I went into this show with very low expectations, but by the end I was totally immersed and impressed by how well-crafted and rattling it was.

Story: psychologically twisted while still retaining some realistic and relatable elements. The premise is far-fetched, but at its core, is grounded in the dark realities of human behavior. It successfully conveys how deeply ones' mental state can be polluted and transformed by their circumstances, and how strangers harbor evil in its various forms - envy, narcissism, gluttony, lust - that can infect you and latch onto your weaknesses and traumas. This is a reflection of a disturbing and mysterious reality that exists in every social and cultural space, and in all walks of life. The show did an excellent job of portraying what happens when these situations collide and spiral out of control, with focus on how they are allowed to fester and metastasize in lower class communities in particular.

The characters are all uniquely crafted, and the acting was mostly stellar across the board. The apartment dwellers were all so sickening, but I was most impressed by Moon Jo, played by Lee Dong Wook whose performance was masterful and chilling. The role suited him so perfectly, that it was clearly made for him. I had only seen LDW in Goblin before this, which was very forgettable for me, but he shines in this role. I now understand his appeal – not because he plays a psychopath so well, but because his immense versatility as an actor was on full display.

The cinematography was creative without being excessively stylized or over-the-top. I appreciated the liberties they took with camera movements and color treatments that made the torment of living in such a horrible, disgusting, cramped space feel tangible.

Some criticisms: Jung Woo's overall arc and development had a nice, arguably sluggish, gradual build up only to be very rushed by the end. His acting was on point 95% of the time when it didn't look like he was trying too hard. I do wish the show included more background info on the dynamics of the apartment dwellers, maybe through some flashbacks that show us how they met and wound up living there, but I also understand why the writers wouldn't want to include this, as to not undercut the main theme of coping with mysterious presence of strangers. The show was riddled with some pretty dumb character choices, a few predictable twists, but none to really put me off completely. The end also felt a little bit rushed and sloppy. Brief allusions to The Metamorphosis by Kafka were nice, I just wish they explored this more.

Overall, very disturbing but highly recommended if you can stomach it! It's one of those shows that stuck with me for days after finishing it and gave me a lot to think and lose sleep over.