Exit is a 2019 South Korean disaster comedy film and the debut feature film by writer and director Lee Sang-geun.
The film follows rock climber Yong-nam (Jo Jung-suk), who is currently unemployed and lives with his parents. He decides to try to re-connect with his old crush and fellow rock climber Eui-joo (Im Yoon-ah) by holding a birthday celebration for his mother at the event center where she works. During the event, a terrorist releases a poisonous gas in downtown Seoul, forcing the family and staff to make their escape before being engulfed.
Exit was a box office success, reaching one million moviegoers in a record two days after its release and ending the year as the third most-watched domestic film in South Korea. It was also generally well-received by critics, earning several awards for Lee Sang-geun and Im Yoon-ah across various film festivals and year-end ceremonies.
Exit contains the following tropes:
- Building Swing: Attempted by Yong-nam and Eui-joo to get to a higher building. It fails.
- Chekhov's Gun: The event staff looks for hazmat suits which cover the body and provide 10 minutes of oxygen, but does not use them. Yong-nam and Eui-joo end up needing them later when the gas rises above the roof.
- Deadly Gas: The plot revolves around a terrorist releasing toxic gas in downtown Seoul.
- Endangering News Broadcast: Inverted. Yong-nam and Eui-joo are discovered by a TV news drone, which both brings them attention and attempts to help guide them.
- Genre Mashup: Exit mixes comedy and Disaster Movie elements together
- Going Postal: The terrorist is revealed to be a disgruntled scientist who decides to attack all of Seoul after losing his job.
- Hazmat Suit: The only effective way to navigate through the toxic gas without dying or getting severely burned.
- Locked Door: The door to the rooftop is locked, and no one has the key.
- Maybe Ever After: Yong-nam and Eui-joo agree to see each other again at the end of the film, hinting that Eui-joo may be willing to give Yong-nam a chance in the future.
- Rejection Affection: Eui-joo's boss has trouble getting the hint that she doesn't want to date him, and he asks her if she's re-considered dating him throughout the film.
- Roof Hopping: Yong-nam and Eui-joo spend a considerable amount of time hopping to higher roofs to escape the rising toxic gas.
- Social Media Before Reason: A few people take a selfie in front of the gas as it spreads throughout the streets.
- Wall Crawl: Much to his family's dismay, Yong-nam attempts to climb to the top of the building to open the door on the rooftop from the outside
