Concrete Utopia

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Concrete Utopia

2023

2h 10m

Action

Adventure

Drama

Sci-Fi

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

The world has been reduced to rubble by a massive earthquake. While no one knows for sure how far the ruins stretch, or what the cause of the earthquake may be, in the heart of Seoul there is only one apartment building left standing. It is called Hwang Gung Apartments. As time passes, outsiders start coming in to Hwang Gung Apartments trying to escape the extreme cold. Before long, the apartment residents are unable to cope with the increasing numbers. Feeling a threat to their very survival, the residents enact a special measure.

Critics Consensus

Concrete Utopia uses its post-apocalyptic framework to pose questions regarding the drive for survival, intelligently probing darker corners of human nature along the way.

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

If George Orwell had had a career stint as a Korean estate agent, this is the kind of story he might have turned out.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 5, 2024

Full Review

Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (LAist)

It's a powerful movie, very well-made and well-directed with a contemporary resonance.

Dec 11, 2023

Full Review

Carlos Aguilar

Los Angeles Times

Though the humor and acting in “Concrete Utopia” can occasionally feel broad, Lee’s viscerally monstrous performance grounds a high-stakes drama.

Dec 11, 2023

Full Review

Alfred Castaneda

Shade Studios

Utopia is a visceral experience with violent visuals and sound design so convincing it’s hard not to wonder how we’d each handle these dire circumstances.

Jul 30, 2025

Full Review

Samantha Schuster

Cinéfilo Serial

The Korean film addresses human misery and generosity through well-developed characters and a tense atmosphere that escalates to violence. [Full Review in Spanish]

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 23, 2025

Full Review

Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

There are no black and white morals here and human nature itself is laid bare at its best, but mostly its worst.

Sep 11, 2024

Full Review

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Patricia M

Fantastic film, provocative story telling. Park Seo Joon gives a performance that is on another level, so moving and nuanced. Even the song during the credits was beautiful and touching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/22/23

Full Review

Jamie

Riveting movie! Great special effects and scenery. The three main actors engaged the audience without a lot of dialog. Much of the story was told through their emotions.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/20/23

Full Review

Simoa

If there was any justice in the world, Park Bo Young would be nominated for an Oscar

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/16/23

Full Review

Celina

Exceptional story-telling of a diaster-thriller film. In other films of the same genre typically the story takes place during a disaster with loaded action shows and heroic characters. Concrete Utopia focuses on the aftermath with a realistic portrayal of human nature in their quest for survival.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/15/23

Full Review

Jim P

As a critic said, there's a lot of George Orwell in this movie. Think Animal Farm meets 1984. It's interesting!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/06/25

Full Review

Justin S

A fantastically crafted allegory about empathy and collaboration vs isolationism. Though a South Korean film, it (unfortunately) captures the state of America right now.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

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Um Tae-hwa

Director

Lee Byung-hun

Young-tak

Park Seo-joon

Min-sung

Park Bo-young

Myung-hwa

Kim Sun-young

Geum-ae

Park Ji-hu

Hye-won

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Synopsis

The world has been reduced to rubble by a massive earthquake. While no one knows for sure how far the ruins stretch, or what the cause of the earthquake may be, in the heart of Seoul there is only one apartment building left standing. It is called Hwang Gung Apartments. As time passes, outsiders start coming in to Hwang Gung Apartments trying to escape the extreme cold. Before long, the apartment residents are unable to cope with the increasing numbers. Feeling a threat to their very survival, the residents enact a special measure.

Director: Um Tae-hwa
Screenwriter: Um Tae-hwa, Lee Shin-ji, Jo Seul-yeah
Distributor: 815 Pictures
Production Co: Lotte Entertainment, Climax Films, BH Entertainment
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 8, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 26, 2024
Runtime: 2h 10m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital