‘Concrete Utopia’ Director Um Tae-Hwa On His Apocalyptic Drama: “In Korea, Where You Live Is Who You Are” – London East Asia Film Festival
31.10.2023 - 02:51
/ deadline.com
The London East Asia Film festival came to a close on Sunday night with the UK premiere of Concrete Utopia, Korea’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars. After the event’s Best Film award went to Iron Mask, by Kim Sung Hwan, artistic director Hyejung Jeon presented its Rising Star award to Concrete Utopia’s Pak Bo-young. Actress Park returned after the film for a Q&A with director, Um Tae-hwa, to discuss the film’s themes of survival, which suddenly seemed shockingly relevant after recent events in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.
Starring Lee Byung-hun, Um’s film is a dystopian fable that recalls British writer J.G. Ballard in its depiction of a South Korean high-rise that is somehow left unscathed after a terrifying earthquake rips through the country. Although Lee steals the show as a charismatic leader, the story is seen through the eyes of a young couple — Ming-seong (Park Seo-joon) and (Park Bo-young) — who wake up one morning to find that their life as they know it, and in fact the whole world, has changed forever.
Director Um told moderator Ian Haydn Smith that he understood why people might call it a disaster movie, but said he was trying for something a little more profound. “I’d call this an apocalyptic film rather than a disaster film,” he said, “because I didn’t think the disaster itself is very important. I focus more on what people do when they are put in such extreme circumstances. What I tried to do was focus on the characters and their backstories, but I did it in a gradual way. I provided information little by little, making sure that it didn’t interfere with the flow of the story.”
In lieu of gratuitous carnage, Um focuses on the hierarchies of society, and how quickly
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