Review: Concrete Utopia

Concrete Utopia (2023)

When a massive earthquake hits Seoul and it’s surrounding area (possibly even the world, as it’s never explained) in the middle of a freezing winter, just one concrete apartment building is left standing amongst the rubble.

The only shelter left for any survivors, the apartment block residents are suddenly inundated with people flocking to this beacon of hope that stands tall above piles of rubble.

However, the residents patience and empathy for the outside survivors is pushed to the limit when vital supplies begin to run low, prompting the election of someone who can lead and advise them.

Much like real life though, the right person is not always the one to be elected, and soon the decisions made for everyone’s survival begin to have devastating repercussions for everyone involved.

As much as I love the disaster movies by Roland Emmerich, they are mere chewing gum for the eyes in comparison to the beautifully crafted narrative by co-writer/director Tae-hwa Eom, who shows the earthquake through reflections in glass as people observe it through their windows, the focus being on the reaction on the people’s faces and not the devastation that they are witnessing.

This continues through the entire 130 minute running time (of which I didn’t once look at how long was still left to run), the focus of the movie being on the survivors and the way in which humankind can be manipulated and their opinions changed all too easily.

It would be a disservice to call Concrete Utopia a disaster movie, it is much more than that.

Come for the devastation, stay for the engaging stories about humanities survival and the engaging (and well acted) characters.

Definitely one to put on your ‘to watch’ list.

Concrete Utopia is on UK and Ireland digital platforms now.

Review by Dave from a streaming link kindly supplied by Blue Finch Films via Alternate Current.