Park Shin Hye, together with Yoo Ah In of Sungkyunkwan Scandal fame, will star in a new zombie movie and it's exactly what we need these days. Amidst battling the pandemic, many have found solace in watching apocalyptic thriller films. One psychologist even suggested that it's "healthier to watch than the news" because it can count as exposure therapy where a patient gets exposed to the source of anxiety in a limited amount to overcome fear.
Truth to be told, we can only stream Contagion and Train To Busan on repeat for so long so this new addition to our roster of "relatable" films starring some of the most beloved K-drama actors is very welcome.
The plot of #Alive or #살아있다 (previously titled #Alone) is eerily familiar and, in 2020, somewhat painfully relatable: After a mysterious outbreak causes chaos in Seoul, two people living in isolation decide to band together to help each other survive. Park Shin Hye plays Yoo Bin, a survivor who quickly adapted to the new situation while Yoo Ah In takes the role of Joon Woo, a gamer who managed to survive because of his lone lifestyle. Through unconventional means of communication involving laser pointers, the two found each other.
It's not the first time for Park Shin Hye to play a character living in isolation. In 2013, she was the lead in Flower Boy Next Door, which despite the cheesy title is actually a heavy drama-black comedy series depicting the experiences of a traumatised woman trying to get by in life with as little human interaction as possible. We're excited to see how Park Shin Hye will give nuance to this new character facing the same situation but in a different context.
Yoo Ah In has also proven to be a skilled and versatile actor with critically acclaimed mystery films like Burning, which ended up receiving the FIPRESCI International Critics' Prize at Cannes Festival in 2018, under his belt.
These two are really the perfect picks for #Alive, if you ask us! So far, it's looking like only Park Shin Hye and Yoo Ah In will be the main stars of the upcoming movie with the rest of the cast played by extras as zombies.
#Alive is set to be released by late June but it's not yet revealed how it will be launched. Cinemas in South Korea have begun reopening but the rest of the world continues to impose restrictions on indoor public gatherings so there may be a chance that the film will be streamed online in some regions. No announcement on the final decision has been made yet. Considering that South Korean movies have garnered a huge international fanbase following the success of Parasite, we're hoping they consider streaming as an option so we get to watch this new film in the comfort of home. Crossing our fingers!
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