The Great Flood

A catastrophic flood traps Koo An-na, a determined researcher, and her young son inside a battered coastal research facility when emergency warnings turn into a life or death situation. As waters rise and communications fail, An-na must juggle keeping her son calm, jury-rigging equipment, and making contact with a team that needs her expertise for a critical mission beyond the flood zone. Tensions grow when limited resources and moral choices press on every decision, and outside help is interrupted by political and logistical hurdles. The film follows their attempts to survive the immediate disaster while the larger stakes hint at consequences for many more people.

Released in 2025, The Great Flood was directed by Kim Byung-woo and created by Han Ji-su, with Kim Da-mi and Park Hae-soo leading the cast. It’s an original screenplay, shot with practical effects and on-location water work to heighten realism, and it premiered domestically before opening in select international festivals.

The film opened to steady audience interest in South Korea and expanded into international arthouse and streaming windows rather than a wide global blockbuster rollout. Box office reporting focused more on its festival reception and streaming performance than on headline gross figures.

Critics gave mixed to positive reviews, reflected in an average rating around 6.0 from a few hundred votes. Reviewers praised the central performances, especially the lead's balance of scientific resolve and parental vulnerability, while some noted pacing issues. Major themes include human responses to climate crises, the ethics of scientific responsibility, and how ordinary relationships shape extraordinary decisions.

Since its release, The Great Flood has sparked conversations about disaster preparedness and the emotional toll on caregivers during emergencies. Filmmakers and audiences have pointed to its practical effects and intimate storytelling as reasons why Korean science fiction can handle large-scale threats without losing focus on personal stakes. It's become a talking point among viewers interested in environmental storytelling and character-driven genre cinema.