Burning

South Korea’s official entry for Best Foreign Language film for the 2019 Academy Awards and a critical pick for many top 10 lists, Lee Chang-dong’s Burning is the quintessential slow-burn art film (at a lethargically-paced two-and-a-half hours) that features a cryptic ending likely to have half the viewers thinking “wow” and the rest “huh?”. Based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, with clear references to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the film stars Ah-in Yoo as Jongsu, a laconic, bland post-collegiate would-be writer (his favorite author is Faulkner—with no hint of why) who has returned home to watch over his father’s sort-of farm (one cow) while the latter faces charges for assault. Jongsu meets and starts up a physical relationship with former junior high classmate/neighbor Haemi (Jong-seo Jun), who soon takes a trip to Africa and returns with new friend (possibly boyfriend) Ben (Steven Yuen), an enigmatic rich playboy (like Gatsby) who likes to burn down old greenhouses (for unexplained reasons). Although Jongsu is constantly invited to hang out with Ben and Haemi, he is clearly a third wheel. And when Haemi suddenly disappears, Jongsu begins to obsessively track Ben for some clue to her whereabouts. A snail-paced, cryptic film with a B-movie plot that is salted with enough quirks to hide its underlying familiar DNA, Burning is sure to split audiences. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a character featurette (3 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a challenging foreign film.] (R. Pitman)