention to "Concrete Utopia."

Forbes selected 10 expected films (The 10 Most Anticipated Movies At TIFF 2023) invited to this year's Toronto International Film Festival, including "Concrete Utopia." Citing "Concrete Utopia" as one of the representative films of the festival, he introduced, "The core of this film is that it deals with society, trust, and human nature beyond the post-apocalyptic situation." He also evaluated it as a movie that "challenges the audience to confront the beliefs, prejudices, and the structure of human civilization itself."

 

In addition, Metro Style introduced "Concrete Utopia" as "Korea's representative film in the international feature film category at the 2024 Academy Awards," explaining, "It is a strong action thriller that keeps the outside eye off, but it also has a psychological drama that criticizes social phenomena."He also cited the reason why he should watch the movie, saying that he added black comedy intellectual elements to heavy topics.

The disaster drama "Concrete Utopia," which depicts the story of survivors gathering in Seoul, which was devastated by the earthquake, is attracting more than 3.68 million viewers to the theater based on fresh reinterpretation of the genre and excellent acting skills of the main actors.

 

source: here 

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[Ephoenix]

September 9, 2023 

 

CULTURE

Review: Lee Byung-hun is the best thing about Korea’s Oscar candidate ‘Concrete Utopia’

 

South Korea’s official submission to the 2024 Academy Awards’ international feature film race is ‘Lord of the Flies’ meets a co-op board.

 

In case you missed the memo, South Korea isn’t just good at producing heart-fluttering romantic dramas; the country is also a prodigy at post-apocalyptic thrillers. Perhaps because the capital city is situated just a few miles from the border with a northern neighbor constantly threatening to rain nuclear Armageddon upon it, South Korean filmmakers have learned to unleash their sublimated fears onto their stories; from Train to Busan to #Alive, from Exit to Flu, more disasters have visited Korean cities than Godzilla has made trips to Tokyo.

 

But the social commentary doesn’t get more pointed than it does in director/co-writer Um Tae-hwa’s Concrete Utopia. Loosely based on the hit webtoon “Pleasant Bullying,” Concrete Utopia begins with a world-ending earthquake flattening Seoul…except for one apartment block. Out of all the CGI-rendered rubble that surrounds it, the Hwang Gung apartments stand improbably intact.

 

Like a beacon, the residential high-rise attracts desperate outsiders. But the residents soon come to label the refugees “cockroaches”—undesirables who are a strain on the apartment’s space and resources. The legal tenants then coldheartedly vote to evict these outsiders, declaring that “Our apartments belong to the residents!”

 

The homeowners soon set up a rudimentary system of self-government. After displaying extraordinary valor extinguishing a fire that could have caused catastrophic structural damage, an unassuming tenant named Young-tak (Lee Byung-hun) is selected to serve as the head of the task force which maintains peace and order, as well as to lead a foraging unit that will gather supplies from the surrounding decimated areas.

 

Pretty soon, the neighborly bachelor—who, by the way, has a checkered past that the movie will reveal in an ironic flashback—soon morphs into a determined and charismatic leader. And what starts as a democracy established by bickering homeowners devolves into a fascist authority. Think of it as Lord of the Flies meets a co-op board.

 

If there is one thing to recommend about Concrete Utopia, it is Lee Byung-hun’s riveting performance. Clearly relishing the opportunity to shed his good-guy K-drama persona, Lee is magnetic as a complex villain, a walking volcano with reservoirs of violence simmering under his half-savior, half-creep façade. Under such extreme circumstances, it’s no wonder young public servant Min-sung (Parasite breakout and Itaewon Class heartthrob Park Seo-joon) comes under Young-tak’s thrall, even as his bleeding-heart nurse of a wife (Park Bo-young) distrusts the self-styled leader intensely.

 

Concrete Utopia carries the idea of a basic democracy descending into a Gestapo-like dictatorship with easy grace during the first two-thirds of its running time, blending keenly observed commentary about the dark human impulse towards tribalism with some chuckle-inducing parody of the communal tendencies of its neighbor to the north. Slogans are lustily cheered, toilet hygiene is taught like a beginner’s-level language class, and rule-breakers are forced to denounce themselves in public. There’s even a karaoke celebration where Young-tak isn’t above shimmying to a song number.

It's when Concrete Utopia turns into a police procedural in its third act dedicated to unearthing Young-tak’s deep, dark secret that the film starts to lose its focus. The whole subplot feels like a concession to the demands of personal drama, when cataloguing broader social ills is what the film had been doing quite proficiently up to that point. Count on Lee to pull the whole thing together with his chilling performance, but the detour into murder-mystery feels like a wobble in Concrete Utopia’s solid foundations.

--

Concrete Utopia, South Korea’s official submission to the 2024 Academy Awards’ international feature film race, will be holding sneak previews in cinemas on Monday and Tuesday, September 11 and 12. The film opens nationwide on Wednesday, September 20.

 

Source: here 

UPDATE

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA BOX OFFICE D-30

#3 Overall movies 

#2 Korean movies 

Attendance: 32,224 viewers 

Accumulated: 3,719,798 audiences 

[Ephoenix]

September 10, 2023

 

TEAM CONCRETE UTOPIA AT THE RED CARPET OF TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL TODAY! 

 

They are glowing!! 

 

Dir. Uhm Tae-hwa, Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young, Park Ji-hoo, and climax studio producer Byun Seung-min 

 

More pictures: Getty images 

 

September 10, 2023 

REVIEWS

‘Concrete Utopia’: Toronto Review

 

Korea’s Oscar hopeful is a dynamic dystopian disaster move set in a post-earthquake apartment building 

 

Surviving an earthquake is nothing compared to the challenges that follow in Concrete Utopia, Um Tae-hwa’s dystopian disaster movie which focuses on the aftermath as survivors try to create a new social order in the last apartment complex still standing in Seoul. A slick, inventive blend of jeopardy, violence and black comedy gains further appeal from the echoes of J. G. Ballard’s High Rise and elements of biting satire in the style of Triangle Of Sadness. South Korea’s Oscar selection has already proved a commercial hit on its domestic release in August and should attract international buyers and audiences following festival screenings including Toronto and Sitges.

 

A slick, inventive blend of jeopardy, violence and black comedy

 

Um Tae-hwa’s first feature since Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned (2016) is based on Kim Soong-Nyung’s webtoon Cheerful Neighbour Part 11. It begins with a modest paean to the virtues of the apartment block as an aspirational living space representing social progress and status. The ironic use of ’Home Sweet Home’ on the soundtrack sets the tone for a film that will show that a South Korean apartment is a fortress worth defending with your life.

 

Dynamic, sharply edited opening sequences see an earthquake hitting Seoul and destroying virtually everything in its path. In the grey pall of twisted, smoking rubble, wreckage and death, the one place still upright is the Hwang Gung apartment complex. The residents wait for rescue to arrive. They have no means of contacting the wider world, no notion of how extensive the damage is or what exactly has happened. The viewer remains in the same state of ignorance.

 

Nurse Myeong-Hwa (Park Bo-young) and her husband Min-Seong (Park Seo-joon), a former civil servant, are among those who feel lucky to be alive. Her immediate instinct is to provide help for others, his is to focus on survival. Those traits will define their characters as the full horrors of life after the earthquake begin to take shape.

 

Finite resources start to dwindle and there is no sign of help arriving. It becomes apparent that someone needs to take charge of the situation. Kim Yeong-Tak (Lee Byung-Hun) is elected delegate for the complex, and is soon establishing regulations and arranging rationing. He also initiates a policy that the complex should be for residents only, with everyone else banished to their fate in the freezing cold ruins of Seoul. It is the start of a process in which the veneer of a civilised order is stripped away and a chaotic, dog-eat-dog ethos starts to prevail.

 

We always assume the aftermath of this earthquake will serve as a breeding ground for a return to savagery and the survival of the fittest. Um Tae-hwa carries off a predictable scenario with flair; maintaining the narrative momentum, testing the characters with impossible moral dilemmas and throwing in fresh twists. A sprinkling of character-revealing flashbacks keeps everything on the boil. The earliest part of the film seems infused with the comic zest of a Joe Dante or Roger Corman production but that mood shifts to something darker and more vicious as reality sets in. Um Tae-hwa successfully negotiates the gear change with some startling moments of bloodshed and also finds the poignancy in individuals confronted by their own inadequacies.

 

Cinematographer Cho Hyoung-rae serves the story as the ash grey tones of a ruined Seoul contrast with the bright daylight of the flashbacks or the warming glow of safety in the individual apartments. Lee Byung-Hun heads a strong cast, investing his increasingly psychotic character with a ruthless, unyielding determination. Park Bo-young and Park Seo-joon win sympathy for a couple facing events that bring out the best and the worst in them. The well-drawn characters, clever plotting and sting of social commentary in a tale of pride and property create an entertaining film that could follow in the wake of Parasite, Squid Game and other South Korean success stories.

 

source: screendaily 

[Ephoenix]

September 11, 2023

 

[TIFF2023] IN CONVERSATION WITH LEE BYUNG HUN AND PARK SEO JOON 

 

 

 

 

Q&A after the first screening of the movie 

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Something new interview? 

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CONCRETE UTOPIA BOX OFFICE D-32

#4 Overall movies 

#3 Korean movies 

Attendance: 6861 people 

Accumulated: 3,754,476 people 

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[Ephoenix]

September 11, 2023. 

 

The story of the class that will rise in the ranks of Korean masterpieces along with 'Parasite' and 'Squid Game'"...Concrete  Utopia, successfully premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.

 

View the source

The movie "Concrete Utopia" captivated audiences around the world through the screening of the Gala Premier at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.

 

 

'Concrete Utopia' is a disaster drama that tells the story of Seoul, which has been devastated by a major earthquake, with survivors gathering in the only remaining palace apartment. 'Concrete Utopia', which raised the expectations of audiences around the world by being selected as one of the 10 most anticipated films of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival by Forbes, successfully completed its gala premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on the 10th at 5 pm local Canadian time. At the red carpet event held prior to the gala premiere screening, director Uhm Tae-hwa, Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young, and Park Ji-hoo attended and received a lot of attention from reporters and fans. They responded to the pouring heat of coverage with relaxed smiles and greetings, while also sparing no fan service to the enthusiastic cheers of waiting fans, and repeatedly expressed their gratitude for the support towards 'Concrete Utopia'.

As soon as the movie began screening, 'Concrete' filled the running time, from the suspense provided by the unpredictable developments of those who survived the earthquake and the various human groups encountered in extreme situations, to the excellent performances of the actors who delicately expressed them, to the highly complete directing. The audience finished the viewing with a mixture of laughter and tension due to Utopia's unique style. The applause and praise from the press and the public immediately after the screening proved that the story of 'Concrete Utopia' has captivated global audiences, reaching universal consensus that transcends nationality. In particular, Awards Watch said, "It is the fruit of director Uhm Tae-hwa's directing and technical achievement," and Screen Daily said, "An interesting film with well-established characters and a clever plot along with 'Parasite' and 'Squid Game.' The film is receiving rave reviews from foreign media, including "A story about a class that will rise to the ranks of Korean masterpieces," raising expectations for a global box office hit that 'Concrete Utopia' will record in the future. At the GV event that followed, Lee Byung-hun expressed his special affection for the character, saying, “The most important thing was to portray Young Tak as he gradually changes as he takes power, and it was a very enjoyable part to film,” and Park Seo-joon said, “I am very excited to be part of this big film festival for the first time, and seeing the movie in such a large theater makes me feel very special, and being able to meet so many audiences is a very honorable and magical experience,” he said. As such, the movie ‘Concrete Utopia’ continues to be a long term hit with a message that encompasses borders and transcends generations. 

'Concrete Utopia', which proved to be the best film for audiences this summer, was praised as a new world of disaster movies with its unique world view, colorful human characters, and passionate performances by actors who perfectly expressed it, and was screened to rave reviews in theaters across the country. 

 

Source: Naver 

[Ephoenix]

September 13, 2023 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA SET AS 2023 STRASBOURG EUROPEAN FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL'S CLOSING FILM 

 

 

 

 

Source: Here 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA BOX OFFICE D-33

#6 Overall movies 

#4 Korean movies 

Attendance: 6,686 people 

Accumulated: 3,768,507 people 

Hope they cross the BEP over the weekend. 

