Exit
2019 Korea Suitable for ages 12 and older
Genre: Comedy, Action
Running time: 103 minutes
Release date: 2019-07-31 Cumulative audience: 9,438,911
Director: Lee Sang-geun
Cast: Jo Jung-seok (Yongnam), Lim Yoon-ah (Uiju), etc.
While previous disaster movies have mainly criticized characters in key positions or the social system, this movie Exit rarely talks about the social system and tactfully tells the story of how small-town people cope when a disaster strikes. This is director Lee Sang-geun's intended direction. Director Lee Sang-geun said that because audiences have seen many of the characteristics of disaster movies so far, he wanted to break through the genre characteristics and show a new side in Exit. Exit is a movie that was made not only with the charm of the leads, Jo Jung-seok and Yoona, but also with the efforts of many actors and production crew, and is a movie that you can watch with a cool laugh with your family on a hot summer day.
The setting, in which the blind youth's situation is an uncertain, gassy disaster situation, and their struggle is metaphorized as an action that defies gravity, is simple and refreshing. The fast-paced development that reduces unnecessary character introductions and quickly gets to the main topic, as well as the idea of using Korean spaces and props during the escape process to resonate with all age groups are also great strengths as a popular film. Above all, <Exit> is a work that stands out for its directing ability to create suspense without a barrage of volume or exaggerated action. The actions of the two main characters, who only have above-average athletic ability, seem simple at first glance, but the tension created by the characters is better than any recent Korean film.
Summary
Unemployed Yong-nam (Jo Jeong-seok), who has not been able to find a job for several years after graduation,'s daily routine consists of working out with the bar during the day and washing dishes in the evening. On the day of her mother's 70th birthday celebration, when the situation of an unemployed young man who has neither been able to get married nor get a job becomes even more noticeable, Yongnam coincidentally meets Uiju (Yoona), who he had a crush on during her college mountaineering club days. The awkwardness of reuniting with the guests and the convention hall vice-president is short-lived, but the party is thrown into chaos when a mysterious gas attack that sweeps over the city attacks the building they are in. Yongnam and Uiju use the emergency rescue knowledge and climbing skills they learned in college to evacuate other families first, and when they cannot take a helicopter due to being overweight, they run, climb walls, and jump between buildings to escape the city.
Opinions of Korean critics
Disaster, youth, Korea. This is a movie that boils down to the essentials without any unnecessary details.
The reality of Korean youth is like a disaster to them. As an unidentified gas covers the city, the two main characters from the mountaineering club run over a forest of buildings to escape the city. Disaster and reality are exquisitely combined with a simple and clear concept. By concisely pointing out the main points rather than spreading the story unnecessarily, it maintains the pace while still being able to say everything that needs to be said. In particular, the use of familiar spaces and details of props elicits sympathy that would hit the knees of Korean audiences. While not losing its bright and cheerful atmosphere, it also maintains the fun of the disaster movie genre. If you watch it lightly, you can laugh out loud, but if you look at it carefully, it is a clever commercial film with a lot of depth. Choice and focus. The simplicity of removing only the essentials without unnecessary details stands out.
Song Kyung-won (Cine 21)
A metaphor for the world that young people in Korea have entered into.
The space that young unemployed man Yong-nam (Jo Jeong-seok) and powerless newcomer Ui-ju (Yoona) must escape to survive and the space that supports their lives are all disaster situations, with only the types being different. This similarity creates a feeling of psychological fear even without the depiction of a spectacular disaster. By removing unnecessary elements and focusing only on the scene of escape, the density of the story is quite high. The process of overcoming a crisis by appropriately utilizing spaces and tools familiar to all Koreans evokes empathy. The actors' action scenes are so realistic that even the viewer's muscles become tense. We do not forget to tell the young people of our time, who have to overcome numerous barriers and obstacles, that the power to change reality comes from solidarity.
Shim Gyu-han (Cineplay) |
Entertainment, more than just emotion
In terms of setting, structure, characters, acting, and almost all elements, <Exit> is a genre film that only leads to high scores. An unidentified gas terror attack, a race of speed throughout the running time, running only to find the exit. What the two young men encounter while running around with all their might is the ‘no exit’ reality of the Republic of Korea. Instead of distinguishing between men and women or one of them becoming a hero, the health of the characters Yongnam and Uiju accelerates the film in that they suggest and lead each other. In particular, when it reaches the symbolic scene where people who are left behind by social standards or are treated unfairly solve the unfortunate events that have occurred throughout Korea, the movie reaches a high point where it is more than just entertainment. It is an interesting buddy movie that combines Yoona's acting, which is close to discovery, and a character that takes advantage of the actor's strengths to the extent that the title can be called 'Jo Jeong-seok'.
Lee Hwa-jeong (Cine 21) |