Busanhaeng

Rating: 9/10 (11 December 2016)

Once more, South Korea borrows a concept of North American cinema, and brings us a lesson on how things should be done. After many years of generic and repetitive zombie movies (with a few honourable exceptions), we finally have a film with authentic substance, well developed characters and a positive and humanist message which transcends the horror of the zombie infestation. However, thinking about it well, the secret might be the fact that Busanhaeng isn't really a horror film, but an electrifying adventure in which the main danger (but not the only one) is the zombies... a similar strategy to the one of World War Z (with echoes of Snowpiercer), but less focused on the global disaster, and more dedicated to cultivate interesting characters whose challenges and relationships form the dramatic core of the film. Besides, Busanhaeng isn't as bloody as it seems while we are watching it. In retrospect, it surprised me to realize that there are almost no firearms, a bullet is rarely shot and the blood flow is kept to the minimum... nothing of "head shots" or dismemberments, and barely a few bites with minimum gore. However, the impact of the attacks is undeniable, due to Yeon Sang-Ho's brilliant direction, whose ingenuity doesn't know any limits in order to orchestrate chases, escapes and situations of a big danger which flow organically without damaging the logic and realism of the premise. The characters of Busanhaeng cover a democratic range of ages, occupations and personalities: the financial executive who is only worried about saving his little daughter; a working class couple with a baby on the way; two students who are in love, even though they don't want to recognize it until their lives are in danger; an indigent who is more cunning than the other ones imagined; and, of course, the obligatory "corporative villain". Despite so many sub-plots, Busanhaeng never gets confusing, and much less boring, because it continually finds new ways to create suspense about the destiny of the characters. Nevertheless, to be fair, my only complaint against this movie is that unexpected decision which concludes the second act, in which one of the characters does something quite absurd I didn't find credible or justified. But, well... the consequences of that twist deliciously complicate the situation, and I still give Busanhaeng an enthusiastic recommendation as a zombie film which is tense, hugely entertaining and even deep, with a solid social commentary about the war of classes and personal responsibility which is rarely found in this type of cinema. In summary, Busanhaeng is the best zombie film I have seen in various years, and another sample of Korean talent improving North American formulas on the basis of creativity and emphasis on the humanity of the characters, regardless of the circumstances they go through. That's a valuable lesson for any cinematographic genre... but it works better in fantastic cinema, in which a strong connection to reality is indispensable.