Review: #Alive (2020)

Aptly timed with its 2020 release, Il Cho’s #Alive uses excellent pacing to drive a very familiar plot. That is to say it holds your attention without doing anything particularly new; and there’s something to be said for a zombie movie that emphasizes psychological survival. In its present-day setting, #Alive is just as much a look at the malaise that accompanies a passive—but definitely wise—method of survival as it is a suspenseful wade through zombie rot.

Our hero Junwoo (Yoo Ahin) is a PC gamer who lives in an apartment with his family, and it works pretty well as long as the power is on and the fridge is stocked. In the way of zombie movies, things are normal until they’re not, and his life changes instantly to a daily test of mental fortitude. With his family gone after leaving for a trip, he spends the following days sleeping, vlogging, and gaming while precautions on TV news run on a loop—and with no phone signal, Junwoo can’t check in with anyone. It doesn’t take long for him to begin drowning his sorrows in alcohol, and among fantasies of seeing his family, Junwoo begins to question what it is he continues to wake up for.

Enter Yubin (Park Shinhye), a tenant across the way. When she makes her presence known, Junwoo is overjoyed, and while Yubin hesitates by comparison, the fact remains that they’ve both missed having someone to talk to. Despite the initial awkwardness, a sense of trust builds between them that persuades Yubin to cross the street to take up a safe space with him—a big risk for someone who’d been at a low point not unlike Junwoo’s only days prior. While Yubin may have been introverted to begin with, and online interaction may have been enough for Junwoo, we’re forced to consider that the times we’re truly happiest may be with someone else.

Overall, #Alive is pretty predictable. There are jump scares and a looming paranoia that something that seems too good to be true just might be, but its perceivable weakest point may also be a decent strength: Junwoo is an underdeveloped character. We don’t know much about him besides that he’s a young man who lives on the internet, so he’s an excellent stand-in for the odd young person trapped inside during a pandemic—regardless of the type of viral outbreak. Along this vein, there’s a very real descent into realization of “that’s all there is,” that makes a stronger basis for the familiar story of just living becoming a daunting task, and the continuous choice to do it anyway.

Edited by Kelly Sipko