[Ephoenix]

September 13, 2023 

 

DIRECTOR UHM TAE-HWA WITH PARK SEO-JOON AND PARK BO-YOUNG, THE 'YELLOW PEACH COUPLE' OF CONCRETE UTOPIA, POSING FOR THEIR  DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD PORTRAIT 

 

 

 

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CxIIYBnrsiz/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[Ephoenix]

September 14, 2023 

 

Team CONCRETE UTOPIA’s TIFF23 portrait from the official portrait studio Fairmont Royal York 

 

Pic credit: Torja_toronto.japan on twitter 

 

Team Concrete Utopia, our ConUz, giving a cool, classic and mysterious vibe. Can we have a whole Chabeol makjang with this casts? Or maybe a Korean version of a Twilight series? They are gonna be such gorgeous looking vampires.  

Jokes aside, this movie, this entire casts including our Director Uhm, is an Utopia in itself!

 

 

 

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TIFF links: 

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CxLaXiKOsNo/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxLaopzOFRs/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxLa60Suq5Y/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxLbUk8OjNE/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/3cxNjz-8Iy0?si=wkmMIJH79VNr7oyY

[Etalkctv] Lee Byung hun, Park Seo Joon and Park Bo young trying Canadian snacks. Love how PSJ instantly knew the more sour one would be LBH’s favorite and he said it is. Their chemistry is always chemistrifying! 

[Ephoenix]

September 15, 2023 

 

[HUFFPOST] 9 Of The Best Movies At The Toronto International Film Festival

 

From a horror comedy to family dramas and social allegories, some of the most interesting films at this year’s event are the ones few people are talking about. Some of the best films at this year's event grapple with complex stories of human fallibility, defy categorization and linger in your mind long after watching them. 

 

Ask some people on the ground at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, and they might say a version of the same thing: A substantial number of the movies premiering at the Sept. 7-17 event, including “North Star” and “Seagrass,” have felt incomplete. And others, like “American Fiction,” have delivered great performances in not-so-great films.

 

But some of the movies that have been tremendous this year have been less seen and certainly underdiscussed. Yet, they are no less significant. They grapple with complex stories of human fallibility, sometimes defy categorization and linger in your mind long after watching them.

 

Writer-director Tae-hwa Eom's “Concrete Utopia” is an emotionally and physically vicious look at social degradation following a major earthquake in Seoul, South Korea

 

‘Concrete Utopia’

 

Just a few short years ago, filmmaker Bong Joon-ho delivered a seminal depiction of class warfare in South Korea with “Parasite.” And now, writer-director Tae-hwa Eom picks up that baton with “Concrete Utopia,” an emotionally and physically vicious look at social degradation following a major earthquake in Seoul. Eom brings the audience into both the individual and collective stories of people attempting to rebuild the same flawed community, distinguished by the haves and the have-nots, while using genre elements to heighten their fates. In a less skilled filmmaker’s hands, that could have been clumsy. But instead, “Concrete Utopia” remains disturbingly and crushingly human.

 

Source: Here 

[Ephoenix]

September 17, 2023 

CONGRATULATIONS!! CONCRETE UTOPIA CROSSED IT'S BREAK EVEN POINT OF 3.8M [D-37]

 

#6 Overall movies 

#3 Korean movies 

Attendance: 12,927 viewers 

Cumulative audiences: 3,809,924 viewers 

 

[REVIEW]

 “CONCRETE UTOPIA”
 

THE STORY – From their balcony at the Hwang Gung apartment complex, Min-seong and Myeong-hwa look out on nothing but corpses and rubble. It seems a miracle their building remains standing when all the others are destroyed. A stranger and her small child soon arrive at Min-seong and Myeong-hwa’s door begging to be let in, followed by dozens of others from the surrounding area desperately seeking food and shelter. As days pass and no rescue teams turn up, the tenants assemble, survey their limited resources, and vote to evict the “outsiders.” When Yeong-tak, the tenants’ elected leader, announces that the outsiders must leave Hwang Gung, all hell breaks loose. From this point on, tenants must be prepared to protect their property by any means necessary. 
 

There’s never a shortage of entertaining disaster-thriller films being made or readily available on demand, but it’s a rare find when a film of that genre avoids blockbuster thrills and instead opts to engage in an impactful commentary on society as a whole. Director Um Tae-Hwa’s post-disaster dystopian film “Concrete Utopia” hits all the marks of still being entertaining but also an impressive epic that takes a deeper, more insightful look into human nature than most other films of the genre care to do or attempt. When society has literally crumbled, and we’re left with our basic human impulses to survive, “Concrete Utopia” takes an immersive and terrifying look at how those governed by fear differ from those who choose to govern by compassion and equality.

 

The film, based on the webtoon “Pleasant Bullying” by Kim Soongnyung, follows a South Korean couple, Min-seong (“Parasite’s” Park Seo-jun) and Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young), living in the heart of Seoul in an impressive high-rise apartment complex. One morning, they routinely wake up and peer out their window to an unimaginable sight of absolute carnage surrounding them. They discover an enormous earthquake has desecrated the capital city, leaving only remnants of what used to be civilization in its merciless wake. It turns out that the seemingly last and only standing building left is Min-seong and Myeong-hwa’s own apartment complex. Still, this realization only brings momentary relief as the chaos and repercussions of the disaster have just begun. Whether prepared or not, this couple is irrecoverably thrust into the heart of it all and about to experience the peak of human impetuosity in its most dire state.

 

Quite expeditiously, “Concrete Utopia” becomes a near study of human nature as desperation and primal instincts emerge from the hundreds, if not thousands, of survivors seeking refuge in the only standing place of shelter. This causes the remaining survivors to revert to somewhat primitive behavior. People are injured, scared, hungry, cold, and tired, and only one standing building can solve their problems. This could have been a blessing for all, except there are not nearly enough resources available for everyone. So now the residents of the building must decide — do the apartment owners get to keep their rightful spaces, or do the sick, the children, and the elderly receive priority? The group soon realizes there is no one correct answer to these moral questions, and the survivors are torn ethically as they weigh their options. In an effort to create some semblance of control and command within the remaining members, the group elects a leader, Yeong-tak (“I Saw The Devil’s” Lee Byung-hun), to look to for decision-making. This starts out fine enough, but the situation soon spirals as leadership is threatened, ethics are challenged, and panicked desperation begins to innately reshape people into unrecognizable members of a previously just society in something more savage.

