Review: The Great Flood - May the True Tragedy Is Not Climatic

“The Great Flood” is directed by Kim Byung-woo and presents two narrative layers, moving from a climate disaster to an emotional drama that deals with memories, guilt, and the question of what can truly save the human species.

The premise begins like a fairly conventional disaster thriller. Ko An-na (played by Kim Da-mi) is alone with her young son, Ja-in (Kwon Eun-sung), when a colossal flood turns their lives into a vertical race for survival. Desperation is present every time they try to find an escape, searching for ways to survive among people who are equally desperate and sometimes in need of help themselves.

It is revealed early on that An-na is a key figure in a project connected to the future of humanity. With the arrival of Hee-jo (Park Hae-soo), an agent tasked with extracting her amid the chaos, the film begins to show its true intention. It is not merely a disaster movie, but also a work of science fiction and a psychological drama focused on relationships and emotions.

As the plot progresses, we discover that the flood is not just an apocalyptic climate event, but also a laboratory and a learning mechanism. Survival, affection, and the very essence of what makes us human appear to be things that can be measured, simulated, and perhaps even replicated.

Critics

Professional critics have at times acknowledged the strength of the concept while questioning its execution. Variety noted that the film eventually feels like a poorly structured collage, in which its epic ambitions try to stand out but never fully succeed. The Guardian praised the shift toward a more cerebral science fiction approach, but also pointed out that when the film moves into more recursive and abstract layers, it struggles to sustain itself dramatically.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 50% score from critics and a 36% score from audiences. In short, it failed to resonate strongly with most viewers.

But what can be taken from a narrative that attempts to subvert the disaster movie genre by transforming it into an emotional drama?

One aspect the story explores is the experiment’s attempt to replicate human feelings, such as the bond between mother and child. We can expand this perspective and see how the film also works as an analogy for modern times, in which many people are losing the ability to connect in person.

In a world where technology often seems to mediate human relationships, researchers and specialists raise concerns about how excessive social media use, intensified during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, is profoundly altering our capacity to form genuine emotional bonds.

Social media use increased significantly during the pandemic, when millions of people were forced into physical isolation. As a result, time spent on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok grew considerably and remained high even afterward.

This intensification of digital use has two sides. On one hand, social networks were essential in maintaining some level of connection when in-person contact was impossible. On the other hand, digital interaction is fundamentally different from face-to-face relationships.

Another troubling factor is that more frequent digital media use during the pandemic was associated with stronger negative emotions and wider gaps in relationships, including a reduced ability to trust family members or strangers. Healthy relationships depend on trust, vulnerability, and reciprocity, qualities that erode when interactions take place exclusively through screens and algorithms.

The forced isolation of the pandemic also led to widespread social disconnection. When everyday interactions such as chatting in a bakery line or meeting friends and relatives disappeared, people relied almost entirely on digital platforms to sustain their social lives. This prolonged absence of in-person encounters affected our emotional foundations, since bonds require presence, nonverbal communication, and a level of attention that is difficult to reproduce on a screen.

When engagement becomes superficial, the ability to develop intimacy and empathy diminishes. Relationships begin to be shaped by metrics and instant stimuli rather than by genuine human presence.

The combined impact of the pandemic and intensive social media use isolated us within relationships where affection is not built organically. Instead, it is projected onto screens and often becomes extremely superficial, weakening our capacity to truly feel and form real connections.

Seen this way, the Flood in the film can also be interpreted as a metaphor for the emotional void that surrounds us. The salvation of humanity, represented by An-na and her relationship with the artificial child, reflects what we must recover in order to remain human and preserve our emotional capacities.

The premise of the film is strong, but its execution is not entirely successful. At times, the story becomes confusing due to the repeated iterations of An-na’s mission and eventually feels exhausting. There are few meaningful variations in how the plot develops, and the mission is repeated again and again with only minor changes.

The overlap of these attempts may confuse less attentive viewers, since the only way to track how many times the protagonist has tried is by noticing the number printed on her shirt. These numbers appear very briefly and without any engaging narrative transition. They are simply placed on screen in an explicit and unsubtle way.

It is also difficult for less patient viewers to feel empathy for the boy Ja-in, which undermines immersion. In trying to show that the child, although artificial, has genuine feelings for his mother, the film ends up turning him into more of an obstacle than a point of connection. His presence can be so irritating that it leads the viewer to question whether he is even worth saving. This ultimately distances the audience from the film’s goal of encouraging reflection, affection, and empathy.

The supporting characters also fail to create a meaningful connection with the audience, perhaps because their appearances are brief and their personalities underdeveloped. This is a significant flaw for a film centered on human connections.

Honestly, if you are accustomed to films with more consistent and polished storytelling, it is probably not worth your time, despite the strong premise.

You may find yourself considering giving up on the movie halfway through.

However, if you are simply looking for light entertainment with no intention of fully engaging with the characters’ emotional journeys, it can still serve as a casual watch.

In my case, the only real positive takeaway was the reflection on how this Flood speaks more about social isolation in the digital age than about a natural disaster. Still, I would have been more satisfied if the film had truly delivered the weight and depth it promises.

What about you, reader? Have you watched the film? Did you see this analogy involving isolation, empathy, and affection, or did you have a completely different and perhaps more positive experience with it? Let us know in the comments below!