Train to Busan

It served as the bridgehead for the advance of Korean films and series into Italy. Ten years ago, it seemed so exotic and niche that it wasn’t even shown in cinemas: streaming only. We hadn’t yet seen "Squid Game"; Parasite had not yet won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, later crowned by a handful of Oscars; Snowpiercer was merely a post-apocalyptic French comic by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette. Ten years have passed, and now Train to Busan, which had broken several records at home, is taking cinemas by storm. The phrase ‘the world turned upside down’ has since been appropriated by Vannacci and is now firmly associated with him; after all, even ‘Forza Italia’ was once merely a football chant. The story begins with a minor incident. A lorry enters a restricted zone that has been quarantined following an accident at a biochemical laboratory. It kills a deer, which immediately revives. Meanwhile, fund manager Seak-woo is examining a report on a mysterious fish die-off. He has two daughters: one would like him to attend her school recital, whilst the younger one wants him to take her to see her mother. Father and daughter board the KTX high-speed train from Seoul to Busan. They’ve barely got on when the plague strikes. In short, something along those lines. First an attack by marauders, then the cannibalistic zombies. The father explains, ‘Everyone must fight for their own survival.’ The cinematography and editing – including cutaways – are highly effective.