 

The performances by the entire ensemble are consistently engaging and multifaceted as the characters are put through the wringer, experiencing immense amounts of trauma and moral dilemmas while becoming weaker, sicker, and gradually more desperate. Watching well-developed and relatable characters’ morals wither over the course of the film’s two-hour runtime is riveting to watch. As it progresses, it becomes entirely more apparent that when it comes down to it, moral code is very likely to go out the window as things change from an “everyone for themselves” situation to a class battle between the “haves” and the “have nots,” to a final internal struggle for power based upon lies, deceit, and fear.

 

Park Seo-jun and Park Bo-young, who play our central apartment-owning couple, have fantastic chemistry with each other and give consistently heart-wrenching performances. They tackle this feat of displaying decaying human decency with chilling accuracy as we watch them wrestle with the will to survive and their attempts to preserve who they are and what they believe at their core is the best way forward. Lee Byung-hun stands out as Yeong-tak, the nominated leader of the supposed utopia for all who live in the building. He portrays a once simple and unassuming man who soon spirals into self-destruction when he’s given too much power too quickly. It quickly intoxicates and overwhelms him, and in his frightening display of unbridled autocratic authority, one may compare his decisions and transformation to that of a guard from the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment.

 

On a technical level, “Concrete Utopia” is extremely impressive. From the eerily realistic and destroyed sets, simple yet believable wardrobes, and elaborate camerawork, the scale of Um Tae-hwa’s film is massive. Coupling the epic production design by Cho Hwa-sung and cold cinematography from Cho Hyoung-rae, the audience is thrust into an empty, seemingly hopeless grayscale landscape that is populated by the many poor survivors on the screen creating many stunning images of desolation and despair. The editing is crisp and straightforward, propelling the story and Um Tae-Hwa’s elite direction towards a potential answer to the dreadful “what ifs” that surround the uncertainty of the inevitable collapse of modern society as we know it is concentrated and emotionally compelling.

 

The themes “Concrete Utopia” explores are tackled with an intensity that forces the audience to put themselves in the positions of the people on screen, sympathizing with the characters and questioning what they would do if ever put in the on-screen predicament themselves. Once docile, selfless people resort to feral, primitive behavior when put to the test, selfishness and self-preservation become natural instincts, and relationships crumble under the pressure of the masses. Um Tae-Hwa forces the audience to examine and reflect on any judgment or criticisms one may have of the characters back onto themselves in a memorable and revealing way. Though it stretches a bit long at times, and some may feel its themes have been thoroughly explored in other similar projects, “Concrete Utopia” is a gripping, disturbing, and powerful representation of the worst of society, yet equally showcasing the best qualities in humans and how hope, community, and decency will always exist through the dust and devastation.

 

THE RECAP

THE GOOD - Phenomenal performances, stunning set design, cinematography, and sound band together to create an immersive and compelling film with an eerie yet important narrative on human nature.

THE BAD - A slightly shorter runtime could've shaped the film to make it more concise and impactful.

THE OSCAR PROSPECTS - Best International Feature

THE FINAL SCORE - 8/10

source: here 

 

[Ephoenix]

September 18, 2023

All the International genre film festivals to Concrete Utopia … 

  

 

[Official] Director Um Tae-hwa's 'Concrete Utopia' gets invites from Fantastic Fest 2023, Chicago International, and Zurich Film Festival. 

 

View the source

 

The movie "Concrete Utopia" is receiving a series of invitations from leading overseas film festivals.

Starting with the Toronto International Film Festival, it is drawing keen attention as it is receiving a flood of love calls from leading overseas film festivals for the movie "Concrete Utopia," which has been officially invited to the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival and the Hawaii International Film Festival. "Concrete Utopia" is officially invited to the Fantastic Fest 2023 (September 21 to September 28), the 19th Zurich Film Festival (September 28 to October 8), and the 59th Chicago International Film Festival (October 11 to October 22).

On top of that, the Fantastic Fest and Zurich Film Festival are confirmed to be attended by director Um Tae-hwa, signaling a special meeting with global audiences. In particular, spokespersonthe Chicago International Film Festival, which is recognized as the oldest international film festival in North America, said, "Concrete Utopia" is an exciting disaster epic that combines covert psychological tension and action skillfully. It combines violence and thrill, power and group, and acrimonious social criticism of the fine line between heroes and villains, civilization and barbarism," delivering favorable reviews for the film.

While the global box office is in full swing with the official invitation of a series of overseas film festivals, overseas reactions to "Concrete Utopia" are also hot right after the screening of the Gala Premier at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5. Cinema Daily US said, "This movie is a 130-minute journey in which the audience is immersed and exhausted that cannot be easily shaken off.If you think of a real-life catastrophe, it won't feel like much fiction, contrary to what a comfortable movie audience wants," Next Best Picture said, "The amazing acting, amazing set design, filming, and sound come together to create a realistic and convincing film.It is a movie that contains uncomfortable but important narratives about human nature," a series of favorable reviews from foreign media, proving global interest in "concrete utopia."In addition, HuffPost praised "Concrete Utopia" as one of the nine best films at the Toronto International Film Festival, saying, "Director Um Tae-hwa draws audiences into the personal and collective stories of the characters, tries to reconstruct a flawed society consisting of those who have and don't."

Meanwhile, "Concrete Utopia" is a disaster drama that depicts the story of survivors gathering in Seoul, which was devastated by a major earthquake, and is being screened in theaters nationwide.

 

source: here

(Now I think all these invites most likely be the reason for not doing a widespread release? I really hope thats the case.)

 

Link: Fantastic Fest 2023 here 

2023 Chicago International Film Festival here

 2023 Zurich Film festival here 

 

Director Uhm Tae Hwa, Park Seo Joon and Park Bo Young Interview for Deadline Hollywood. 

 

 

[Ephoenix]

September 18, 2023 

 

TIFF REVIEW: ‘Concrete Utopia’ gives new meaning to ‘love thy neighbour’

 

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.

 

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. 

 

Source: Here

 

[Ephoenix]

September 21, 2023 

 

[Lotte Entertainment IG] CONCRETE UTOPIA'S IMPERIAL PALACE APARTMENT FAMILY

 

Unreleased pictures from TIFF23. 

 

 

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxcCJ5wLUlM/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

[Ephoenix]

September 23, 2023 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA WILL OPEN THE 9th ANNUAL ASIAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL 

 

Asian World Film Festival (AWFF), the annual event celebrating Asian cinema from around the world, announced today the dates of its 2023 festival: November 8 – 17. The 9th Annual AWFF, which will be headquartered in Culver City, CA, will open with Um Tae-hwa's ambitious, post-apocalyptic epic "Concrete Utopia" (Korea) and close with Wuershan's classic mythology blockbuster "Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms" (China).

