Korean maestro Park Chan-wook’s latest film — Decision to Leave — is a multilayered tale of desire and longing about a detective who contemplates infidelity as he goes on to solve the most complicated case of his career. On paper, it may sound like a whodunnit you may have seen before but Park’s visual signatures elevate the film to one of the best in his illustrious filmography.
Decision to Leave competed for the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival wherein Park bagged the award for ‘Best Director’. The film was also chosen as the South Korean entry for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ at the 95th Academy Awards. Since April, it has been creating immense buzz around the globe. The film, streaming on Mubi India, has a 139-minute runtime.
The plot revolves around an insomniac police detective in Busan named Hae-Jun (played by the absolutely brilliant Park Hae-il) who is consumed with his professional life. He is in a long-distance marriage and only gets to see his wife on weekends. Hae-Jun’s life turns unexpectedly when a new case lands in his lap. A wealthy man is found dead at the foot of a mighty mountain where he had gone for a climb. On the face of it, it seems like an accident but the suspicious behaviour of the primary suspect — the dead man’s wife Seo-Rae (Tang Wei), who is an emigrant from China and works as a caretaker for old people — makes the case more complicated than what meets the eye. As Hae-Jun investigates, he finds himself being swept toward the widow like a moth to the flame. Seo-Rae gradually transforms into an object of attraction and obsession for Hae-Jun.
The film, set in misty South Korea, is an erotic cop thriller wherein the director drives you to the edge the moment you start feeling comfortable with the plot. The South Korean filmmaker is known for stylised shots with rich compositions that work as a lens, giving a glimpse into the characters’ lives. He does the same in Decision to Leave as well.
The film, boosted by its overarching theme of male entitlement and mid-life crisis comes across beautifully, thanks to the brilliant cinematography. Not just this, Park’s hat tip to Alfred Hitchcock does not go unnoticed (at one point, the scene is shot from inside of a dead fish’s eye as a point of view).
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It is difficult to pick anyone who does not fit the bill among the supporting cast. Led by the fine performances of Tang Wei and Park Hae-il, each character comes into its own to make Decision to Leave a roaring success.
Park’s neo-noir romance is unlike any of his previous works. He conveys the subtle complexities of infidelity and romance without depicting nudity. Thanks to Tang Wei and Park Hae-il’s stunning chemistry, the two central characters seem more like partners than a cop and suspect, despite the not-so-pronounced language barrier.
Decision to Leave, backed by its high-calibre performances and impeccable direction, enthralls, surprises, and entertains you — just what you expect from one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation.