Program Note
After a massive earthquake reduces Seoul to rubble, the Imperial Palace Apartment remains the only building left intact. As word spreads, desperate survivors begin to converge on the site. In response, the residents led by their newly elected representative, Yeong-tak, expel the outsiders. Under the rallying cry ¡°This apartment belongs to its people,¡± new rules are enforced, order is restored, and a fragile peace appears to settle in. But soon, internal tensions begin to surface. Murders and violence erupt, even as the film avoids overt spectacle in favor of restraint. Director Um Tae-hwa ambitiously charts how this vertical symbol of class hierarchy collapses into a horizontal tableau of chaos and disintegration. Black comedy pulses throughout, amplified by the vividly drawn residents. At the center is Lee Byung Hun¡¯s Yeong-tak, whose performance revealed a whole new demeanor—a chilling revelation from the veteran actor, and one of the most haunting portrayals of his 30-year career. (KIM Hye Seon)