Burning Review

Burning Review

            The intense Korean drama Burning captures the story of Jong-soo (Yoo Ah-in), a young male who reconnects with his childhood friend Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo). This complicated love story includes a major twist in the form of the character Ben (Steven Yeun). Ben and Hae-mi start a romantic relationship, since Jong-soo could not directly express his feelings for Hae-mi, but Jong-soo slowly discovers that Ben has an insane, dark “hobby”.

            The stunning cinematography highlights the intense emotion expressed by the characters. In one particularly powerful scene, Hae-mi and Ben go to visit Jong-soo at his house in the Korean countryside. As the sun sets, Hae-mi performs an incredibly sad, drug-induced dance in front of the beautiful farmland. The depth of her sadness and desolation becomes increasingly apparent.

            While the film is visually stunning and the overall story is captivating, the pacing of the film feels too slow at certain points during the rising action. The film runs for 148 minutes, but several scenes could have easily been shorter or even left out. Although the extensive length allows enough time for the plot and characters to develop nicely, the action occasionally drags along without excitement.

Writer: Oh Jung-mi, Lee Chang-dong

Director: Lee Chang-dong

Producer: Ok Gwang-hee

Main Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo

Running Time: 148 minutes