"Burning” Review
For me, not knowing the answer to a terrifying question is scarier than knowing the truth to one. "Burning" is directed by Lee Chang-dong and is based on the short story "Barn Burning" by Haruki Murakami, and in it, we get just that. It's a mystery movie but it comes about half way into a somewhat challenging runtime in a story that's deliberately a slow burn (pun intended and I'm not apologizing). In it, average Joe (Yoo Ah-in) reconnects with a girl (Jeon Jong-seo) from his childhood and things seem fine and dandy for awhile until things take a bizarre turn when a much cooler and sexier dude (Steven Yeun) is introduced.
It plays with the idea of malleable memory mixed with a fragile male ego. Small details are cleverly and dramatically reintroduced later on that add up to vague clues that culminate in what is one of the most memorable endings in any movie I've ever seen. Since the premise doesn't fully get presented until half way in, and there's no way I'm gonna spoil that for anyone, I'm just gonna say that if you're into slow paced atmospheric mysteries, you need to pay close attention and be patient with its storytelling.
Burning is a strange movie. It gives a lot of clues and gives no clear answer. Some movies do this and fail spectacularly but this one makes that tight balancing act look like a cake walk. The movie requires a lot of investment and patience and for a lot of people, it's going to be meandering and boring. But for those who like their mysteries slow, deliberate, and artsy, look no further.