MOVIE
black stone? white stone? What was Park Seo-joon's real intention?
The first TMI behind-the-scenes is the fact that Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun)'s 'Apartment' singing scene used the rehearsal scene that took place prior to full-scale filming. The scene of the joyful atmosphere of the imperial palace apartment where the banquet was held with the successful return of the security guards forms a subtle irony in line with the disaster situation and is considered an unforgettable scene for the audience. Director Uhm Tae-hwa said, “All the rehearsal scenes for ‘Concrete Utopia’ were also recorded and progressed, and relatively many rehearsal scenes were used in the main story. The sum of everything was good for the scene. I thought the camera shook a little during rehearsal, so I took more takes after that, but when I saw it in the editing room, the shaking showed a strange harmony with the actors' appearances." is arousing
The completed scene leaves a deep impression on the audience thanks to the passionate performances of Lee Byung-hun and other actors who realistically capture Yeong-tak's complex emotions and the directing of Um Tae-hwa, who completed the unique atmosphere of 'Concrete Utopia'.
The second behind-the-scenes of TMI is a question raised by the film about where Min-seong's choice was headed while the vote continued at the residents' meeting on the release of outsiders. The film continues its development without disclosing the choice of Min-seong, who had been thinking about it for a long time in the anonymous vote. Then, Min-seong does not answer the question of his wife Myeong-hwa (Park Bo-young), who asks what kind of choice he made, arousing the audience's curiosity. By not revealing the choice of Min-seong, an ordinary person, the audience wonders, 'What would I do?' He consults and pours out more diverse interpretations of the film.
Regarding this, Park Seo-joon said, "If it were Min-seong, he would have voted not to release outsiders in consideration of famous paintings," further raising the audience's over-immersion. In this way, it is leading the audience's hot reaction by enabling a more colorful appreciation through various human groups that immerse themselves in different characters.
The last TMI behind-the-scenes is a production completed using light to more realistically realize the devastated Seoul after the earthquake. In order to realize the dark situation after the earthquake in a specially made large-scale apartment set, the production crew put a roof over the set to block the light. Here, the play unfolds, and the lighting is changed from blue to white, yellow, and red tones to present the intense sights unique to 'Concrete Utopia'.
In response, Director Eom Tae-hwa said, "I put my heart and soul into creating the atmosphere of the movie and appropriate lighting in a disaster situation by using small props, such as small battery-operated lights, candles, and putting water on a flashlight to disperse the light." It conveyed special efforts for realistic production.
'Concrete Utopia' is a disaster drama depicting the story of survivors gathering in the only remaining imperial palace apartment in Seoul, which was devastated by a major earthquake. Recently, 'Concrete Utopia' was unanimously selected by the judges for the Korean film entry in the International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards. It was released on the 9th and exceeded 3 million viewers on the 24th, the 16th day of release.
Jiye Choi, staff reporter at TenAsia wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr
