Korean Thriller from Japan’s Best Writer Got Highest Score in Cannes History, Watch It on Netflix Now
A slow-burning, suspenseful film about human nature that will stay with you for long.
Asian filmmakers know something about suspense that all other directors do not. Even before the resounding success of Parasite and the worldwide fever called Squid Game, those who like thrillers turned to South Korean films. Probably only those who do not have access to the internet have not seen the spectacular shots of the cult movie Oldboy.
Lee Chang-Dong is one of the most prominent directors of our time, who in 2018 delighted audiences at the Cannes Film Festival with his Burning, a suspenseful interpretation of Haruki Murakami's short story Barn Burning, receiving a record high score among competition films. Moreover, the movie received more than flattering scores on Rotten Tomatoes – 95% from critics and 80% from viewers.
What is Burning About?
The story is about a poor man named Jong-su, who works at a film distribution company but wants to be a writer, and falls in love with a young model, Hae-mi, with whom he once studied. One day, a girl introduces Jong-su to her rich boyfriend Ben.
At first, the trio has a pleasant time together, but one day an event occurs that completely changes their lives. During one of their walks, Ben tells them about his strange hobby: he loves to set fire to other people's abandoned barns.
Burning is More Than a Worthy Adaptation of The Famous Story
If you have read Barn Burning (and if you haven't, then run and find the book), then when you saw the running time of almost two and a half hours, you probably wondered how the movie could be so long, considering the small volume of the original story.
But as soon as you start watching the movie, you will realize that the time was not wasted – the brilliant acting and the aesthetic image grab your attention and keep it until the very end, and the complex plot keeps you glued to the screen.
What is Burning about? It is about people in search of themselves. It's about people who suddenly take a trip to Africa, write stories that are never finished, and burn down barns. Set in modern South Korea, the story is both typical and unique.
A meditative story about a love triangle – a struggling writer, a girl and a rich young man – unfolds like a leisurely Korean drama. Then the movie turns into a thriller and then into a mysterious detective story. And the ambiguous and unexpected ending raises all the philosophical questions about human nature.
Burning is a wonderful example of strange but inescapably charming Asian cinema. Reading the story takes no more than half an hour, but after that, the already addictive Korean adaptation becomes even more complex and unusual.
Burning is available to watch on Netflix.