This New Underrated Netflix Thriller Is Like 'Parasite' — But Funnier and Scarier

Netflix original films come from all over the world, but the streamer seems to place a lot of emphasis on the stories coming out of South Korea.

Wall to Wall is the latest Korean original to debut on Netflix, and it may remind viewers of Parasite, the 2019 Oscar-winning film by director Bong Joon Ho.

While both Wall to Wall and Parasite are comedic thrillers, the former does go off in its own direction even as it shares some of the latter’s themes.

If you’re looking for a film to place on your watch list, Watch With Us is sharing the three reasons to watch Wall to Wall on Netflix.

Kang Ha-neul Carries the Movie on His Shoulders

Wall to Wall places Kang Ha-neul in nearly every scene of the movie, and that’s a lot of responsibility to put on any single performer. Kang not only pulls it off, he makes his character, Noh Woo-sung, simultaneously comedic and tragic. Woo-sung poured his life savings into a relatively small apartment and he finds himself in increasingly desperate situations.

Kang portrays Woo-sung as justifiably angry and upset over the way his life has gone off the rails, but there’s always something funny about the way he plays it. Wall to Wall doesn’t lean all the way in on comedy, but it’s hard not to laugh when things go terribly wrong for Woo-sung. Kang’s reactions to Woo-sung’s plight are just too funny to ignore.

There’s Something Universal About the Housing Problems

Although the concept of Wall to Wall is about a specific housing issue in Seoul, South Korea, American audiences will probably see a lot of very familiar things about their own housing situations. That’s especially true for people in densely populated cities like New York, who are overpaying for tiny living spaces. Woo-sung is also driven to near insanity by constant noises in the apartment complex, which his neighbors blame on him.

Woo-sung’s chaotic interactions with his neighbors also lead them to turn against him. While that’s not a situation everyone has experienced, Woo-sung’s status as a pariah does make him more sympathetic. Everyone else in the building is trapped by a bad deal, just like he is. Woo-sung is just taking the brunt of the punishment.

‘Wall to Wall’ Revisits the Class Warfare of ‘Parasite’

It would be inaccurate to call Wall to Wall a direct clone of Parasite, but there’s definitely a connective issue between the two films. The second half of the film finds Woo-sung making an unexpected ally, Yeong Jin-Ho (Seo Hyun-woo), after the latter becomes the only person in the building who isn’t angry at him.

Jin-Ho has a particular grudge against the richest tenements, who double as the owners of the building. Without giving too much away, Jin-Ho’s methods to take down the owners prove to be a little too extreme for Woo-sung. That’s why the final conflict in the movie isn’t strictly about class warfare. But true to form, even when Woo-sung wins, he still manages to lose.

Wall to Wall is streaming on Netflix.