Burning (2018)

I've done it again. I saw a movie, Lee Chang-dong's Burning (Korean: 버닝 Beoning), knowing absolutely nothing about it other than it received a lot of praise at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and that many people I follow on Twitter loved it. I guess I should stop following those people because this movie is trash. 

The story revolves around Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in), a deliveryman who, while out on a job, runs into Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), a girl who used to live in the same neighbourhood as a kid. They catch up on old times and she asks him to take care of her cat while she's away on a trip to Africa. When she returns, she introduces to Jong-su Ben (Steven Yeun), an enigmatic young man with an odd hobby. 

The first problem with Burning is the plot. There's simply not enough going on to fill the film's two and a half hour long running time; it takes forever to kick in and when it finally does, it is so boring and uncompelling, I couldn't care less about putting the pieces together and finding answers; major plot points are either unexplained or turn out to be completely useless; some subplots, specifically that with Jong-su, have no purpose whatsoever other than filling up time. 

The second problem is the characters. The writers spent too much time with dull, useless details and very little to write three-dimensional characters and actually develop them —there are moments that seem to be there to build some character development, but they just don't and as a result, the characters are dull and uncompelling —Steven Yeun's mysterious young man being the only exception as I was curious to find out more about him— and I wasn't emotionally invested in any of them. Moreover, Hae-mi, the main female character, is nothing but a plot device, one that shows her breasts for no other reason than pleasing a part of the audience. 

The performances are probably Burning's only saving grace. Yoo Ah-in does a pretty solid job as the lead, a young, unexpressive deliveryman who aspires to be a writer and feels inadequate. Jeon Jong-seo does a good job as the plot device young woman searching for the meaning and purpose of life. It's Steven Yeun that leaves the most impact as he really succeeds at creating a mysterious character. 

CGV Arthouse

Actually, I shouldn't have said the acting is the film's only saving grace as the cinematography is quite stunning. Overall though, Burning is a boring piece of trash. A misogynist film made for men to enjoy. It does not surprise me that all the people praising this on Twitter were guys.