Burning is a 2018 South Korean film based on the short story, "Barn Burning" collected in the novel The Elephant Vanishes published in 1991 by Haruki Murakami. Lee Chang Dong(Oasis, Secret Sunshine, Poetry, Peppermint Candy) directed, produced, and rewrote the film for the big screen. The film stars popular South Korean actor, Yoo Ah in, popular American actor, Steven Yeun, and Jeon Jong Seo. Burning placed third at the South Korean box office and continued to do well outside of its home country when released. It premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival while also being selected for South Korea's entry for Best Foreign Film at the 91sth Academy Awards but wasn't nominated. The film did however make it to the last nine films before it was eliminated.
A man with a withdrawn personality meets a girl from the same village of his childhood. They form a relationship where another man the girl met aboard comes into the picture. They all try to live in the same space with each other despite their deep feelings of discomfort. One day the girl disappears without a trace…….
Burning is a film that literally could be see as a slow burn. It's script is a very slow moving film that's fill with many sayings and visuals that stand for deeper meanings. These meaning are not always about whats directly in front of you either. A viewer really has to using their mind to think about what each instance is trying to tell you. Some might find this as a kinda of a boring thriller, I'll be honest and say that I did until about the middle of the film mostly because I expected Burning to a thriller based on bronzes instead of the deep meanings I received instead. Burning falls more into an artistic flare in the storytelling supported by the acting mixed with the scenery. I felt that the thrill was watching the fuse burn away in the characters as the film progresses. Each character has almost borderline psychotic tendencies masked by their willingness to live normally in society. Watching this idea shown through symbolism was what made Burning such a good film. Not every person will see the deep artistic essence of Burning like others will but that slow fuse that burned out at the end of the film to show such a dark conclusion was epic storytelling at it's finest. Burning is a film you watch to appreciate the fact that the film talks in riddles in order to not give the answer. Your mind gets a hand gripped on top of it and doesn't let got even after the film was over.
I'm sure Steven Yoo's performance was such a new experience for him as an actor and for the viewers who know him from The Walking Dead. His character is a guy that would be seen as a stub in South Korea which is a contrast to his character in The Walking Dead. Hearing him speak the language of his parent's motherland must have been a treat. I respect the hustle he must have had to go through to learn the language more diligently for the character. Many of the times his character speaks Korean like he is a Korean from overseas but this was the eeriness of the film. Yoo Ah In is an actor that can play most any role placed in front of him. His character is a big walking riddle to match Jeon Jeong Seo's weird character. Both of them have a weird chemistry that makes them meant for each other. Soon does good joining in on this odd chemistry which makes the film. You will sit watching this film trying to figure the three characters out and they are really hard to figure out until the end of the film. I applaud all the performances in Burning.
I loved the camera shots of all the scenes in the country side where the it was the time between sunset or the time between dusk and the sky was a deep blueish color. This was a symbolic image of freedom for all of the characters from the standard of societies's normal. Also the scenes when the characters are sitting on the porch of the house watching the sunset and one of the character starts to dance. It was such beautiful imagery to witness.
Burning is a film for people who like to think. I mean think really hard past the surface of what is seen. This film isn't for people who want a simple film that's easy to understand.
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