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Alive (2020 film)
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Wikipedia article
'#Alive' is a 2020 South Korean zombie film directed by Cho Il-hyung. Starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, it is based on the 2019 script 'Alone' by Matt Naylor (itself becoming
another film), who co-adapted his script with Cho. The film revolves around a video game live streamer's struggle for survival as he is forced to stay alone at his apartment in Seoul during a zombie apocalypse. It was released in South Korea on June 24, 2020, and globally via Netflix on September 8, 2020. Critics generally gave positive reviews.
Plot
Oh Joon-woo is alone in his family's apartment when zombies begin to attack and infect people outside. When he inspects the apartment hallway, a neighbour barges in. He begs to stay but becomes a zombie and attacks Joon-woo. Joon-woo pushes him out and locks the door, then watches a large zombie attack his neighbour through the peephole. Joon-woo then receives messages from his parents telling him they are safe.
Joon-woo blocks his front door with the fridge and posts a rescue request on social media. By attaching his phone to a drone, he scouts his neighbourhood and realizes it is now overrun. Though the emergency power stays on, Joon-woo gradually loses access to phone networks, the internet, and running water.
One night, Joon-woo sees zombies devour a police officer outside. He screams at them, leading a zombie to break into the apartment and knock over the fridge, destroying the food. Joon-woo lures it into falling off the balcony. Joon-woo resorts to drinking liquor to survive, but hallucinates about his parents and sister due to hunger and thirst.
When his phone network is restored momentarily, Joon-woo receives a voicemail from his family recording their refuge being overrun. His rage causes him to leave the apartment and attack zombies, but when a horde attacks he flees and barely manages to sneak back inside.
Joon-woo attempts to hang himself but stops when he sees a laser pointer's light. The signal comes from Kim Yoo-bin, a survivor living in the opposite apartment building. Yoo-bin tries to set up a zip line between their apartments by tying a cable to her table and throwing the other end to Joon-woo, but it lands in the street. Joon-woo uses his drone to set up another line successfully. However, an infected firefighter pulls on the first cable, causing Yoo-bin's table to fly across her apartment, knock her out, and lodge into her balcony railing. The firefighter starts climbing the cable. Joon-woo distracts the zombie by sacrificing his drone, giving Yoo-bin enough time to wake up and kill the zombie.
Joon-woo raids his neighbour's unit for food, clothing, and walkie-talkies, narrowly avoiding his zombified neighbour. He sends a walkie-talkie to Yoo-bin. The two talk and bond. Suddenly, the infected hordes become agitated and a nervous Yoo-bin accidentally knocks over a shelf. The noise causes zombies to converge at her door. Joon-woo distracts them by calling the unit adjacent to hers.
Yoo-bin says the 8th floor of Joon-woo's apartment looks empty. The pair gear up, rappel from their balconies, and fight their way to the 8th floor - but the doors are locked and the zombies have followed them. Suddenly, a stranger emerges from the last suite on the floor and saves them.
The stranger gives them food and water, but it is drugged, and Joon-woo falls asleep. The stranger binds the pair's wrists and locks Yoo-bin in a bedroom with his restrained, infected wife. Joon-woo wakes up and threatens the stranger, but he releases his wife's restraints from outside the bedroom. Once Yoo-bin goes silent, the stranger opens the bedroom door, only to find Yoo-bin managed to wrap the infected wife's head in fabric. The infected wife attacks her husband, and Yoo-bin shoots them both.
The gunshots attract more zombies. Yoo-bin asks Joon-woo to kill her before they get in. As he hesitates, they hear helicopters outside. The pair rush to the rooftop while chased by the infected. Just before they are overwhelmed, an army helicopter kills the zombies and carries the pair to safety. A voiceover by an anchor explains wireless networks are being restored and the military is rescuing survivors who made social media posts.
Cast
* Yoo Ah-in as Oh Joon-woo, a gamer who struggles to survive a zombie outbreak. He almost hangs himself after hearing his family killed by zombies, but he finds new hope after knowing there is another survivor called Yoo-bin.
