What did the local audiences think of the movie ‘Swarm’ (directed by Yeon Sang-ho) at the Midnight Screening of the 79th Cannes Film Festival?
The official screening of ‘Swarm’ took place on the 16th at 12:30 AM (local time) at the Lumiere Theatre of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, and it received rave reviews from the local crowd.
Even though it was 3 AM when the film ended, the audience left the theater in a buzzing atmosphere, with many praising the action and the fresh plot.
Monica, a viewer from Spain, commented, “It was great, another fresh zombie movie.” Another Spaniard, Jose, shared, “It was good and fun. I’ve seen ‘Train to Busan,’ and actor Goo Kyo-hwan, who played the villain, was amazing. He was the best part of the movie, and his energy in the ending was incredible.”
Victor, a French viewer, highly praised the action, stating, “I think this movie is very well-made in many ways, especially in terms of stunts, action, and story development. It works quite effectively for this type of film.”
Camille, who accompanied him, agreed, saying, “Yes, ‘effective’ is exactly the right word. The realism is excellent, and it’s visually quite impressive, so I had a great overall impression.”
Actor Carlos Chan from Hong Kong also watched ‘Swarm’ at the official screening. He shared his thoughts, saying, “I was surprised that the movie was so special and unconventional. It was a work that broke all my previous imaginations about zombies.” Carlos Chan also expressed his special affection for Korean cinema, mentioning, “I love watching Korean movies. The first one I saw was ‘Oldboy’.”
‘Swarm’ tells the story of isolated survivors in a building locked down due to a mysterious infection, fighting against infected beings that evolve in unpredictable ways. The film, which was unveiled for the first time at this screening, caught attention by satirizing Korean society through characters that reflect Director Yeon Sang-ho’s signature cynical view of humanity, while providing freshness with unexpected plot twists. In particular, his trademark “zombie action” sequences, pushed to the maximum level of spectacle, were a highlight.
Director Yeon Sang-ho, who directed ‘Swarm,’ has been invited to Cannes for the fourth time this year. He previously attended the Directors’ Fortnight (a parallel section) at the 65th Cannes Film Festival with ‘The King of Pigs’ (2012), the Midnight Screening at the 69th Cannes Film Festival with ‘Train to Busan’ (2016), and was selected for the ‘Cannes 2020 Label’ with ‘Peninsula’ during the year the festival wasn’t held. Returning to Cannes after about 10 years with ‘Swarm,’ he received a passionate standing ovation for approximately 7 minutes.
