Film ● Review: Wall to Wall
- Very Average Joe
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
English Title: Wall to Wall
Korean Title: 84제곱미터 (lit. 84 square metres)
Director(s): Kim Tae-joon
Screenwriter(s): Kim Tae-joon
Studio: Mizi Film
Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 58m
Starring: Kang Ha-neul, Seo Hyun-woo, Yeom Hye-ran
My Verdict: Nicely shot and edited. Despite some far-fetched elements, it is a captivating and intense thriller.
● The film opens with a montage, mildly comical in tone, of Noh Woo-sung (Kang Ha-neul) buying an 84m2 apartment in Seoul for ₩1.1 billion in 2021 and moving in with his fiancée. Jump to the present of August 2024 and the value of the apartment has dropped to below ₩900 million.
● Woo-sung struggles with his debt; he avoids turning on the lights and delivers take-away at night after leaving the office. And his fiancée is no longer in the picture. As he struggles, he hears noises like thumping from the apartment above whilst the apartment below blames him.
● The plot follows Woo-sung as he tries to work out where the noise is coming from. The tenants below him keep on blaming him whilst the tenant above denies it. Meanwhile, he considers taking a gamble on crypto in the hopes of settling everything.
● As expected, it takes the approach of a psychological thriller that is mostly dark and intense. There is obviously the mystery of the source(s) of the noise and the suspense of regarding crypto.
● There are enough indications that the noise is real—thankfully, it is not a mere case of “it’s all in the main character’s head”—but there are moments that make one question reality.
● Of course, this tension and suspense cannot be kept up for nearly two hours, at least not for exactly the same reasons throughout. With certain events and expositions, the narrative shifts away from the psychological thriller to more of a mystery thriller about halfway through.
● This shift, although noticeable, is not jarring and is handled well; after all, it is still essentially the same mystery, it’s just that certain layers have been peeled back.
● It is shot nicely. As expected, there are a lot of wider shots and slow dolly shots (or equivalent thereof) commonly used in psychological thrillers. There is a little bit of staccato cutting as well in the first half given the nature of the plot. These are very measured and balanced with the use of tighter shots. If anything, there can be heavier use of the wider shots but perhaps the director is aiming for balance.
● Obviously, the film is a not-so-subtle criticism of the debt-based financial system, the nonsensical perceived value of residential properties, corruption involving construction companies that cut corners and the lack of concern of tenants.
● Even though the themes are blatant, the narrative does not discuss them (and it doesn’t need to), thereby avoiding hitting the audience over the head with them.
● One of the biggest weaknesses is that the conclusion is too brief, lacking a more substantial denouement. It is not a cliffhanger, the mystery is answered and in that sense, there is no ambiguity. Nevertheless, as it is not a short film and the viewer is invited to invest in the character of Woo-sung, a bit more about his life would yield a more satisfying conclusion.
● The film editing by Shin Min-kyung is excellent. With such a variety of shots in a variety of sequences, whether it is quiet suspense or action, it is so easy to mess it up but the editing is seamless.
● Overall, it is a solid thriller. It is nicely shot and edited with good performances. Even if there are aspects that are far-fetched—for example, Woo-sung does not have to stay home just to keep an eye on the crypto—it is a captivating thriller that manages to maintain a certain intensity throughout.
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