50. Burning (Beoning); movie review

BURNING (BEONING)
Cert 15
148 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, sex, nudity, drug misuse

Perhaps I am out of step with the entire film-watching world nowadays.
Only a day after scratching my head over a Japanese anime amid a sell-out audience, I was non-plussed by a movie which was mentioned in the same breath as the Oscars.
Chang-dong Lee's Burning was acclaimed at Cannes for its character exploration but I am afraid it grabbed neither Mrs W nor me.
And it's not that I haven't previously enjoyed languid Asian dramas. I've immersed myself in plenty during the past decade.
Anyway, Burning stars Ah-in Yoo as Jongsu, a shy delivery man who is out on a job when he runs into Haemi (Jong-seo Jun) who lived in his neighbourhood when they were children.
Haemi talks a lot and Jongsu takes everything at face value even though it is pretty clear from the outset that she is a fantasist.
Nevertheless, he is quite taken by the attention she gives him and agrees to look after her cat while she is away on her trip to Africa.
So, he goes to her tiny bedsit, leaves food for a cat he never sees and masturbates in the window.
Sorry if that last bit is a spoiler but it rather sums up the way in which Burning is punctuated by scenes which don't seem to be particularly relevant.
Anyway, after the strangeness with the invisible cat, Haemi returns with a self-assured young man (Steven Yeun) who steals her away from the hapless Jongsu and then reveals a strange and dangerous hobby.
Those who enjoy ethereal mysteries might well get on with Burning. It swirls around without ever alighting upon a clear purpose.
However, it never strays from Jongsu who is struggling to find or his place or meaning in life.
Indeed, the more he tries to push himself out into the world, the more he feels inclined to sneak back out of what appears to be the firing line.
I had keen anticipation for Burning having read comments about it before watching it. I knew that Yeun's introduction was a key point so hoped he would generate a spark which had been missing in its opening half.
He didn't and what could have been an intriguing thriller merely slipped away.

Reasons to watch: Has received much critical acclaim
Reasons to avoid: Really doesn't go anywhere

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? Burning was adapted from a short story by Haruki Murakami

The final word. Chang-Dong Lee: "There was something very cinematic about the mysteriousness. A small mystery from the short story could be expanded to bigger mysteries in multiple layers in cinematic way."

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