“Alive” (살아있다)

By Jae-Ha Kim
Substack
October 31, 2023

☆☆☆☆
Oh Joon-woo (played by Yoo Ah-in)
Kim Yoo-bin (played by Park Shin-hye)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

“#Alive” was filmed a year before countries worldwide went on lock down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But its depiction of isolation and fear of the unknown mirrors what millions of people went through in real life (minus the zombies) in this 2020 thriller.

Led by Yoo Ah-in, the movie starts with his character completely content at home by himself, gaming and enjoying solitude. After a virus mysteriously turns citizens into zombies, the government orders its citizens to lock themselves in their homes until given further notice.

That’s all fine when you have a stocked fridge and utilities to keep yourself comfortable at home. But when supplies diminish and neighbors are literally killing each other to survive, that makes that much-coveted me time feel like isolation.

When Beenzino raps “I wanna be free” on the OST “Break,” you can feel the desperation.

Joon-woo finds solace when he spots a young woman (Park Shin-hye) in a neighboring apartment. The two use technology (including a drone) to meet up so that they can be alone together.

The acting is superb from both leads, and the storyline keeps viewers intrigued. And when Beenzino raps “I wanna be free” on the OST “Break,” you can feel the desperation.

Release Date: This 99-minute film opened in South Korea on June 24, 2020. (I watched this on Netflix.)

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