Wall wall (Original title: 84 m²) by the director Kim Tae-Joon He asks a critical question for young Koreans: the grueling research of possessing an 84 square meter apartment, seen as a symbol of social success, is it really worth it?
In South Korea, 84 m² It’s not just a number. It represents the standard size of an apartment and a status symbol linked to the economic results. For many employees, guaranteeing this home is the goal of final life, which indicates recognition and social stability.
The urban dream has become nightmare
The film follows Noh Woo-Sung (played by Kang Ha-Neul), a thirty-year-old employee who marked all his savings, loans, even the land of his elderly mother-of to buy an 84 m² apartment in Seoul. Woo Sung is not naive; It represents the middle class of South Korea towards a conventional dream.
However, three years in his new life, reality strikes. By drowning in debt and works more jobs to stay afloat, Woo-Sung is afraid of using the basic utilities at his home. What begins when economic difficulties intensify in a psychological thriller while Woo-Sung is afflicted by inexplicable noises in the apartment. While investigating, he discovers that each resident suffers similarly, all blamed.
The real villain is Yeong Jin-Ho (Seo Hyeon-Woo), a dishonest journalist looking for revenge against Eun-Hwa (Yeom Hye -ran), now the head of the Housing Association, which once built its exposure under poor construction. Jin-or orchestra a twisted scheme, using Woo-Sung as a pawn in its bloody revenge, transforming the entire complex of apartments into a macabre phase.
While the mystery reveals, Woo-Sung becomes a symbol of youth disillusionment: broken for debt, housing pressure and lost investments. The climax in the building of the building – ironically the most luxurious floor – exposes the brutality masked by urban glamor.
A social thriller with bold ambitions
The film moves from the psychological drama to the gritty thriller. Kang Ha-Neul He shines in his role, depicting the emotional descent of Woo-Sung with shades. Yeom Hye -ran’s performance such as EUN-HWA adds layers of manipulation and moral ambiguity, while Seo Hyeon-Wood’s Portrait of Jin-Ho unites the victim with the wicked.
Despite strong performances and daring themes, Wall wall falter in his second half. The script becomes irregular, with exaggerated twists and turns and incoational behavior of the character. The thriller elements, although suspense, dilute the emotional core of the film.
The final scene is a disturbing allegory. Woo-Sung returns from a refuge on the sea to his empty apartment, where the mysterious noise persists. Although Jin-Ho and Eun-Hwa disappeared, the sound remains: an echo of collective suffering in strictly full urban life.
Wall wall It is not just a history of personal revenge: it is a reflection on social pressures, the illusion of success and the psychological balance of urban life. While the execution can falter, Kim Tae-Joon’s The message is clear: The real horror is not in the spectral noises, but in the silent screams of a generation trapped in concrete boxes.
ZNEWS
