South Korean director Park Chan-wook has been recognized as one of the best directors. It’s hard to deny with films such as Thirst, The Handmaiden, and his masterpiece Oldboy. With such an impressive trifecta that solidifies Chan-wook as one of the best, it’s hard not to be enticed by any new film from the filmmaker. With a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, his latest film, Decision to Leave, was helmed immediately as another winner for the auteur.
As one of my most anticipated films of this year’s New York Film Festival, Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave is a stylistic thriller that harkens back to Hitchcockian mastery of Vertigo. An immersive ride captures the ambiance of the genre while enamoring itself with the raw emotion of two individuals filling each other’s needs and desires.
Decision to Leave follows insomniac Hae-jun, a respected detective who becomes infatuated with the primary suspect in his murder investigation of the death of an immigration official, Seo-Rao. Seo-Rao is the prime suspect because of her lack of emotion over her husband’s death and the realization that Seo-Rao has a motive, as her late husband has physically abused her.
Jeong Seo-kyeong and Park Chan-wook’s screenplay lays a visceral neo-noir that never fails to keep the audience off their toes. Unlike another thriller released in September, the film’s twists and turns do not disappoint. Cinephiles are treated to a complex exploration of the lengths loneliness and obsession will take an individual.
Park Hae-il and Tang Wei are both outstanding in Decision to Leave. With wonderful chemistry, the duo offers nuanced and layered performances that aid in the complexity of individuals on the side of the law and potential murder.
While the film works in most facets, there is no denying that it is a bit on the long side with its 138-minute run time. In addition, while the film mostly moves at a brisk and tight pace, there are moments where a few more cuts could have aided the film in transitioning from very good to excellent.
In the totality of matching the quality of Decision to Leave to my overall expectations, the film hits the bar. With its clever script and engaging performances and twists, Decision to Leave cements its place as an international feature contender at next year’s Academy Awards and one of the most engaging films to come out of this year’s New York Film Festival.
