Good Korean thrillers are increasingly hard to come by these days. It seems the only thriving Korean industry that is left now is K-drama. Many are saying the golden days of Korean cinema are over already.

This somewhat feels true when no real blockbuster films have come out for years now. It almost feels like the good ideas have all been used up, and there’s nothing new remaining. Everyone knows both K-drama and Korean films follow the same formulas in their storylines. They work, they have been subject to studies, but now they are exhausted as well.

Wall to Wall (2025) is not very different. The storyline involves a young man hearing noises in his apartment, to the point of being driven crazy. The same idea was used in a number of Korean films, including Noise (2024) the previous year. But something about it still feels fresh, perhaps because it is a decent thriller. And finding one has been very hard lately.

The Backdrop: The Financial Struggle of Korean Youth

The story follows the young man Noh Woo-sung, who rushed to buy an apartment on loan in Seoul during the Covid-19 pandemic. It cost him heftily, but still it was relatively cheaper than normal times.

When the apartment’s value plunges a few years later, he starts living in his apartment alone with all lights turned off to avoid paying for electricity. He had a breakup shortly after moving in and is now trying to make ends meet as he keeps paying for the loan.

His struggle is way too familiar to the young audience. Buying an apartment in Seoul, or for that matter, any big city in the world, is a dream everyone is chasing. And very few young people actually make it. The film is heavily invested in this, and packages the entire story as a thriller.

It becomes very evident that the protagonist is on the verge of losing his sanity. This is when one of his friends shows up with a proposal to buy a large amount of cryptocurrency. He tells him that the value of the coin will skyrocket at a certain hour on the day of Korea’s independence.

Initially against such a risky investment, Noh eventually succumbs to it and sells his apartment to buy the coins.

The Aftermath

The value of the coin does start soaring as Independence Day draws near, but he is suddenly arrested after neighbours complain of noise coming from his apartment and the police find a subwoofer while checking, quite mysteriously.

Arguably, this is when the most intense part of the film starts. Noh is taken to the police station almost exactly at the hour when the coin’s value is supposed to reach the top. In the previous scenes, it has already soared. He could make a decent profit if he chose to sell it. But he was waiting for the moment.

As he is arrested and about to lose everything, he makes a desperate attempt by going into an officer’s room and locking himself inside to use the computer. He manages to log in and tries to sell the coins but hesitates again, as the exact minute when it will reach its peak is still a few seconds away.

As the police try to barge in, he keeps hesitating. Eventually, he does not manage to click the mouse to sell it and loses everything. It makes him suicidal.

What follows is an entirely different story, best to watch without knowing beforehand. But to this point, every scene is crisp and tightly woven. The delirium he is suffering from is shown vividly and it endears him to the audience.

Noh Woo-sung is the embodiment of the financial nightmare everyone fears. And unsurprisingly, so many young people can relate to it.

The Cast ‘n Crew

Kang Ha-neul did a superb job in his portrayal of Noh Woo-sung. He appeared in four films in 2025, and Wall to Wall is one of the good ones.

That being said, it is not a great movie. The story premise is not uniquely new. The audience saw it before. It still is a good thriller, with enough enjoyable plot twists.

It is fair to say that it is good as an average film. But this has somewhat become a rarity lately—given the declining state of Korean films.

Yeom Hye-ran and Seo Hyun-woo did pretty well in their roles, too. Until the very end, the suspense does not fade away and keeps the audience glued. All the while, their performances supplement it. And perhaps that’s what makes it a success.

The director, Kim Tae-joon, has a rather humble profile. He has previously directed Unlocked (2023), which also has a similar storyline to films like Target (2023).

As a thriller, Wall to Wall is well executed. But what really makes it memorable is the human element of the story, the financial struggle. Its Korean title is 84제곱미터 (84 Jegongmittteo), which translates into 84 square meters. It refers to the ‘national standard size’ of apartments in South Korea.

It is reminiscent of many other works of Asian films not in the international showcase yet. The 84 square meters in the city is the dream so many are chasing when very few make it. Somehow, the thriller part has enhanced the portrayal of the struggle.

Some of the scenes of Woo-sung’s delirium are too poetic to look at. The credit goes to the cinematographer, Jeong Gui-ho, who did his job beautifully. And it easily makes Wall to Wall a good watch on a weekend evening.