 

Director Uhm Tae-hwa will be in attendance for screening. 

 

UmTae-h

 

ABOUT THE ASIAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (AWFF)

 

The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF), founded by Kyrgyz Public Figure Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, brings the very best of a broad selection of Asian World Cinema to Los Angeles to draw greater recognition to the region's wealth of filmmakers and strengthen ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries. Uniting through cross-cultural collaboration, the Festival champions films from over 50 countries across Asia, spanning from Turkey to Japan and from Russia to India and South-East Asia. The Festival is unique in that it predominantly screens Academy Award® and Golden Globe® submissions for Best International Feature Film and Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language respectively. All films that participate in the Festival will have a unique chance to be guided through the challenging awards season and showcased to members of various industry groups and the press for enhanced exposure, media attention and awards consideration. AWFF is a non-profit organization under Aitysh USA.

 

Source: here 

[Ephoenix]

September 26, 2023 

 

[Review Fantastic Fest 2023] CONCRETE UTOPIA -- A Stunning and Nuanced Disaster Epic for a Materialist World

 

The King James Bible translates Matthew 22:39 as “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” This verse essentially means that whatever you do to your neighbor, whether it’s through words or actions, needs to be something you want to have happen to you. This is especially true in times of unexplainable hardship, and while it is never outright stated, it is arguably the core idea of Um Tae-hwa’s disaster epic Concrete Utopia. If you do not know and love your neighbor as an equal, damnation will eventually come for you. 
 

The film centers around the various residents of the Hwang Gung Apartments in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. The apartment building was somehow completely undamaged, making it a safe haven for survivors, much to the dismay of its residents. One such resident, Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun), is voted to take charge due to his past advocacy against unwanted development on the apartment grounds. Unfortunately, his leadership successes come at a devastating cost, especially after nurse Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young) fails to convince her husband, Min-seong (Park Seo-joon), that something is wrong. 

 

It would be remiss to ignore the stunning visual work that brought its destroyed Seoul landscape to life. One scene, in particular, will likely go down as one of the best ever made in the subgenre. Cinematographer Cho Hyung-rae crafted stunning shots in this grey, desolate, and horrifying environment, even in parts where the integration of CGI green screen and physical sets isn’t perfect. 

 

However, these sequences aren’t the main draw of the film, and much is still left to the imagination as to what actually happened. Choosing to center the movie around the aftermath of the earthquake is not a particularly unique direction – often, disaster movies highlight the degradation of the human condition as proof that we’re all capable of horrific violence under the right circumstances. How these characters degrade certainly is. They never become cartoonishly evil or desperate, as is usually the case with similar stories. They simply act like people wanting to maintain the order they previously had in their lives, no matter what they do to regain it. 

 

 

Herein lies the film’s biggest strength: nuance. There is, for lack of a better term, a concrete reason behind every decision made by its ensemble. Lee Byung-hun’s performance is arguably the best example of this, as Yeong-tak’s rise to power within the complex coincides with a much darker secret he’s hiding. When this secret is revealed, it is juxtaposed with scenes of what is supposed to be a joyous celebration of survival. This is the perfect example of who Yeong-tak is as a character: someone who knows of his sins but will continue to reap the benefits they have given him. Audiences can judge him and the rest of these characters, but not without wondering if they themselves are capable of acting the exact same way. 

 

Um’s direction, along with the script he co-wrote alongside Lee Sin-ji, exemplifies this overarching idea in every scene. In this regard, it is likely the most realistic depiction of what would happen if a disaster movie came to life, right down to the minute details of how its characters exist in this new world. If the world they existed in valued property and materialism above all else (a detail outlined to us in the opening credits), it’s only reasonable that these attitudes would carry over into times of crisis. 

 

Concrete Utopia is both pessimistic and optimistic about the state of humanity in extreme events. There is never any reason for why the apartment complex was spared, nor do we ever get any answers as to why larger help hasn’t come. However, these aren’t questions you are supposed to ask about this film. Instead, you’re supposed to ask yourself if you are as morally righteous as you think you are, the film challenging the audience at every revelation and development. By fully immersing viewers into the lives of its ensemble, it forces you to think about how you treat your neighbors, both figuratively and literally. Will you be the one helping outsiders survive in difficult conditions, or will you be the one throwing objects at them to get them to leave? Can you be sure of your answer?

 

Concrete Utopia is screening at the 2023 Fantastic Fest, which runs September 21-28 in Austin, Texas.

 

Rating: 4/5

Source: here 

[Ephoenix]

September 26, 2023 

 

[REVIEW] FANTASTIC FEST: ‘Concrete Utopia’ Captures Moral Hypocrisy In Terrifying Times

 

Pic credit: Katie Sanchez twitter

 

A good disaster film needs to focus in on the human elements of each, capturing the nuanced ways in which humanity is warped by circumstances around them. A big blockbuster disaster film can be fun but the ones that make the audiences see themselves in the situations and ask the question, “What would I do?” Adding to the long list of stellar South Korean disaster films is Concrete Utopia. Directed and written by Um Tae-hwa with Lee Shin-ji also serving as a writer, the film is adapted from the WEBTOON Pleasant Bullying by Kim Soongnyung.

 

Concrete Utopia doesn’t focus on the lead-up to disaster or the disaster itself; instead, we step into the Imperial Palace Apartments sometime soon after mass destruction struck South Korea in the form of what is presumably an earthquake. Centered first on Min-sun (Park Seo-jun), a public servant, and his wife Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young), a nurse, we see what daily life in the last intact apartment complex in the area looks like. Surrounded by nothing but collapsed buildings and raised earth, the apartment complex is the only reprieve from the bitter cold and hunger.

 

When outsiders begin to cause problems in the complex, the residents come together and elect Young-tak (Lee Byung-hun) as their Resident Delegate and leader, using him to help enact the tough choices and drive the outsiders away from their complex. This is where the narrative finds its stride after a small amount of worldbuilding. The audience is pushed directly into a character drama that just so happens to be taking place in the lone highrise in the middle of a leveled city. Concrete Utopia bares its teeth as it lays out a parable about South Korea’s unique relationship with class and real estate and what lengths homeowners will go to to keep their homes.

