Decision to Leave * * * *

I've seen a few films like this lately.  Hypnotically beautiful but pretty hard to follow.  I can only guess the director and his team become so familiar with the story, they assume we can make the leaps with them.  We can't.  Or maybe it's just me - I can't.  Yes, that's probably it.  Also, to add to the confusion it's Korean, so unless you speak that language you're going to have to read it.

Basically it's a police detective story.  Not far outside of town a man is found dead at the bottom of a cliff.  As he was into climbing cliffs when he should have knocked off years ago, it all seems pretty obvious: the old fool has taken on more than he should have.  But wait a minute.....

Beauty and Mystery and more

The detective, Hae-joon has to inform the old mans wife.  A surprisingly young - and beautiful - woman. Her name is Seo-Rae, (which when pronounced doesn't sound anything like the way it is spelt).  Seo-Rae doesn't seem to give a damn.  The detective revisits the scene. He calls Seo-Rae in for another interview. Suspicions grow - but so does affection.  Without crossing the line, his obsession grows - and she encourages it.  

Director, Park chan-wook, has tricks that I really admire - and loved - once I caught on to what he was doing.  Like this.... You know when you want to say something to someone and then you imagine yourself doing it?  Well, frequently we see the detective and the beautiful Chinese woman in the room together, talking and then we realise it was imagined.  Weird thing is, she was similarly imagining the same conversation.

Like Seo-Rae the film is gorgeous to look at.   At times the film  will surprise you (or frustrate you) but enough of the narrative will come through to reassure you that you have seen an intelligent story. Further to that you become emotionally connected: The final scene is terrifying - not by what you see but by your realisation of what has happened. 

It's a film that probably needs two viewings. There is certainly enough beautiful content there to encourage it. I'm sure the second would be even more rewarding.