[Prep’s Pick]

Burning is a psychological thriller by Lee Chang-Dong (이창동) centered around a very small cast of 3 main characters, Jong-Soo, played by Yoo Ah-In (유아인), Ben, played by Steven Yeun, and Hae-Mi, played by Jeon Jong-Seo (전종서). I was already familiar with Yoo Ah-In from his role in #ALIVE (a really great modern zombie film), and I have seen a decent amount of Steven Yeun’s work, so Jeon Jong-Seo was the only piece of the main cast I had never seen before. Burning is a movie with a lot of depth, and it requires your attention from the beginning until the very end.

Firstly, acting performance. I feel the need to start by saying I was embarrassed at my own surprise that Steven Yeun speaks Korean. Since I’d only seen him before in Western media (with no accent, I might add), it never occurred to me that he might be fluent in Korean, but there he was, chatting coolly as “Ben,” a mysterious rich guy who creates a pillar of the plot. In every piece of film (or television) that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Yeun in, I have been impressed by his performance. He always embodies his character so believably and thoroughly that sometimes, I forget he was the one playing them. From Okja to NOPE to Mayhem to Burning, Yeun is clearly a very skilled professional. In Burning, he is both charming and unsettling as Ben, and completely captivates you each time he appears on screen, creating an obsession in the viewer similar to Jong-Soo’s own obsession with Ben. His skill and experience shines through especially beautifully during the climax of the film, where he portrays a stunning array of emotion through body language and micro-expressions. I was already a fan of Steven Yeun, but Burning only solidified my status further.

As our main character, Jong-Soo, Yoo Ah-In expertly conveys this vague uncertainty that Jong-Soo has in every action, as well as the constant insecurity and bewilderment that clouds his mind. Not only is he believable, but he downright embodies the character, causing certain moments to feel uncomfortably voyeuristic to the viewer. His body bristles with the suppressed rage that seems to leak out of him in a muted exhaustion (all too relatable for me). Jeon Jong-Seo is very intriguing and mysterious in her own right as Hae-Mi, and she hooks you and pulls you right into the story, much like the way Hae-Mi does with Jong-Soo.

The film’s direction and cinematography was very well-thought out and beautiful. Lee Chang-Dong’s artful direction creates an intense sense of emotion and tension even without a single actor on screen, and makes for a very beautiful viewing experience. Burning is known as a “slow-burn thriller,” and yes, it is slow, but I, myself, didn’t experience much of the thrill. It struck me as more mysterious and almost noir than thrilling by any means. Additionally, Burning, apart from its main plot, is predominantly about class, toxic masculinity, and rage. I think that this male-centered thematic focus is where my disconnect with the movie began. Obviously, these stories can be very compelling, and I am quite the fan of the Korean class-critical film, but extremely male-centered themes don’t usually hold my attention or create much emotional investment for me. I can tell the movie is objectively good quality and is clearly very smart, but it didn’t move me at all. I never cared much about any of the characters, and the resolution to the plot didn’t feel satisfying at all.

In conclusion, Burning is a very smart and well-done movie, but it did not garner any emotional reaction from me or particularly captivate me. This aspect of film is probably the most influential in my opinion of a movie, and Burning just doesn’t have it.

Rating: 💬 I have now seen this movie.

My best friends and I (known affectionately as Goblin House) have a regular movie night where we all sit down together and watch a movie one of us has chosen. Most of these reviews will come from a Goblin Movie Night, so they will be tagged with the nickname of the Goblin who picked the movie.