Vox
It's gripping and unnerving, a noir-style mystery with no answers that goes in entirely unexpected directions (and harbors a hint of William Faulkner too).
Full review
Burning (2018)
Steven Yeun (Okja) co-stars in this Cannes prize-winning love triangle mystery from Korean great Chang-dong Lee (Secret Sunshine).
"While on a delivery, Jongsu (Yoo Ah-in, The Throne) encounters Haemi (newcomer Jong-seo Jun) who reminds him that they were neighbours as children. Later that day, the two become lovers, and when Haemi asks Jongsu to feed her cat while she’s away on a trip to Africa, Jongsu believes that they are to embark on a relationship. But when Haemi returns from the trip with a handsome, rich companion, Ben (Yeun), Jongsu is left confused and heartbroken. A strange confession, and Haemi’s sudden disappearance, thrusts Jongsu’s world into further disarray and he begins an increasingly desperate investigation." (Sydney Film Festival)
Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize (Lee) and the Vulcain Prize for the Technical Artist (art director Jum-hee Shin), 2018 Cannes Film Festival
2018Rating: M, Violence, sex scenes, nudity & drug use148 minsSouth KoreaKorean with English subtitles
DramaMysteryWorld CinemaFestival & Independent
- Director:
- Chang-dong Lee ('Secret Sunshine', 'Oasis', 'Peppermint Candy')
- Writer:
- Chang-dong LeeJungmi Oh
- Cast:
- Ah In YooSteven YeunJong-seo JeonJoong-ok LeeJa-Yeon Ok
Burning (2018) / Reviews
Variety
This entire film is meticulously calibrated in its ambiguity, encouraging certain assumptions that neither the characters nor the audience can ever fully verify, so it's best to be on one's toes.
Full reviewThe Telegraph
This is Lee's closest ever film to a thriller, but it defies expectations, offering multiple, murky solutions to a set of mysteries at once.
Full review
New Zealand Herald
Undeniably gorgeous, strewn with sequences of pure cinematic verve... The film's sweltering tension and commitment to its lack of easy answers is commendable, but less so is its treatment of women.
Full review
Los Angeles Times
"Burning" is a character study that morphs, with masterly patience, subtlety and nary a single wasted minute, into a teasing mystery and eventually a full-blown thriller.
Full review
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