Wall to Wall

Thrilling Ride, Flat Ending

Living in a flat in a city, experiencing an existential midlife crisis and realizing you bit more than you can chew and now neck deep in sh*t, this drama hits so close to home that at first it was so painful to watch.

I can totally see myself in how the main character was written - at a time when you realized the life you dreamt of isnt exactly working out the way you planned and you're hanging on to dear life and barely moving forward using the faintest remains of fumes in the barrel that you can almost feel that all the walls are closing in (or have already). This is a very realistic portrayal of an insipid life played perfectly and strongly by Kang Ha Neul.

The story and the character may be boring on paper but the execution sure isnt. One by one the plot thickens with every character introduced and keeps you guessing about their motives. The whole first part I was even thinking that No U Sung is just going through a breakdown and is the real person causing the disturbance in the building. Just when he was pushed to his limit and ready to give up, thats when the real plot started to reveal itself.

For me the only weak part of this drama is that the ending is just as insignificant as No U Sung's life. I would have appreciated it more if they at least tied it with a yellow ribbon in the end just to give us a light feeling after watching it.

Also, Ive got to say that this is the reason why I keep Netflix subscription - because of their widest collection of content and the constant new releases every week. Some of them maybe worthless, but some like this onecan surprise you - new movies and series with 0 extra cost.

Overall, for me its an 8.

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INSANELY GOOD PLOT - for a specific target group!

I don't understand people claiming that the story is bad or the movie in general poorly written. I have high standards and I can confirm that this story is PERFECT. Everything was so unexpected and so many things about this drama stand out. The story and the description of the movie may sound boring - at first I didn't want to watch it because I myself believed that this would be a low budget movie without high results.

However the movie exceeded any expectations and has perfect rewatch value. I wouldn't want to rewatch it now but maybe in a few months after I forgot most of the plot. I think the target group of the movie plays a huge role.

Noh Woo-Sung, as explained in the drama by the "journalist" is the potrait of the average young adult fulfilling his dream of buying a house. In general, he is the most average person and most relatable. I could relate so much with him which made the drama more touching. It was almost as if I felt the same joy/anger he felt. So in the end I believe younger people, which nowadays make up a lot of overseas kdrama population, would not like the movie as majority of its plot aims to be relatable.

However for young adults or even people who already had to go through these rough times this is the PERFECT story for a movie that doesn't take up much time.

I feel like the ending was a bit rushed which made it less exciting than the 2nd & 3rd quarter of the movie, however making it a limited series probably would have ruined it with too many plot fillers. As a movie it is a 10/10, for me. The actors weren't really standing out as everyone fulfilled their role for the plot. There is nothing to criticize about the cast. I don't want to spoiler, whereas I can just say that I have too many questions for it to be more than perfect. Nevertheless I am proud to say that this movie is among my new favorite movies next to great movies like Ballerina or Escape.

Thank you for this masterpiece!

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Woo-seong (Kang Ha-neul) finally buys his dream apartment, but strange noises from the upstairs neighbor quickly turn his life into a nightmare. As he investigates, he uncovers a disturbing web of surveillance, real estate corruption, and paranoia.

🌟 What Works:

Strong performance by Kang Ha-neul as a man pushed to his limits.

Tense, claustrophobic atmosphere with minimal sound and lighting.

Smart social commentary on housing pressure and urban anxiety in Korea.

⚠️ What Doesn’t:

The second half becomes overly complex with too many twists.

Sudden shift from psychological tension to violent action may divide viewers.

Mixed reviews: Critics praise the first act, but say it loses focus by the end.

⭐ Verdict:
A chilling, thought-provoking thriller with a unique premise and sharp visuals. Not perfect, but worth watching for the mood and message.

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The by-product of advancement in humanity

Kang Ha Neul is hitting the home run this year with yet another headlining movie lead which is also about a contemporary phenomenon that comes with some really extreme form of storytelling and psychotic presentation, he's just so good at these kinds of roles you just couldn't get enough of his sheer performing power on screen. It's amazing that the director was able to give light to something so prevalent but most of the time ignored in this urban dystopia, it's literally the by-product of advancement in humanity. The final arc of the storyline might have taken a step too far from being realistic, but the intention there was to maximize such absurdity taken from real life situations, that itself is actually very effective and sad at the same time.

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Plot as annoying as the disturbance faced by the tenants

The first half of the movie was intriguing. A regular office worker buys his first apartment while slaving away at 2 jobs just to make ends meet hoping to cash in when the market value of his apartment rises. He has put up with so much, what's a noisy neighbour at 4am?

Then the neighbours come into picture and everything becomes a dumpster fire. While I understand the movie tries to recreate the frustration and distress faced by the male lead in the minds of the audiences but it was more irritating than just building tension. I never wanted to get through a movie faster than this one!

I couldn't STAND these characters and at some point that included the male lead. Nor did I care for the way the movie ended. It all felt super pointless.

If you love horror or thrillers, this is not worthy of a watch let alone a rewatch.

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A slow-burning descent into madness...

So there's a kind of horror that doesn't come from monsters or murderers, but from the constant hum of a alarm at 3 am, from walls that seem too thin, from neighbours who smile just for a little too long. It understands that kind of dread really well... at least for a while (?)

Ha-neul (loml) plays U-sung, a tired man in a tired apartment, just trying to get through life. He's quiet, polite (scared), and clearly not doing great. The kind of guy who's holding everything everything together with weak threads and cheap tape. At first, it's just noise. Someone's upstairs. Or maybe the walls. Or maybe it's him. The film never gives you clear answers, and that's what makes the first half work so well. You (don't) know what's real and what's just in his head, but you feel his exhaustion like it's your own.

The apartment complex becomes its own kind of cage. Neighbours are "strange". Conversations feel off. There's this eerie tension building, and for a while, it's genuinely gripping. I found myself leaning in, waiting for things to explode... or kinda for someone, ANYONE, to just give him a straight answer.

Then... the second half hits.

And look, it's not that bad... There's definitely some payoff. But the story gets messier, like it's trying to juggle too many themes at once: surveillance, power, greed, manipulation, real estate corruption and not all of it lands. The character of Jin-ho brings in a whole new twist that's clever in theory, but a bit chaotic in execution. The movie starts sprinting when it should have taken a breath.

Still, even when the plot stumbles, the emotions stay real. U-sung's spiral never stops feeling grounded. The film might lose its grip a little, but he doesn’t. You stay with him till the end, whether or not the ending satisfies you. For me, it didn’t fully hit, it kinda looked like it would land a punch but maybe that's the point.

Ha-neul is the no doubt heart of this movie. He makes U-sung feel painfully real the kind of person who disappears in a crowd, who people dismiss too easily. His unraveling is what keeps everything together, even when the story starts pulling in too many directions.

So no, Wall to Wall isn't a perfect film. But it's compelling. Creepy in a (very) human way. It taps into that quiet fear that maybe you're not crazy, but everyone around you is pretending you are.

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Great Idea, Poor Execution

Before diving into the movie, I placed high expectations considering the great lineup of casts and the released synopsis. However, I was utterly disappointed. Halfway through it, I was genuinely confused about its central theme. By the end, there were a lot of questions left unanswered. I honestly think the writers/director had a great idea/vision about the plot but they failed to execute it properly. I also had an issue with its pacing, majority of the scenes was going slowly but the events suddenly quickened at the end. There were also some scenes which I found unnecessary to the plot, leaving a bad impression to me. I do appreciate the good acting delivered by the actors as well as the visual FX.

If you're planning to watch this movie, you can try it out. But if you're a deep fan of thrillers, it may disappoint you to some extent. So, I suggest reducing your expectations.

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“This is all just so unfair.”

kang haneul never disappoints as he brings woo-sung, an average salaryman who finds himself down on his luck after buying an expensive apartment in seoul, to life in what is one of the most stressful movies i’ve ever seen. there are dozens of twists and turns that leave you unable to trust anybody we see on screen, even the main character himself, and that make you feel as if you’re losing your mind alongside him. while i did enjoy this i think i would like it more if it were even ten minutes shorter because it started dragging a bit, but it was still a fun watch.

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