 

 

Concrete Utopia is another in a long line of Webtoon adaptations in the last few years, but by focusing on just one aspect of the story instead of adapting a swath of episodes, director Um Tae-hwa captures something unique and his own. By honing in one specific element of the story, there is so much more set to take place with the series Concrete Market confirmed and a film called The Wilderness already set.

 

Even without those already confirmed upcoming projects, Concrete Utopia does stand alone. That said, director Um is able to create such a vast world with layers of details that make it feel like if you turn right instead of left, you would find another story, another group, and another take on surviving in a now-apocalyptic world. That is a testament to Um’s skill and ability to create a lived-in yet expansive world without the need for exposition.

 

Beautiful and dangerous, the way that the cold environment is captured atmospherically is stellar. With landscapes that show off a world with many sinkholes and destroyed buildings outside of view, it all feels epic. But the environment is just one part of the recipe. Disaster films are fun watches because we get to see people battle the elements, struggle to survive, and make hard choices. In Concrete Utopia, Um focuses on the last of these.

 

 

Yes, we see hints of the disaster, but how the world got this way doesn’t matter. Yes, we see the lengths that people go to for survival, but Um makes sure to never present that brutality as the only option. Instead, every single thing that happens in the apartment complex is an active choice. Not being forced into it by a climactic disaster, each choice holds more weight, allowing people’s hypocrisy, cowardice, and selfishness to take center stage.

 

Pulling the audience in, the director asks us, sitting in our theater recliners, to join in. What would we choose? How would we treat our neighbor, and when we choose an act of either passive or active violence, how would we reason it away?

 

A character-driven film, we see the choices and the weight they carry through two men, primarily Young-tak and Min-sung. Group think, and secondary characters are also on display, but the narrative’s dynamic nature thrives as we look at the two men in opposition and in conversation with each other. Two leading men, Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-jun, are transformed in Concrete Utopia, flexing their acting muscles and embracing the uglier sides of humanity to do so.

 

For Young-tak, Lee Byung-hun is effortlessly charismatic, manic, and pathological. Actor Lee has long been an inspired choice for complex characters. With his ability to switch demeanors on a dime and a piercing gaze that can be intimidating one minute and welcoming the next, as the resident delegate, he gets his hands dirty so that others don’t have to.

 

There is a loneliness to him that he carries in every scene at the beginning of the film, shrinking from others and passing responsibility. Then, at the midpoint, he sharply turns into a leader who will do anything (provoked or otherwise) to defend the apartment complex. As he moves between the two character distillations, Lee Byung-hun plays the role with much more beneath the surface, hinting at secrets kept without sowing too much distrust.

 

At the same time, Park Seo-jun delivers his best performance yet. Deeply nuanced, actor Park plays Min-sun. A public servant and loving husband, Min-sun is pulled onto the anti-crime committee, tasked with following Young-tak and the other men (ages 16-60) out into the cold wasteland outside of the apartment complex.

 

Crawling over dead bodies and seeing the faces of those he helped turn away, the entire runtime of Concrete Utopia shows him breaking, slowly, steadily, his morals caving in until only Young-tak’s authority and the apartment complex rules remain. Undergoing the most growth throughout the narrative, Min-sun stands as a character under pressure, scared about his survival and broken by what he’s seen.

 

South Korea’s entry into the 2024 Oscars, Concrete Utopia is an emotional force of a film. Not concerned with the disaster itself or the spectacle of CGI it could employ to focus on the moment of tragedy, the film offers epic landscapes but always keeps an intimate eye on the people in the high rise.

 

Director Um Tae-hwa hones in on the people and highlights the ways in which humanity is deeply flawed and how those flaws shine brightly when there are decided hierarchies even in a world where you’ve lost everything. And even then, while Um Tae-hwa’s narrative is based on us versus them, he never loses sight of investigating who gets to choose which side of the apartment door you fall on.

 

Concrete Utopia was screened as a part of the Fantastic Fest 2023 program.

Rating - 10/10

 

source: here 

[Ephoenix]

October 1, 2023            

This article contains heavy spoilers! 

 

Dystopia of Black and White stones. Metaphor of “Concrete Utopia’ 

 

First of all, I would like to explain that what I’ve translated from this article is based on my own limited basic knowledge of Baduk/Go games, and the pictures I used for references are from my own observations and interpretations of the movie. It’s mostly straightforward but there might be inaccuracies with the terminologies and how the game works in general. The original link here

 

Pic: Director Uhm Tae Hwa IG (written word: ‘ConU’, a short form of Concrete Utopia)

 

Residents of the Imperial Palace Apartment vote. This is because outsiders flowed into this apartment building, which was the only building that did not collapse after the earthquake, causing chaos. Now you have to decide. Will we live with outsiders or drive them out? The conclusion will be decided by majority vote. The women’s council president explains the voting method. “If you want to live with outsiders, put in black stones. If you don’t want to live with outsiders, put in white stones.” The result was a landslide victory for white stones. The residents of the Imperial Palace Apartment decide to drive out the outsiders and succeed in driving them all out of the complex.

 

◇ Distinction between black stone, white stone, and baduk stone votes 

 

The first event that occurs in the movie 'Concrete Utopia', or in other words, the beginning of the conflict, is this vote. But wait a minute. There's something awkward about this vote. This is not the method we commonly know. When deciding on pros and cons, it is common to mark the pros and cons with OX, or when choosing between two options, divide the box into two and mark them in a certain way, but in this movie, voting is done with baduk stones. What is baduk? A game where black stones and white stones fight over a house. Black and white is a differentiated by a thin sheath of Pia. The two can never be on the same side. In other words, the Baduk stones vote does not only mean driving outsiders out of their apartments. From now on, it is an expression of the willingness to assume that outsiders are enemies, and that since they are enemies, they may be exterminated if necessary.

 

◇ Birth of White stone system

 

The person who strongly drives this dichotomy is the resident representative Kim Young-tak (Lee Byung-hun). He unexpectedly becomes the CEO, throws himself into protecting the palace apartments from outsiders, secures the trust of the residents, and demonstrates strong leadership. So, Kim Young-tak is the standard bearer of white stone and the symbol of white stone. He leads the crime prevention team formed to protect the apartment from outsiders and succeeds in going outside the apartment and getting food. Kim Young-tak's dichotomy, for example, Kim Young-tak's white stone system, worked and produced results. As the delighted residents celebrate, 'Concrete Utopia' is about to take a surprise leap forward. It shows Kim Young-tak's past to the audience. And at exactly this point, a new resident who may know his identity is brought in.

