In the middle of the banquet hall, smoke begins to rise gently over the feast. But no one notices. The mother (Go Du-shim) who is embarrassed because of her unemployed son, the father (Kim In-hwan) who is struggling to maintain face, and the siblings who are arguing with the wedding staff, all have their radars fixed solely on 'family reputation' and 'progress of the banquet.' The movie 'Exit' opens with a suffocating family birthday party scene, reminiscent of climbing Everest without an oxygen tank.
The protagonist Yong-nam (Jo Jung-suk) was a rising star in the mountaineering club during his college days. However, in front of the massive wall of society, he repeatedly falls as a long-term unemployed person. At home, he is a burden, and even in friend gatherings, he always mumbles, "I’m just... looking into various things." Today, he is reluctantly working as a banquet server due to his mother's insistence, moving around like a transparent person, shoulders hunched.
But then, someone catches his eye in this miserable banquet hall. It’s Ui-joo (Im Yoon-ah), a junior from the same club. Now, she works as a full-time employee in the event team of this building, literally a 'junior who has succeeded in a turnaround.' Yong-nam shows awkward friendliness mixed with joy and inferiority, but Ui-joo maintains a professional distance behind her awkward smile. Between them lies a gap filled with brilliant past memories and a harsh present. The film wraps this subtle air in comedy but brews it with bitterness.
Meanwhile, the city faces a crisis on the verge of explosion from a completely different direction. A mysterious toxic gas begins to erupt in various places in the city. At first, the white smoke rising from afar quickly turns into a deadly gas that knocks people down with just a breath. The street outside becomes hell, and people collapse on the asphalt without a chance to escape. The banquet hall is no exception. As bizarre smoke seeps in through the window, when someone gasps and collapses on the floor, people finally realize they have fallen into the middle of a disaster movie.
From this point on, the movie shifts into high gear. The toxic gas, being lighter, rises and swallows the first, second, and third floors of the building one after another. The only choice for survival is, "Go higher." However, at this moment, Yong-nam's past, which had seemed 'useless,' suddenly shines. The skills of a young man who was the best climber in the mountaineering club transform into the only unique skill that can save his family and others. Climbing the railing, scaling the outer wall, and creating rescue routes with ropes become Yong-nam's responsibilities. Ui-joo also revives her past club experiences, working alongside Yong-nam to explore survival routes inside and outside the building.
Facing Disaster with Comedy
As the entire city is engulfed in white toxic gas, the film actively utilizes the 'perspective looking down from above.' The camera persistently lowers its gaze to the streets, imprinting on the audience the fact that 'falling down there means the end.' Yong-nam and Ui-joo leap between rooftops, using outdoor air conditioning units and signs as stepping stones. The height of the gas continuously rises, and the safe zones they can secure become increasingly narrow. While the scale of the disaster grows, the film tightly focuses on the two people, one family, and one building. I won’t mention how they send rescue signals and find clues for escape in the conclusion, as the last few scenes of 'Exit' are surprisingly exhilarating and humorous for a disaster movie.
Twisting the Twisted Reality of Korea
'Exit' appears to be a typical disaster escape drama on the surface. It follows the basic formula of the genre like a textbook, with a threat element of toxic gas, limited space, a shrinking safe zone over time, and an ordinary character transforming into a hero. However, what makes this movie interesting is that it precisely fits that formula into the specific realities of Korean society.
Yong-nam is the most common face of Korean youth in the 2010s. He has decent qualifications but struggles to find a job, often hearing at home, "What on earth are you doing with your life?" He seems like a climber endlessly trying to scale a wall while holding onto a rope called a resume, but every time his hands slip, he falls. The shame, awkwardness, and discomfort he feels during family gatherings at the beginning of the film press down on the audience even before the disaster.
At this point, the setting of climbing operates as a metaphor beyond a simple action device. Hobbies and youthful times that cannot be quantified by studying for exams, qualifications, or certificates are often treated as 'useless.' However, 'Exit' suggests that those "useless things" can become life-saving abilities at certain moments. The scene where Yong-nam climbs the building's outer wall appears as if he is pulling up all the times he found difficult to explain to others in his life. The experiences he had not for his family or society but for his own enjoyment ultimately save himself and others. This structure resonated deeply with the audience.
