My Thoughts on #Alive

 

The first 30 minutes of #Alive may seem too soon for some. A rapidly spreading infection, a city on lockdown, and people advised to stay inside to stay safe, it feels worryingly prescient for something that was filmed almost a whole year ago. Director Cho Il-hyung actually adapted the script from #Alone, an upcoming zombie film written by Matt Naylor. Safe to say it’s a film born of curious circumstances then, but #Alive bears a relevance that goes deeper than just mirroring current events.

The film follows Oh Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in), a livestreamer trapped in his apartment during a zombie outbreak. And for the first 40 minutes, we just watch him survive, desperately trying to conserve his resources while avoiding succumbing to total insanity. Eventually, he realises that he’s alone and completely done for. Except he isn’t. This is where Kim Yoo-bin comes in. Wonderfully played by Park Shin-hye, she reveals herself to be another survivor, and the two forge a bond that becomes the heart of the film. Given that it has a relatively simple premise, the real joy of #Alive is watching as the two unfortunate heroes come to terms with their circumstances and overcome the challenges that face them together.

What’s impressive about the film is that, despite the modest runtime and snappy pace, the central relationship develops in a way that’s satisfying and organic. It’s easy to care for both of these characters, and one key bonding session employs a delightful use of split-screen, one of the best in recent memory. The storytelling is efficient but Cho takes care to never sacrifice the heart. Again, both Joon-woo and Yoo-bin are easy characters to love, and it’s here where the simplicity of the film’s style becomes invaluable; you want to see them survive because they want to survive themselves.

This adamant belief in the power of human survival is what make #Alive one of the most affirming films of the year, with characters who stay alive and fight the odds just because they want to keep going. What’s especially wonderful is seeing that positivity extend to the film’s use of technology. Where the majority of tech-centric horrors use the genre to highlight the ills of the modern world, #Alive does the opposite. Here, phones, drones and social media aren’t the problem- they’re pathways to the solution. The odds are so titanic that they never feel overly convenient, either, making things easier without giving the heroes an easy out. Speaking of, the ending should feel too neat but in Cho’s capable hands, it just doesn’t, using the title to fist-pumping effect. In such uncertain times, #Alive might just be the film we need.

★ ★ ★ ★