 

◇ Is Kim Young-tak a gray stone? 

 

 

To conclude, Kim Young-tak is neither black (outsider) nor white (resident). Kim Young-tak's real name is Mose-beom. Mose-beom is pretending to be Kim Young-tak, who lived in room 902, and is pretending to be a resident. Here, the setting that Mose-beom and his family were able to move into the imperial palace apartment but were unable to physically do so due to real estate fraud by Kim Young-tak is significant. It is clear that MSB is not a resident. But he cannot be called an outsider. He paid all the money to move into the imperial palace apartment. To put it bluntly, he is a gray stone. When Moses-beom asks for money, Kim Young-tak says: “Get out of my house.” Mose-beom gets angry at Kim Young-tak, who clearly distinguishes between black (Outsider) and white (Resident) and tries to define himself as white and Mose-beom as black, and while the two fight, Kim Young-tak dies. By hitting his head on the checkerboard. Mose-beom, who has lost his temper, throws a bunch of baduk stones into Kim Young-tak's mouth and hits him several times with the bucket of baduk stone bowl.

 

◇ The standard of White stone

 

It is a decisive symbol that this kind of model becomes representative of the residents. In fact, most of the residents here are Mose-beom (gray stone). Who is the white stone and who is the black stone? 'Concrete Utopia' does not miss the ambiguous reference point that separates black and white. When the residents gather at the women's association council's house for a meeting, a man speaks. He said, “Shouldn’t we consider whether it is self-owned or leased?” Are those living on a lease basis black or white? Conversely, are people who do not live but own a house white or black? Kim Min-sung (Park Seo-joon) says: “I owe most of my debt to the bank, but my house is my home.” Can people who live in houses with a large portion of loans become white stone? Is it a fair rule to call only people who have no loans at all white stones? The guard who was kicked out screams. “I’ve worked here for 20 years!” So, is this security guard just a black stone?

 

[T/N: This is such an interesting observation to realize the two main leaders who are at the frontline in protecting the Imperial Palace Apartment have such contradicting position between themselves.]

Spoiler

 

◇ "Everyone get out!" 

 

In any case, housing is limited. It's as if like the baduk checkerboard which is made up of exactly 19 lines horizontally and vertically. The future is uncertain. There is no time to consider each individual's situation one by one and plan for survival. In order for the gray stones to survive, the easiest way is to actively pretend to be white stones and oust the black stones. Those who have lived in the real estate republic and apartment republic instinctively know this. What is the sadness of not having a home? Mose-beom felt the sorrow of being defeated by Kim Young-tak. Briefly taken aback by the fierce resistance of outsiders, he may have felt that he had to act like Kim Young-tak in order to survive. Mose-beom throws himself out and returns to the Black Stones exactly the way how Kim Young-tak said with, “Everyone get out.”

 

Spoiler

 

◇Rebels, Revelations, and Attacks

 

The imperial palace apartment system, built on black and white logic of enmity, exposure, and raids, destroys itself due to its extreme method of not allowing gray areas. As mentioned earlier, this system is based on annihilation, not solidarity. They have no choice but to constantly be attacked by outsiders, and this confrontation takes an extreme form, leaving considerable damage to the white stones. As the damage accumulates, the internal backlash against Kim Young-tak's white stone system also grows. The climax of 'Concrete Utopia' is the very moment where it is revealed that Mose-beom is not White stone. In this sequence, three events with different meanings occur simultaneously. The antagonism between Mose-beom and the women's council president, who were the two axes of the imperial palace's apartment system, the revelation of Mose-beom's identity by Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young), who was antipathetic to the Mose-beom system, and an attack by outsiders. In this way, the white stone doctrine of the imperial palace apartments collapses.

 

◇ Kim Young-tak becomes Kim Young-tak 

 

 

What comes to mind again at this point is the fight between Mose-beom and Kim Young-tak. The confrontation between the two people over the house, the physical fight involving the Baduk board and Baduk stones, was nothing short of a prophecy about a series of events that would take place over the imperial palace apartment in the future. Mose-beom, who killed Kim Young-tak and became Kim Young-tak, repeats Kim Young-tak's actions and is later killed by other Mose-beoms. After his identity was revealed, Mose-beom complained strongly about his injustice to his residents and ended up becoming nauseous. Perhaps Mose-beom found this divisive situation so disgusting that he could not bear it after seeing himself become the type of person he loathed.

 

[T/N: Among the countless ingenuity of Dir. uhm’s visual story-telling in this movie, this scene just tops my list. Not just from the context of their story and their actions symbolizing of Baduk game, with literal use of baduk stones and bowls, but the use of Sunset yellow color to fill the whole frame as if their whole apartment is a baduk checkerboard itself with the limited spaces is nothing but genius. Concrete Utopia truly is a masterpiece work for Dir. UTH. He put so much work on the details that it rightfully deserves all the nth viewing and all the accolads. ] 

 

◇"Why are you asking me that?" 

 

Myeong-hwa, who runs away from the imperial palace apartment, saves her life with the help of other surviving residents outside the apartment. Myeong-hwa asks. “Is it okay if I live here?” This question may mean whether this community also accepts black people (outsiders). Then a woman answers. “Why are you asking me that?” This answer means that there are neither black nor white stones here. So perhaps the place where the famous painting arrived is at least a better place than the imperial palace apartments, and although it is very small, it may be a place where there is hope. However, ‘Concrete Utopia’ does not easily affirm the future. A man asks Myeong-Hwa, he asks, “I heard they eat people in that apartment? What kind of people are they there?” This question is a kind of black-and-white logic that defines the people in the palace apartments as people who cannot form solidarity. A woman criticizes this. “Don’t say unnecessary things.” The black-and-white logic of Kim Young-tak and the imperial palace apartment sits coiled in people's minds, waiting to crawl out at any time. So Myeong-hwa answers that the people in the apartment were neither black nor white, but gray. “They were just ordinary people.”

 

Spoiler

 

[Ephoenix]

October 3, 2023 

This post contains heavy spoilers!!! 

