Alive (2020 film)

#Alive (Korean: #살아있다; RR: #Saraitda) is a 2020 South Korean zombie film directed by Cho Il-hyung.[2] Starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, it is based on the 2019 script Alone by Matt Naylor, 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,[3][4][5][6][7] and globally via Netflix on September 8, 2020.[8]

#Alive
Theatrical release poster
Hangul살아있다
Hanja活著
Revised RomanizationSaraitda
Directed byCho Il-hyung
Produced by
  • Eugene Lee
  • Saemi Kim
  • Saerom Kim
Screenplay by
  • Cho Il-hyung
  • Matt Naylor
Based onAlone
by Matt Naylor
Starring
Music byTae-seong Kim
CinematographyWon-ho Son
Edited byMin-kyeong Shin
Production
company
  • ZIP Cinema
  • Perspective Pictures
Distributed byLotte Entertainment
Release date
  • June 24, 2020 (2020-06-24) (South Korea)
Running time
99 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUSD$14.7 million[1]

Plot

Oh Joon-woo is alone in his family's apartment when a mysterious disease that causes those infected to attack and eat uninfected people breaks out in the news and around him. From his balcony, Joon-woo sees a panicked crowd fleeing and being attacked. When he opens the door to the hallway, a neighbour barges in. The man begs to stay but succumbs to infection and attacks Joon-woo. Joon-woo pushes him back out and locks the door. He 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. He watches a policewoman running from infected officers and being attacked by other infected. Although he shouts at them out of sympathy, the policewoman is overwhelmed. The neighbourhood becomes overrun with infected. Though the emergency power stays on, Joon-woo gradually loses access to phone networks, the internet, and running water. Another infected man breaks into the apartment, knocking over the fridge and destroying the food inside. Joon-woo tricks him into falling off the balcony. As Joon-woo hallucinates about his parents and sister due to hunger and thirst, his phone network is restored momentarily. He receives a voicemail from his family recording their last moments.

Joon-woo attempts suicide by hanging but manages to free himself when he sees the laser pointer's light moving around his apartment. Kim Yoo-bin, a survivor living in the opposite apartment, signals to him and later tries to set up a zip line to send him food. While her line tied to a baseball does not make it across, the line he sends over with a drone does. An infected firefighter tugs on and climbs up the first, failed zip line, which Yoo-bin tied to a table. The table knocks her out. Despite Joon-woo's distractions, the infected reaches the balcony but falls to his death when she wakes up and cuts off his hand. Joon-woo steals food, clothing, and walkie-talkies from his neighbour's unit and sends a walkie-talkie to Yoo-bin. The two talk and bond.

The infected hordes become agitated, and Yoo-bin nervously knocks over a shelf while in view of a window to the hallway. A group converges at her door, but Joon-woo distracts them by calling the unit adjacent to hers. The pair gear up and rappel from their balconies, take the policewoman's dropped revolver, and fight their way to the 8th floor of Joon-woo's apartment, thinking no one lived on that floor. An infected man on the floor sees them and summons other infected. As the pair is about to be overtaken, an older man emerges from the last suite on the floor and saves them with smoke bombs.

In the stranger's home, the pair accepts his food and water, and Joon-woo falls asleep from drugs in the food. As Yoo-bin tries to fight off the drug effects, the stranger binds their wrists and locks Yoo-bin in a bedroom with his infected wife. Joon-woo wakes up and threatens the stranger with a gun, but drops it to pull on the wife's harness under the door. The bedroom grows silent. The stranger opens the door to check on his wife, and who falls into him with Yoo-bin, who saved herself by pulling fabric over the infected wife's head. The man surrenders to his wife's attack, and Yoo-bin shoots them both with the gun.

The gunshots attract more infected, and Yoo-bin asks Joon-woo to kill her. As he hesitates, helicopters pass outside. The pair rush to the rooftop while chased by the infected. As they are about to be overwhelmed at the edge of the roof, an army helicopter appears behind them and shoots at the horde before carrying the pair to safety. A voiceover by an anchor explains that wireless networks are being restored and the military has begun 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[9] 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 It’s Like. Director Cho Il-hyung (also known as Il Cho) and Naylor adapted the screenplay together for the Korean market.[10][3] 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,[11] followed by Lee Hyun-wook on September 16.[12] 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.[13]

Release

The film was released in South Korea on June 24, 2020.[14][15][16] In August 2020, Netflix acquired the international distribution rights to the film, which was later released worldwide on September 8, 2020.[17][8]

Marketing

An Instagram account for Oh Joon-woo was created to promote the film.[18]

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.[19][20][21] It held the highest number of first-day admissions next to The Man Standing Next.[22][23]

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.[24] 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.[25][26][27]

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.[28][29] 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.[30][31][32]

Critical response

On Korean review aggregator Naver Movie Database, the film holds an approval rating of 7.09 from critic reviews.[33] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% and an average rating of 6.59/10, based on 21 reviews.[34]

