Wall to Wall review: Netflix delivers a Squid Game-flavoured darkly comedic satire

Indian Express

6 days ago

Do you also hate your noisy neighbours? Kang Ha Neul's new psychological thriller on Netflix, Wall to Wall, spotlights the brutal reality of a world consumed by ambition, greed, and the race to get ahead, whatever it takes. In a bustling metropolis where owning an apartment, a hollow 84 square meters, is sold as a badge of success, what you really get is a ticking time bomb. In South Korea's development model, these cookie-cutter complexes are less homes and more pressure cookers for modern madness. If you've ever dreamed of owning a shoebox in the heart of a packed city, congratulations, you're exactly who this film is talking to. It's less a movie, more a public service warning presented in the skin of a psychological thriller.
Netflix's Wall to Wall, or more accurately, 84 Square Meters, if you prefer a triggering Korean title, tells the story of a guy named Woo Sung, played by Kang Ha Neul. Working as an assistant manager in some corporate maze, he invests all his savings to buy a tiny concrete apartment in the heart of Seoul. He thinks he has found success, a stable job, a fiancée, and his mother's proud smile. Three years in, and he's a wreck as he is drowning in debt, juggling jobs, ghosted by his bank, falling for a crypto scam. Then comes the constant, maddening noise. He can't tell if it's from upstairs or downstairs, it just doesn't stop. It keeps him up at night and wears him down. He tries everything to fix it. Turns out, he's becoming the fall guy for a bitter journalist (Seo Hyun Woo) upstairs, hellbent on revenge against prosecutor Eun Hwa (Yeom Hye Ran), who once stopped his story by bribing the system. The very same story about paper-thin walls in high-rise hell. What follows is a blood-filled game of revenge, ruining the seemingly perfect life of a man who once dreamed of a peaceful Seoul life.
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Netflix's rising favourite Kang Ha Neul portrays the quintessential modern man in Wall to Wall. Having built a reputation for staying true to his character, he does it again, holding up a mirror to that part of us which still dares to think that owning a small, overpriced, box-sized space will somehow bring peace. It's a cruel joke, one only a society obsessed with property ownership could truly laugh at. For director Kim Tae Joon, who exposed digital paranoia and surveillance in Unlocked (2023), using a cat-and-mouse premise, this latest story feels like a natural next step. It's one of the stronger post-Squid Game narratives about how the system quietly chews you up and spits you out.
Kim knows how to frame torment: scattered things, piling dishes, Woo Sung refusing to turn on the electricity just to save the bill and thus 80 per cent of the movie is shot in the darkness. He even reuses the same bathwater for days. Seo Hyun Woo, as the unhinged freelance journalist Jin Ho, brings just the right stubborn, revenge-driven vibe, making Woo Sung his target, chasing that final 'ledger reveal' to his dying breath. And then there's Yeom Hye Ran (When Life Gives You Tangerines), who has mastered on-screen villainy by now. Her character here will make you hate her, and that's how you know how good the acting is.
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But, while the concept is brilliant, the only negative part of Wall to Wall is the second half, which loses its momentum and confuses its audience with no real motive behind some of the action scenes. In the first half, you feel Woo Sung's frustration bleeding into you. The noise, the stomping, the false accusations, the question that gnaws: what's so wrong with chasing a metro life? But while we understand that these days directors lean towards realistic endings, deviating from the happy one, the second half of the movie has less impact. There are plenty of twists and action scenes which feel out of place. For some, especially those who don't usually prefer slow burns, it might still be an engaging watch, offering an intense ride through the struggle to escape the claustrophobia of cramped apartment living. But like any other, I would have wanted a satisfying ending for Woo Sung, too. So, in conclusion, Wall to Wall isn't just a thriller. it's a darkly comedic satire.
Wall to Wall, through its noisy premise, shows Woo Sung not losing his sleep but losing his grip on reality, his relationships, and ultimately his own self, to the point he wants to take his own life. The ending scene particularly surprised me, as I was left anxious by the last laugh, which felt personal and fully directed towards the viewers. Because in the end, the only thing scarier than the ghosts under your bed are the ones living on the other side of your thin wall, and the bank statement that reminds you exactly how much you paid for the privilege, you can't even enjoy.