The directing tone is also exquisite. While maintaining the fear and tension typical of disaster movies, it never lets go of humor until the end. In the scene where they rush to the rooftop chased by gas, the club-like banter of "I’ll grab the blue one!" and "That hold over there!" flows like a rock climbing gym. Even when hanging a rope, standard climbing terms and actions appear, making the scene feel like a plausible event rather than an exaggerated 'cartoon.' At the same time, the portrayal of humans obsessing over trivial things even in disaster situations subtly creates black comedy.
Here, the energy of the actors plays a significant role. Yong-nam, played by Jo Jung-suk, is a character where his unique physical comedy and everyday acting are perfectly combined. When scared, he tends to shout louder, and even though his body is already halfway out, his face is contorted with fear. The detail of pulling out a rice cake covered in crumbs from his pocket in a crisis stimulates both laughter and tension. It feels like not Spider-Man but 'Spider Uncle' is climbing the building. Ui-joo, played by Yoon-ah, is not just a simple 'female lead.' She skillfully organizes ropes and assesses the situation to create rescue routes, acting as a practical partner. Between them, there is a strange sense of camaraderie and motivation instead of a clichéd romance. The senior and junior who once sweated together in the club are now pioneering routes against the backdrop of the city once again.
The mise-en-scène and spatial utilization cannot be overlooked. Most of 'Exit' takes place in very limited spaces like banquet halls, rooftops, surrounding building exteriors, stairs, and emergency exits. However, the film endlessly splits that narrow space in detail, utilizing it in all directions. They hang ladders, tear down banners to make ropes, and use rooftop water tanks, signs, and outdoor air conditioning units as stepping stones. By emphasizing vertical movement over horizontal movement, it showcases the essence of 'climbing action,' which is rare in Korean disaster films. The audience finds themselves gripping their armrests tightly, subconsciously feeling as if they are climbing the outer wall themselves.
From a social context, 'Exit' does not overtly present the dark reality of Korean youth but intricately embeds it in every corner. The scenes where Yong-nam feels humiliation mostly stem from the frame of being the "unemployed child." The family does not come off as entirely bad people. The parents are just flustered between worry and face-saving, and the siblings are busy trying to survive in their own ways. Without making anyone a villain, it accurately touches on the feelings of the youth generation, questioning, 'Am I a useless person?' The structure where such a character finally recognizes the value of their abilities in a disaster situation leaves a simple yet profound aftertaste.
Of course, it is hard to say that this movie is perfect. It hardly addresses the causes of the disaster or the subsequent social repercussions, and the setting of toxic gas is somewhat close to fantasy. There is also an impression that the focus is excessively on the protagonist family compared to the extensive scale of damage. However, 'Exit' primarily focuses on the action of "an ordinary youth breaking through with their body" rather than the politics of disaster or system critique. Within that intent, it performs its task adequately and quite cleverly. The absence of emotional excess or unnecessary melodrama, relying instead on physical comedy, ideas, and spatial utilization, is also a strength.
A Rescue Signal You Won't Forget After One Viewing
For those who want to watch a disaster movie but want to avoid overly bleak and heavy works, 'Exit' fits perfectly. This movie certainly deals with a situation where the entire city is in crisis, but it never weighs down the audience's heart until the end. Even in the midst of crisis, it maintains laughter and vitality, and by the time the ending credits roll, you feel strangely refreshed. A strange confidence arises, saying, "Yeah, my body is still somewhat useful."
Additionally, I would like to recommend it to young people who are belittling themselves due to employment and career issues. 'Exit' is not a movie that presents answers. However, it shows the imagination that the abilities and experiences that adults have not recognized and that one has deemed trivial can shine from a different angle. The message that "what you are doing now may save you someday" may sound exaggerated, but within the medium of film, it comes across as sufficiently persuasive.
Finally, for those who want to see how Korean commercial films can mix genres and reality, comedy and action, 'Exit' is an excellent example. After watching this movie, you might think, "Even if my life seems like it's on the verge of disaster, should I try moving my body first?" Without grand lessons, it has the power to make the audience's buttocks wiggle slightly. That might be the most precious advantage of 'Exit.'
