Concrete Utopia: A Depiction of Apartment Obsession and Illusion

Contains spoilers.

Disaster films not only provide audiences with spectacle and thrills but also often possess a strong element of social satire. Especially when faced with extreme circumstances, the inherent contradictions of a society tend to explode.

The 2023 summer release, the Korean film 'Concrete Utopia,' is set in a world where Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has been completely destroyed by an earthquake. The earthquake caused all the buildings in Seoul to collapse like dominoes, leaving only one apartment building, 'Hwanggong Apartment,' standing.

The residents of the apartment appear to cooperate to survive the disaster. However, survivors from the ruined Seoul flock to Hwanggong Apartment, the only remaining structure. The residents of Hwanggong Apartment regard them with suspicion and disapproval.

Among the refugees who converge on Hwanggong Apartment are people who used to live in 'Dream Palace,' an apartment building located a short distance away. However, Dream Palace was significantly more expensive than Hwanggong Apartment. The residents of Dream Palace had previously prevented the residents of Hwanggong Apartment from even coming near their building.

The residents of Hwanggong Apartment hold a vote on whether to expel these refugees. Voting rights are granted to homeowners, not tenants. The residents of Hwanggong Apartment, citing the discrimination and exclusion they experienced at the hands of the Dream Palace residents, vote to evict the refugees.

The refugees do not leave willingly. Kim Young-tak, the representative of the residents, organizes a vigilante group to drive them away. Kim Young-tak later leads this vigilante group to loot various parts of the ruined Seoul, creating a utopia exclusively for themselves. He hunts down those who secretly helped the refugees and punishes them, fostering a climate of fear and establishing himself as the dictator of this Concrete Utopia.

However, it is revealed later in the film that he was not actually a resident of the apartment. His real name is 'Mo Se-beom.' He had attempted to purchase Unit 902 of the apartment but was the victim of a scam. He gave all his money to the owner of Unit 902, 'Kim Young-tak,' but the money was taken by fraudsters associated with the real Kim Young-tak.

Mo Se-beom had gone to Unit 902 to demand his money back, and he murdered the real Kim Young-tak and assumed his identity.

Following this, their utopia quickly crumbles. Refugees and looters from outside swarm the apartment, and internal conflicts erupt. The residents die or scatter, bringing the film to a close.

The episodes surrounding the apartment resonated with Korean audiences, contributing to the film's box office success. This is because instances of neighborhood children being discriminated against based on apartment prices, or scams using apartments as bait, are common in Korean society. Particularly, since apartments are often cited as the root cause of numerous social issues in Korean society, this film had a powerful impact on Korean audiences.

Meanwhile, a spin-off and sequel to the film, 'Badland Hunter' (황야), was released on Netflix on January 26th. This film leans more towards the genre of zombie action film rather than social satire. Nonetheless, if you are curious about the fate of Hwanggong Apartment after the events of the film, watching this film might be a good option.