Starring
Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo. Directed by Lee Chang-dong.
(2018/148 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Fluffy the Fearless😺
In
addition to one of its plot developments, the film's
title could also refer to the deliberate pace at which it
unfolds...as in slow burning. Sometimes there's nothing better
than a moody thriller that methodically builds tension by taking its
sweet time. But for a film where we're pretty sure how everything
will unfold with over an hour left to go, Burning might be too
much of a good thing.
Jong-su
(Yoo Ah-in) is an introverted college graduate who aspires to write a
novel, but mostly struggles to find a job. He bumps into childhood
neighbor Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), and after a brief sexual encounter,
he agrees to feed her cat while she's on vacation. Jong-su becomes
creepily infatuated with her, as his frequent visits to her apartment demonstrate. Hae-mi later returns with new friend Ben (Steven Yeun),
who's charismatic, carefree and wealthy...everything Jong-su isn't.
But he's also quite mysterious; neither Jong-su or Hae-mi know much
about him or what he does for a living.
Despite
Jong-su's apparent misgivings, the three spend an increasing amount
of time together, the most crucial moment being a pot-fueled evening at Jong-su's
childhood home, an old farmhouse he's charged with caretaking after
his father goes to jail. This is where Jong-su - and the audience -
learn that neither Hae-mi or Ben are quite what they seem. When
Hae-mi disappears afterwards, Jong-su becomes obsessed with finding
her and suspects Ben knows more than he's leading on.
 |
| "Oh, hey, Glenn...I mean Ben." |
The
film made a lot of best-of lists last year and I can see why.
Burning is impeccably acted by its three leads, whose
characters are almost the entire focus of the film. Through numerous
scenes of almost mundane conversation, we learn a lot about
them, though Ben's ambiguous background makes him the most
intriguing character. Additionally, director Lee Chang-dong
establishes a tone that borders on surreal and suggests - just
beneath the surface - there's something not-quite-right with these
people.
However,
the film is sometimes maddeningly meandering. At nearly
two-and-a-half hours, Burning is way too long. Unless your
film is some kind of character study - which,
admittedly, could be part of Chang-dong's agenda - 90
minutes shouldn't go by before anything resembling an actual plot
begins to present itself. Some narrative developments are obviously created to bait or mislead the viewer,
which is initially understandable. But since we're pretty certain of
the film's ultimate outcome by now, the main purpose they serve is to
keep the viewer expecting a revelatory twist ending.
I
suppose that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does render the
inevitability of the climax rather underwhelming. Still, Burning
is mostly worthwhile. The film is sometimes quite
fascinating, mostly due to the performances and subtle tension
created in key scenes. I just wish it would have gotten to the point
a little sooner than it actually does.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTE -
"About the Characters"
TRAILERS
DVD
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
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