DECISION TO LEAVE / HEOJIL KYOLSHIM (Opening Film)
A detective suffering from ongoing insomnia investigates the mysterious death of a well-to-do middle-aged man. His young widow, a beautiful Chinese nurse, seems apathetic thus catching the methodical detective’s eye. When he concludes that the death was a suicide the relationship between them becomes stronger until a second death will reawaken his suspicions. Picking up where he left off with “The Handmaiden”, Park Chan-wook continues to ignore the line between genres and with masterful camerawork and impeccable editing creates a charming noir melodrama, possibly his best work since “Oldboy”. Winner of the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival.
SOUTH KOREA | 2022 | COLOR | 138’ | KOREAN, MANDARIN
A policeman falls crazy in love with a woman who appears to have murdered her husband. They form a relationship, they end it, but 13 months later her second husband is also mysteriously found dead. The plot is labyrinth-like and so is the style, the symmetrical details flash wildly like hidden lights. ‘A New Romantic Neo-Noir’(sic) is an awkwardly deficient synopsis of a reflectively well-thought film. From the frantic decoupage to the idea of spatiotemporal osmosis of faces in the same shot, and from the various film genre exercises to the ending’s cataclysmic romance, this year’s Best Director winner at Cannes is a precious genuine Korean film, which will be experienced by its enthusiasts for years to come. I.D.
DIRECTOR: Park Chan-wook
SCREENWRITERS: Park Chan-wook, Seo-Kyeong Jeong
DoP: Ji-yong Kim
MUSIC: Yeong-wook Jo
EDITOR: Sang-beom Kim
PRINCIPAL CAST: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il, Go Kyung-Pyo
PARK CHAN-WOOK
One of the top South Korean directors of our time, born in 1963. He started off as a film critic and then became a director, a screenwriter and a producer. This is his 11th feature film. His course, as far as festivals, critics and the audience are concerned, has been brilliant, with moments such as ‘Oldboy’ and ‘The Handmaiden’.
FILMOGRAPHY
2022 Decision to Leave
2016 The Handmaiden
2013 Stoker
2009 Thirst
2006 I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK
2005 Lady Vengeance
2003 Oldboy
2002 Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
2000 Joint Security Area
1997 Saminjo
1992 The Moon Is… The Sun’s Dream
