The cinematographic style of Chang-dong Lee reminds me the works of the Japanese master Yasujirô Ozu. Their films have the same pace that reflects a mode of life in which time flows differently than in our ‘Western’ civilization. The setting is described with infinite care to details while the overall composition and architecture tells a lot about the places and the country where the action takes places. The historical and social landscape is present and influences what happens on screen, but is not the determinant factor, the stories are universal. The characters are described with compassion and as spectators we are encouraged to understand their deep motivations of living the way they live and doing what they do. And yet, there is always a measure of mystery that surrounds their actions, we never understand all the details, and we are not served with rational explanations about everything. Much of the story in ‘Burning‘, his latest movie, takes place at night or in fog – that’s a measure of things that cannot be fully explained. Like in true life.
There are several layers of mystery in this film, although the story may appear at first be rather simple. It may be the story of a romantic triangle involving three youngsters in contemporary Korea. Jong-su (Ah-in Yoo ) and Hae-mi (Jong-seo Jun) are two childhood friends from a village some place close to the border with North Korea. They meet in a street fair, they reconnect after barely recognizing each other, they make love, and then she leaves for a trip to Africa leaving him take care of a cat we never see in her apartment. When she returns, she seems to have a new boyfriend, Ben (Steven Yeun), a man a few years older, rich, driving a Porsche and entertaining a few caprices, some odd, some of these that only rich people can afford. I will not tell more to avoid the sin of revealing too much. The story takes the path of a thriller, but the real life, the characters and the relations between them will intrigue and disquiet the spectators much earlier. Real life or imagination, as nothing is straight clear in this wonderful film.
The two and a half hours of viewing passed for me without once looking at my watch. I was absorbed by the simple story, by the complexity of the relations that build between the characters, by the atmosphere of the surrounding Korea so well caught by cinematography and sound. Symbols are encountered in every scene, they trigger thoughts at first encounter, and call spectators back to try to put them together later. Reverences are made to classics of cinema but also of literature – Faulkner is mentioned explicitly, Chekhov implicitly. Acting is superb, the three actors in the leading roles do not seem to act, they live within their characters. ‘Burning‘ is definitely a film that must be seen. Maybe also seen again.