Burning
A slow-burning mystery about economics, class, and sexual jealousy. And cats.
Metadata
| Director | Lee Chang-dong |
| Year | 2018 |
| Writer | Oh Jung-mi, Lee Chang-dong |
| Stars | Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo |
The movie in 3 sentences
Burning starts almost like an awkward young romance, then slowly turns into a story about jealousy, class, obsession, and eventually something close to a thriller. At its core, it’s really about three people—or maybe just one person’s version of those three people. And one cat. Or two.
I also liked how the movie deals with gender. Jong-su is attracted to Hae-mi because she feels free and unpredictable, but the moment she behaves in a way he doesn’t approve of, he judges her for it. That double standard feels very intentional. Hae-mi can seem less fully developed than the two men, but I think that’s partly the point: we mostly see her through men who don’t really understand her.
What makes Burning so memorable is how little it explains. What happened to Hae-mi? What does Ben actually do? Does he really burn greenhouses? Does the cat even prove anything? The movie gives you clues but almost never confirms your suspicions, so you leave still trying to piece together what was real. Very Haruki Murakami.