Review: Decision To Leave

Image courtesy of MUBI.

 

Chan-wook Park's latest, the twisty romantic thriller "Decision to Leave," is often impressive in terms of its craft - the performances, the elegantly composed shots and, on occasion, a burst of frenetic visual creativity, such as a rooftop chase scene or a plunge from a mountain - but its labyrinthine plotting may eventually leave viewers a bit exhausted, even if they appreciate the style in which it was made.

Park is the director of such grim tales as "Oldboy" and "Stoker" as well as the erotic thriller "The Handmaiden," and his latest - despite its twisty nature - feels almost quaint in comparison to those previous pictures. While the film has its share of violence, there are no hammer attacks or people eating live squids.

In the film, Detective Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is an obsessive who can't let his cases go until he solves them, therefore causing some tension at home with his wife, whom he mostly sees on the weekends and promises to continue having sex with even if they end up hating each other.

Their marriage is already on somewhat shaky ground when Hae-jun meets Seo-rae (Tang Wei), the Chinese wife of a mountain climber who has fallen to his death. The case is taken on by Hae-jun, who begins to realize that the fall possibly wasn't a suicide or accident, and that foul play is a possibility. Hae-jun's partner instantly suspects Seo-rae, but Hae-jun - who seems fascinated with her - makes excuses as to why she can't be guilty and gradually begins to get to know her better.

It's a nice, but subtle touch, that Park often shrouds the action in the fog-covered areas of Ipo, and adds a minor subplot about Hae-jun having vision problems, thereby forcing him to rely on some eye drops to be able to see. These two plot strands hint at Hae-jun's inability to see clearly or, more likely, his allowing things he doesn't want to see to blur his vision.

Some feelings develop between Hae-jun and Seo-rae - although I'd vouch more for the former than the latter's feelings in this scenario - but he doesn't allow things to proceed. However, he clearly thinks that some of Seo-rae's actions could be perceived as those of a guilty person, and he gives her some advice on how to clear up that situation.

Some time passes and Hae-jun and his wife have seemingly relocated. Oddly enough, they one day run into Seo-rae and her new husband, which comes as a surprise to the detective. Shortly after this encounter, Hae-jun finds himself enmeshed in a new case - I won't give away the details - that bears some similarity to the one that came before, and this time he takes a different approach. 

The film's second half moves more swiftly and the story feels less jumbled during this second case - which also shines a light on the details of the original case. It's difficult to discuss either one without giving too much away. Suffice it to say, Hae-jun must reassess his views of Seo-rae and his relationship with her. 

"Decision to Leave" received some glowing reviews and took home a top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival. While I liked it - and was especially impressed by its camerawork and performances - it's not as shockingly memorable as "Oldboy" or "The Handmaiden." 

There's a lot to admire here, although the strength of the film's second half is slightly weighted down by the murkiness - a theme here - and often busy nature of its first half. The film has an ending that certainly sticks in the mind - and reminded me of other thrillers in which the hero was sort of left hanging - but this is, in my opinion, a good Park film - but not a great one.