The Flu

An ordinary flu outbreak spirals into a citywide crisis that tests every layer of society. What starts with fever and cough spreads with alarming speed, overwhelming clinics, shutting down public spaces, and turning daily life into a tense chase for answers. Kang Ji-Koo and Kim In-Hae, two individuals caught in the surge, witness a system pushed to the brink as resources dwindle and the death toll climbs. Government planners respond with sweeping containment measures that infringe on privacy and mobility, triggering debates about civil liberties and public safety. As the crisis deepens, neighbors, officials, and ordinary citizens face hard choices about whom to trust and how far they are willing to go to prevent catastrophe.

Kim Sung-soo directs The Flu, released in 2013. The film is built from an original screenplay by Jung Jae-ho, Lee Yoon-ho and Lee Young-jong, combining Korean action sensibilities with sci-fi thriller elements to explore an emergency and showcase action sequences.

It earned about 19,775,853 dollars worldwide, reflecting a solid regional performance and a respectable overseas run for a Korean genre picture. The figures signal audience appetite for a fast paced, high stakes story about a public health crisis.

The Flu sparked conversations about how societies should respond to epidemics and the balance between safety and personal freedoms. Its depiction of crowded hospitals, rigid quarantines, and media frenzy echoes in discussions of real world outbreaks. The film helped frame a genre that treats disease not just as a threat but as a test of trust in institutions and neighbors.

Critics praised the film for its brisk pacing, grounded performances and its clear focus on ethical questions rather than pure spectacle. It examines how fear can drive policy, how communities improvise under pressure, and what it means to protect strangers when the line between public good and personal risk blurs.