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."[35] 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."[36] 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".[37]

Awards and nominations
Awards Category Recipient Result Ref.
2020 Cine 21 Awards Best Actor Yoo Ah-in Won [38]

See also

References
  1. "#ALIVE (2020)". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  2. Choi, Ji-won (May 27, 2020). "Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hye team up in zombie horror film '#Alive'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "충무로 배급사들 신작 개봉 시기 놓고 저울질". Sports Khan (in Korean). May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  4. "유아인X박신혜 '#살아있다' 6월 말 개봉확정…런칭포스터 2종 공개". The Korea Herald (in Korean). May 18, 2020.
  5. "Despite appearances, #Alive is most definitely not a zombie movie". Korea JoongAng Daily. May 27, 2020.
  6. "Korean zombies will make you feel '#Alive'". Korea Herald. June 16, 2020.
  7. "In '#Alive,' two survivors struggle to escape zombie-hit homes". Korea Times. June 16, 2020.
  8. "#Alive Starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, Confirmed for September 8 Release on Netflix". Netflix Media Center. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  9. "유아인X박신혜 '#살아있다' 6월 말 개봉확정…런칭포스터 2종 공개". Korea Herald (in Korean). May 18, 2020.
  10. "#ALONE". Perspective Pictures. 2019.
  11. Conran, Pierce (July 18, 2019). "Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye Sign on to #Alone". Korean Film Council. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  12. "[단독]'타인은 지옥이다' 이현욱, '#ALONE' 캐스팅..유아인X박신혜 호흡". Asiae (in Korean). September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  13. "박신혜, 영화 얼론(ALONE) 촬영 모습 공개… "군산에 사랑가득했던"". Newswork (in Korean). January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  14. "코로나19 이후 '얼론' '반도' 재난 영화 몰려온다". Yonhap (in Korean). April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  15. "Zombie Thriller Starring Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hye Due out Next Month". The Chosun Ilbo. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  16. Kim, Ji-hye (May 27, 2020). "유아인X박신혜 '#살아있다', 6월 24일 개봉 확정". SBS Fune (in Korean). Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  17. Fox, Sarah (August 25, 2020). "Park Shin-hye's Zombie Thriller '#Alive' Sets Netflix Premiere". The Slanted. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  18. Schwartz, William. ""#ALIVE" Character Receives his Own Social Media Account in Marketing Push". HanCinema. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  19. "'유아인 원맨쇼 통했나' #살아있다 개봉 첫날 20만…코로나 극장가 활기" (in Korean). Hankyung. June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  20. Liem, Vivien (June 26, 2020). "Ahead of 'Peninsula', another zombie thriller dominates South Korean box office". The Star.
  21. "Zombie flick '#ALIVE' sells more than 200,000 tickets on opening day". The Korea Times. June 25, 2020.
  22. "#살아있다, 개봉 첫날 20만 동원…코로나19 사태 후 최고 오프닝" (in Korean). Aju News. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  23. "Movie lovers start to return to theaters thanks to '#Alive'". Joongang Daily. June 25, 2020.
  24. "[공식] '#살아있다', 코로나19 속 개봉 5일만 100만 돌파…'유아인X박신혜 특별한 감사 인사'" (in Korean). My Daily. June 28, 2020.
  25. "유아인X박신혜 '#살아있다', 손익분기점 돌파…VOD 서비스 1위" (in Korean). Joy News24. August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  26. "#ALIVE (2020)". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  27. "[HanCinema's News] "#ALIVE" Opens on South Korean VOD Services". HanCinema. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  28. Yeon-soo, Kwak (September 11, 2020). "Zombie thriller '#Alive' becomes Netflix's most popular film". Korea Times. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  29. "'#살아있다' 넷플릭스 글로벌 차트 1위 '돌풍' 韓영화 최초". Newsen. September 11, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  30. "What Asia Watched in 2020" (Press release). Netflix. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  31. Kay, Jeremy (December 10, 2020). "Viewing of foreign-language content on Netflix leaps 50% in 2020". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  32. Grater, Tom (December 10, 2020). "Netflix Unveils Its Most-Watched International Series & Films In America: 'The Platform' & 'Barbarians' Top Lists Also Featuring 'Cuties', 'Money Heist', 'Dark'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  33. "#살아있다". Naver 영화.
  34. "#Alive (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  35. Marian, Phillips (September 11, 2020). "#Alive: Why This Korean Zombie Movie Is Number One On Netflix Worldwide". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  36. Anthony, Kao (September 8, 2020). "Review: Korea's "#Alive" Is a Perfect Zombie Movie for the Coronavirus Era". Cinema Escapist. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  37. Elisabeth, Vincentelli (September 11, 2020). "'#Alive' Review: From Great Graphics, to Graphic". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  38. "[스페셜] '씨네21'이 선정한 올해의 영화인①". Cine 21 (in Korean). 31 December 2020.
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