* Park Shin-hye as Kim Yoo-bin, a mysterious lady who helps Joon-woo survive. She frequently kills zombies who trespass her house using her hand axe and booby-trapped door.
* Lee Hyun-wook as Lee Sang-chul, the infected tenant whom Joon-woo lets in.
* Oh Hye-won as the policewoman who is killed by the infected.
* Jin So-yeon as Elena Kim
* Jeon Bae-soo as a masked man who saves Joon-woo and Yoo-bin but wants to feed them to his zombified wife.
* Lee Chae-kyung as the zombified wife of the masked man
Production
Development
'#Alive' is a zombie thriller based on the original script "#Alone" of Hollywood screenwriter Matt Naylor, who worked on the American documentary series 'Small Business Revolution: Main Street' and the short film 'What Its Like'. Director Cho Il-hyung (also known as Il Cho) and Naylor adapted the screenplay together for the Korean market. In 2019, ZIP Cinema and U.S producer, Perspective Pictures, joined the production with Lotte Entertainment distributing the film.Casting
On July 11, 2019, Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye joined the cast, followed by Lee Hyun-wook on September 16. The read-through of the script occurred on September 27, 2019.Filming
Principal photography began on October 1, 2019. Filming took place in Gunsan and wrapped up on December 12, 2019.Music
The full musical score was composed by Kim Tae-sung which he co-arranged with Choi Jung-in, Shin Hyun-pil, Park Sang-woo and Yoo Chae-young.'Songs not featured on the official soundtrack:'
* 'Break' by Beenzino
* 'Sail' by Inni
* '#Alive' by Inni
Release
The film was released in South Korea on June 24, 2020. In May, an Instagram account for the character Oh Joon-woo was created to promote the film. In August, Netflix acquired the international distribution rights to the film, which was later released worldwide on September 8, 2020.
Reception
Box office
On its opening day in South Korea, '#Alive' drew in a total of 204,071 viewers and took 62% of the box office, marking the highest first-day viewership of any film since February 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Korea. It held the highest number of first-day admissions next to 'The Man Standing Next'.On the fifth day of its release, '#Alive' surpassed 1 million admissions, and during the first weekend of its release, it garnered 1,001,802 viewers, securing the first place at the box office for its first weekend. It became the first film to surpass 1 million since February 2020. It also ranked first at the box office for the first three weekends, and has achieved over 1,903,992 admissions in South Korea as of December 2020.
The film premiered on Netflix on 8 September 2020, and two days after release, it achieved global first place on the platform. '#Alive' topped the Netflix daily chart in 35 countries, including the United States, France, Spain, Sweden, Russia, Australia, Pakistan, and Canada. It became the first Korean film to top Netflix Movies Worldwide chart. By December 2020, '#Alive' was in the top 10 list in 90 countries, making it one of the most-loved titles globally on Netflix in 2020 and also the most popular horror title of 2020 across Asia.
Critical response
On Korean review aggregator 'Naver Movie Database', the film holds an approval rating of 7.09 from critic reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of and an average rating of , based on reviews. The consensus says "Well-acted, genuinely unsettling, and occasionally even funny, '#Alive' proves the crowded zombie genre still has fresh stories to tell."Marian Phillips from 'Screen Rant' wrote, "'#Alive' accurately captures the same panic, fear, uncertainty, loneliness, and isolation experienced by many during the pandemic's early days. [...] By taking a concept unfamiliar to the sub-genre, '#Alive' transforms how zombie movies can be handled as well as providing an exploration of the different circumstances individuals find themselves when dealing with the apocalypse." Anthony Kao from 'Cinema Escapist' suggested, "'#Alive' is an entertaining zombie flick that seems tailor-made for the time of coronavirus. [...] On top of its empathetic and socially relevant depiction of the Korean millennial condition, '#Alive' presents a narrative that feels unpretentious and accessibly entertaining." 'The New York Times' Elisabeth Vincentelli concluded, "'#Alive' is a nifty little thriller that proves that you can always find signs of life in the most undead of genres. And the finale, far-fetched as it is, suggests that even a society atomized by isolation can find a connection".
Awards and nominations
See also
*'Alone' (2020 horror film), based on the same script
References
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