 

CONCRETE UTOPIA : Interesting facts and Details 

 

Opening Sequence: KBS Modern Korea production team participated in the production of the Intro video. It is a kind of allegory film about South Korea’s modern history. The production team stated that they made about 20 versions of the intro video, each with a different vibe than the other. Director Uhm Tae-hwa mentioned in one of the final relay GV for the movie that he acquired the right for those special clips from KBS. He said, “To explain movie’s worldview. I thought it’d be effective to show the meaning and context of Korean Apartment and break them down.” What’s more interesting is that, besides his intention to familiarize the audience about Apartment republic Korea, he also intended to make it feel like protagonist’s (Mo Se-beom) previous history. 

 

Pic: KBS Modern Korea on twitter with LBH’s close up shot from one of the test versions.

 

In the final movie version of the intro video, if you pay attention closely, there are two scenes that passes by quickly. A construction worker carrying a bag of cement while looking at the under construction building is none other than Lee Byung hun. It’s a scene from the 1992 KBS daily drama “Days of Sunshine”, where LBH played Choi Hyeong-man, and the under construction building he’s looking at strangely resembles Imperial Palace Apartment. And then there is also a clip where the notice of Apartment price for Imperial Palace’s shown. So, I think it’d not be far reaching to assume that the Director was trying to imply Mo Se-beom may have taken part in the construction of many of that apartments, and worked hard to eventually buy a place for his family there. Because in one of the test version, LBH as a taxi driver is seen watching those apartments with dreamy eyes. Also, during the confrontation scene with Do-kyun, Young-tak tells the story of how he worked so many different jobs from manual labor to the deliveries etc. That explains his utmost dedication and love for the apartment, as well as his involuntary reaction to the fire breakout, and how he naturally knew where the emergency fire hose cabinet was amongst all that crowd of people. 

 

There’s not much info on this drama online, but it has been mentioned that this drama was LBH’s first starring role in the drama after his supporting role in Asphalt my hometown, and the only daily drama of his career. LBH played as Choi Hyeong-man, son of rich family, but left his comfortable life due to conflict with his father, and now works as a delivery boy at a Chinese restaurant. This drama was widely famous for its impressive opening sequence where they’ve created a diorama using legos. Also, if you look at the fashion of his character at the beginning of the eps, it looks exactly like Mo Se-beom. Haha Talk about attention to detail, eh? And its only the beginning.

Here is the link to the tweet from KBS Modern Korea. Please also check the thread to see few different test versions. 

 

Lee Byung Hun’s ingenious ad-lib of writing Kim Young-tak’s name: In the beginning of the movie, when Kim Young-tak writes his name 김영탁 in the register, he involuntarily writes the lower consonant ‘ㅁ’ ‘M’ first in his surname ‘김’ in Korean, before hesitating and finishing writing the upper consonant ‘ㄱ’ ‘K’. As we know, Normally, when we write our name, we start with the order of our first letter, and it’s a correct way, spontaneous like a muscle memory. But in case of Young-tak, who was impersonating as Kim Young-tak, and whose real name is Mo Se-beom 모세범 (even though his truth was unknown at that time), involuntarily starts with ‘ㅁ’ ‘M’, like the real name he was used to writing all his life, before hesitating and completing with the upper consonant. This was a very important detail and it was LBH’s idea to create a layered character for Young-tak, and to give some food for thought for the audience demanding that they should pay attention. LBH first presented this idea to Director Uhm on the set, who loved it very much, and filmed with a close-up shot of it. LBH was very happy for coming up with this creative idea, and was boasting proudly in his interviews… as he should. Calling him a genius actor is not enough anymore. He deserves all the praises imaginable for making Young-tak such a multi-layered character despite facing so many challenges to get into the character.  

 

 

Apartment Song sung by Kim Young-tak: Both Director Uhm Tae-Hwa and Lee Byung hun revealed many times that the footage used for this sequence in the movie was a rehearsal cut. Director Uhm mentioned that they had taken about 3-4 takes of this scene but while editing, he found the one with the rehearsal cut the most natural. He said that since it was a rehearsal scene, everyone seemed very relaxed, and liked how Park Seo-Joon looked drunk and vibing with the song. Unlike other takes, Lee Byung hun also looked straight to the camera creating strange tension in the scene, and for some reasons, the camera was shaking as it was zooming out from his face, and said he loved that part very much and thought this would be a perfect scene. And He was right!! He also mentioned it was one of the hardest scene to film as it was filmed at dawn, with enclosed space, among 300+ people on the set, including kids, and in the middle of the hot summer. I must say all their hard work paid off. This was the highly talked about and the most praised scene so far from the movie for its incredible acting and direction. Good Job! 

 

 

Gemini Meteor Shower: When Mo Se-beom was driving his taxi to go to the Imperial Palace apartment, there was an announcement on the radio about the Gemini meteor shower gracing the night sky on that night. It was the same day the earthquake happened in the movie, and was on December 13, 2022, as it was shown many times in the movie from Kim Min-sung and Moon Hye-won’s place to the lobby of the building as if the director wanted us to remember. Specifically, the one in the lobby had the date circled. According to CNET, there really was an announcement for the Gemini Meteor shower and was said to be the day where it is at it’s peak. It’s not just these details, but there seemed to be another special connection for choosing this specific day, and we will discuss that on the analysis section later on. 

 

Spoiler

 

Tone of the movie: Picasso’s Guernica: Director Uhm mentioned in Cine21 interview that he showed the painting as a motif to the staff before beginning the production. He said that ‘Guernica’ expressed that terrible situation through modern cubist paintings. In particular, it fit well with the tone of modern black comedy in the early part of the movie, and at the same time, the terrible and fiery emotions ‘Guernica’ has within it were in line with the emotions shown in the latter half of the movie. He said that he thought the painting captured that overall very well, and said its very abstract to be explained in words. 

 

Spoiler

 

So far, these are the ones I managed to remember. If I find other interesting facts or behind the scene stories, I will add to my next analysis post. Movie is fantastic but I cannot help but wish for this to be a series, so we could devour each and every incredible details of this great work for longer hours. It’s just so good.  

[Ephoenix]

October 3, 2023 

 

Concrete Utopia selected as a Closing Film at the 8th London East Asia Film Festival. 

 

LEAFF closes with Director Um Tae-hwa's latest feature, Concrete Utopia. The film will be screened as the UK premiere and both the Director and Actor Park Bo-young will be attending the Gala Screening, followed by a Q&A. 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx8n5w9v7Gs/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

Also, an insightful interview of Director Uhm Tae-hwa from Fantastic Fest 2023.