Concrete Utopia

Concrete Utopia is a 2023 South Korean disaster-thriller film directed by Um Tae-hwa, who wrote the screenplay with Lee Shin-ji, based on the second part of the webtoon Pleasant Outcast by Kim Soongnyung. It stars Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, and Park Bo-young.

Concrete Utopia is set in Seoul shortly after a titanic earthquake destroys the city, and follows the residents of a building that miraculously remained intact. As they try to survive, they are faced with harsh realities and difficult moral decisions. The film was theatrically released on August 9, 2023.

The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was selected as the South Korean entry for the Best International Feature Film category for the 96th Academy Awards. However, it did not make it to the shortlist. A standalone sequel titled Badland Hunters, following a different set of characters evolving in post-earthquake Seoul, was released in January 2024, with producer Byun Seung-min as the only returning key crew member.

Synopsis
Seoul is devastated overnight by a major earthquake. Everything has collapsed, and only one place remains intact: Imperial Palace Apartments. Residents begin to feel threatened as external survivors who have heard of this haven flock to the apartments. They unite for survival, and with a new resident leader, Yeong-tak, they create new rules for residents and prevent entry to outsiders. Thanks to this, unlike the hellish world outside, the utopian apartments remain safe and peaceful. In an endless crisis for survival, however, an unexpected conflict begins among them.

Cast

 * Lee Byung-hun as Yeong-tak (room 902)
 * Interim resident leader of Imperial Palace Apartments. With his decisiveness and ability to act in a crisis situation, he is a leader who does not hesitate to take risks to protect the apartments from outsiders.


 * Park Seo-joon as Min-sung (room 602)
 * A civil servant who majored in public administration and met his wife, Myeong-hwa, on a blind date as a college student. After being noticed by Yeong-tak and selected as a security guard, his skills are recognized, and he became the leader's assistant.


 * Park Bo-young as Myeong-hwa (room 602)
 * Min-sung's wife, who is a nurse with a warm personality and strength. She calmly cares for the injured even in extreme situations.


 * Kim Sun-young as Geum-ae (room 1207)
 * President of the women's association of Imperial Palace Apartments


 * Park Ji-hu as Hye-won (room 903)
 * A high school student survivor


 * as Do-gyun (room 809)
 * A resident who initially appears to be uncooperative but is actually a person of upright character who sticks to his beliefs even among people who are becoming corrupted.

Special appearances
 * Uhm Tae-goo as a homeless man
 * One of the homeless people moving in groups outside Imperial Palace Apartments


 * Lee Seon-hee as Ju-mong's mother
 * Joo In-young as Kim Po-daek

Casting
On August 4, 2020, Lotte Entertainment announced a disaster thriller film with Um Tae-hwa as director and Lee Byung-hun and Park Bo-young in pivotal roles. Park Seo-joon was also set to star, in a film based on the webtoon Pleasant Bullying, by Kim Soongnyung. Park Ji-hu and Kim Do-yoon joined the cast in April 2021.

The film is directed by Um Tae-hwa and produced by Climax Studio, and co-produced by BH Entertainment. It is distributed by Lotte Entertainment, who also work as international sales agents for the production. The film's score is composed by Kim Hae-won, while Cho Hyoung-rae is the cinematographer.

Filming
Principal photography began on April 16, 2021, and wrapped up at the end of August.

Release
The film was theatrically released on August 9, 2023, and was screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival in the Gala section on September 9 for the press and on September 10 for the public. It was invited to the Òrbita competition section of the 56th Sitges International Film Festival and screened on October 12. It also screened in the Spotlight on Korea section at the Hawaii International Film Festival, on October 18, 2023. It closed the 2023 London East Asia Film Festival on October 29, 2023. It was also selected at the 54th International Film Festival of India, in the Kaleidoscope section, and screened on November 23 and 26. A few days later, it was selected in the Cinema International section of the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival and was screened on December 7, 2023.

Concrete Utopia was pre-sold in 152 countries in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Home media
The film will be released in North America through Viki in the first quarter of 2024.

Box office
Concrete Utopia was released on August 9 on 1,621 screens. It opened in first place at the Korean box-office, with 231,015 admissions, and surpassed one million viewers on August 12, four days after its release. It registered another million in the next three days, thus surpassing two million viewers in seven days, on August 15. The three-million mark was achieved on August 24, the 16th day of its release.

, it is the fourth highest-grossing Korean film of 2023, at US$28,901,354 in revenues and 3,849,242 admissions.

Critical response
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100%, based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10.

Choi Jeong-ah, writing for Sports World, praised Lee Byung-hun's acting, stating, "this movie is a comprehensive gift set for Lee Byung-hun's acting" and adding the film was "more creepy than most horror movies". John Lui, reviewing for The Straits Times, graded the film with three stars out of five and wrote, "Concrete Utopia unravels slightly at the end, but is mostly a darkly funny take on Nimby-ism as a force so powerful it will survive the ending of the world." Casey Chong of Fiction Horizon rated the film eight out of ten and described it as "An intriguing disaster movie that skilfully blends black comedy and psychological thriller". Praising the performances of the lead cast, especially Lee Byung-hun, he wrote, "Lee's chameleon-like acting is no doubt one of the best performances I've ever seen in his illustrious career." He also commended Tae-Hwa's "confident pacing and crafty direction". Concluding, he opined that the film is "cliched and oft-told as a disaster movie, still it can overcome its familiarity by giving it a thought-provoking twist with relatable themes, intriguing storytelling, and solid acting."

Allan Hunter for ScreenDaily wrote a positive review, stating, "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." Alex Hudson, writing for Exclaim!, described the film as "a canny allegory about the haves and the have-nots". He graded the film 7/10. Anna Miller, with Next Best Picture, graded the film 8/10 and wrote, "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."

Accolades
Concrete Utopia has won 14 awards, including two for best film,.

Sequel
A sequel to Concrete Utopia, titled Badland Hunters, began production on November 14, 2021. It is the first feature film by martial arts director Huh Myung-haeng and features Ma Dong-seok, Lee Hee-joon, Lee Jun-young, and Roh Jeong-eui in the lead roles. It was released on Netflix on January 26, 2024.