Monday 17 June 2019
10.00 am & 6.30 pm
Directed by Chang-dong Lee
South Korea Sub-titles
Drama/Mystery
148 mins M
Burning tells the story of three individuals and a mysterious incident they experience. Jongsu bumps into an old friend, Haemi, on a part-time delivery job. Haemi asks Jongsu to take care of her cat while she leaves on a trip to Africa. When she returns, Haemi introduces Jongsu to Ben, a man she met in Africa. One day, Ben and Haemi pay Jongsu a visit, and Ben reveals his secret obsession to Jongsu, then Haemi disappears.
. Burning was the official submission of South Korea for the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category of the 91st Academy Awards in 2019, becoming the first Korean film to make it to the final nine-film shortlist. It has since won the Critics Prize at Cannes and Los Angeles.
Reviews
“An utterly captivating epic about class, obsession and creative desire.” – David Sims, The Atlantic
“Is it a love triangle, a murder mystery or a comment on the human condition? Whatever you call this stunning, slow-build thriller from South Korean director Lee Chang-dong, it sizzles with a cumulative power that will knock the wind out of you.”– Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“The film paints vivid portraits of three distinct characters and inspires sympathy with a bewildered protagonist; moreover, it depicts a particular social milieu in such a way that one comes to see it as existing beyond the subjects’ control…” – Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader