Inspired by a Haruki Murakami short story, Burning tells the tale of young Jong-su, a courier who’s in love with a girl he’s known since childhood. When she returns home from a trip abroad with a strange friend, they form an unlikely threesome. The friend, however, has an unusual hobby…
During a delivery Jong-su meets childhood friend Hae-mi. The young woman is just setting out for Africa and she asks Jong-su to take care of her cat. Excited by the chance meeting after so many years, Jong-su looks forward to her return and dreams of reigniting their relationship. But Hae-mi doesn’t return from her travels alone, and the young man becomes an inadvertent participant in an odd love triangle. This mysterious picture from the Korean writer, director, and onetime culture minister plays as a psychological thriller, but at the same time it forces the viewer to call into question the individual characters’ points of view. Perhaps, therefore, the film is actually something more – something that goes beyond the simplified essence of its genre.
Nikola Paggio
148 min / Color, DCP
Director Lee Chang-dong
/ Screenplay Lee Chang-dong
/ Dir. of Photography Hong Kyung-pyo
/ Music Mowg
/ Editor Kim Hyun, Kim Da-won
/ Art Director Shin Jeom-hui
/ Producer Lee Joon-dong
/ Production PinehouseFilm
/ Coproduction Nowfilm, NHK
/ Cast Yoo Ah-in, Yeun Steven, Jun Jong-seo
/ Sales Finecut Co., Ltd
Lee Chang-dong (b. 1954, Daegu, South Korea). Selected filmography: Green Fish (Chorok mulkogi, 1998), Peppermint Candy (Bakha satang, 1999), Oasis (Oasiseu, 2002), Secret Sunshine (Milyang, 2007), Poetry (Shi, 2010), Burning (2018)
Finecut Co., Ltd
Patio House #102 (Bldg. C), 22-14 Bongeunsa-ro 26-gil, Gangnam-gu, 135-907, Seoul
Republic of Korea
Phone: +82 256 987 77
Fax: +82 256 994 66
E-mail: [email protected]
First-hand brews throughout the year.
Be among the first to learn about upcoming events and other news. We only send the newsletter when we have something to say.