Burning
Caught this movie in the theater a few months ago. Holy shit, what a great movie.
It's a Korean film based on the novel
Burning Barns by Haruki Murakami. It's directed by an acclaimed Korean director, Lee Chang-Dong, and stars Steven Yeun of
The Walking Dead.
The movie's plot takes place in Seoul and in the city's rural outskirts. It is about a young man, Jong-soo, that falls in love with a girl, who then goes off to travel. When she returns, she introduces him to a mysterious man, Ben (Steven Yeun), who, as the plot develops, begins to raise suspicions. As the movie unfolds, Jong-soo seeks to get to the bottom of what is really going on.
The movie is exceptionally well-directed, well-acted, and well-paced. Nothing seems 'affected', silly, or over the top which was something I was expecting. The running time lasts more than 2 hours, but it's every bit worth it as the atmosphere becomes enthralling, suspenseful, haunting, and enigmatic.
I also found fascinating the portrayal of idealized attractiveness, class tensions and privilege in contemporary Korean society.
Outstanding film, and I'd love to watch it again.