362. Decision To Leave (Heojil kyolshim); movie review

 

DECISION TO LEAVE (HEOJIL KYOLSHIM)

Cert 15

139 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, crime scene detail, sex, domestic abuse

Could South Korea follow the stunning success of Parasite with another Academy Award-winning picture?

Despite the merits of Park Chan-wook's Decision To Leave, I don't think so. 

There is no comedy here but mysterious deaths are the heart of a romantic thriller, starring Park Hae-il and Tang Wei.

The former stars as a detective called to investigate the demise of a mountain climber after a fatal fall.

At the centre of the inquiry is the victim's much younger wife, a Chinese immigrant (Tang Wei) who has suspiciously little reaction to his death.

The police officer who only sees his wife (Lee Jung-hyun) once a week because he works away from home, becomes progressively more obsessed with the enigmatic suspect.

Decision To Leave is a typically clever Korean mystery with a particularly original finale.

There are some splendidly quirky twists and Park Chan-wook uses the dramatic seasons and cliffside locations to add some Hitchcockian atmosphere.

I also love the way in which the characters lure the audience in despite not being obvious heroes - indeed, they are very flawed.

For example, it would be easy to condemn the detective for having his head turned but I was left guiltily empathising with him.

Decision To Leave poses a multitude of 'what would you do in that situation?' questions and often the answers are surprising.

The only issue - and it is an important one - is that it isn't always easy to follow.

The subtitles are fast and there is another layer because Tang Wei's dialogue is often Chinese literally put through Google translate.

That said, while I don't think it is Oscar-worthy, it is certainly alluring.

Reasons to watch: Multi-layered thriller

Reasons to avoid: A tad confusing

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? As of the end of 2019, there were an estimated 360,000 undocumented foreign nationals living in South Korea. 

The final word. Park Chan-wook: "The biggest objective for me and my co-writer (Jeong Seo-kyeong) was to really go beyond that stereotype of film noir women." The Guardian

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