Tunnel (2016)

I watched this tonight - the whole film is available on YouTube at time of writing. It's a Korean film about a collapsed tunnel. We follow the story of the chappie who gets trapped in his car as he unluckily happens to be mid-way through when it happens. We stay with him throughout but also with the rescue team above, trying to save him and the politicians trying to be pragmatic. 

The three leads are excellent - him (Ha Jung-woo: Hijack 1971, Ashfall, The Handmaiden), his wife (Bae Doona: Cloud Atlas, Air Doll) and the head of the rescue operation (Oh Dal-su: Oldboy, I'm a Cyborg). It's a very moving, suspenseful survival (or not) type drama which should have most on the edge of their seats a lot of the time. Well shot and atmospheric, particularly with the claustrophobic scenes as he tries to hang on. Recommended.

It's not a true story but it is based on a 2013 novel of the same name by So Jae-won. It draws comparisons to the tragic 2014 MV Sewol ferry sinking in South Korea. The film's themes of government incompetence, media sensationalism and a flawed public safety system resonated with the public pain and criticism that followed the real-life disaster. The director, Kim Seong-hun, acknowledged that while the film was based on a pre-existing novel, it was impossible to not think of the Sewol tragedy when creating a story about a disaster and the societal response to it. (Gemma)