Film No. 108 (2022) December 28th. 8:00 PM SOMERVILLE Outdoor U.W.A.
"Don't speak about our time like that." (The confusing statement Seo-rae delivers to Haejoon ... he wonders what time she means!).
WINNER : Best Foreign Feature Film (Park Chan - wook; South Korea); Chicago Film Awards Association Awards2022. Best Director (Park Chan - wook) Cannes Film Festival.
Decision To Leave is the best Hitchcockian film I've seen. Excluding those made by the great man himself, of course.
I need to clarify though. Park Chan-wook (OLD BOY, THE HANDMAIDEN) is very much his own film maker but the references are undeniable. There are copies and there are clever versions of a film style first established by a master. DECISION TO LEAVE is clever in both style, concept and script.
When a man is found at the bottom of a steep, rock cliff and detective Haejoon Jang (Park Hae-il) is assigned the case, he immediately suspects the man's wife, Seo-rae (Tang Wei). "I'm not surprised he's dead, no", is the answer she gives to Haejoon's first question. Everything points to Seo-rae. Haejoon, is a first rate crime solver. An early scene tells us as much. But the catch is, our married detective falls head over heals for suspect number one. Her demeanour is beguiling. Our man is smitten. Is there a sense of Hitchcock'sVERTIGOhere?
Like any good mystery, a critical review needn't tell the story. Only that the tale is rich with intrigue and done, often, with silences and close-ups. The camera loves Park and Tang.
DECISION TO LEAVE is art-house by nature. The fact it is Korean may deflect a wider audience. Its quirkiness won't suit everyone's tastes. But Wes Anderson (THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL) or Jean-Pierre Jeunet (AMELIE, DELICATESSEN) admirers cannot miss this rich, masterclass in film-making exuberance. And don't you love it when odd scenes have more going on than initially meets the eye. I can't wait for my second watch. 11GUMS.
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