Well Go USA has acquired all North American rights to Lee Chang-dong’s Korean drama “Burning,” which won the Fipresci Prize last month at the Cannes Film Festival.
Well Go USA will release “Burning” to theaters across the nation beginning Oct. 26 in New York City, with expansion to follow throughout November. Based on a story by Haruki Murakami, “Burning” centers on an alienated young man, played by Ah-in Yoo as a frustrated introvert whose already difficult life is complicated by the appearance of two people into his orbit: a spirited young woman (Jong-seo Jun) who offers romantic possibility, and a wealthy young man (Steven Yeun of “The Walking Dead”) she returns from a trip with.
Art director Shin Jeom-hui won the Vulcan Award of the Technical Artist at Cannes, an independent prize given to the best technical artist in filming, editing, art, and sound.
Peter Debruge of Variety called the film “beguiling” in his review and said, “The degree to which ‘Burning’ succeeds will depend largely on one’s capacity to identify with the unspoken but strongly conveyed sense of jealousy and frustration its lower-class protagonist feels, coupled with a need to impose some sense of order on events beyond our control.
“’Burning’ is exactly the kind of film we’re always looking out for — it is auteur filmmaking at its finest,” said Dylan Marchetti of Well Go. “Well Go has a rich history of bringing the best films from Asia to North American audiences, and like we did with ‘The Assassin,’ ‘The Wailing,’ and so many more, we can’t wait to help get diverse audiences into a dark room to take this powerful journey together.”
“Burning” is written by Oh Jung-mi and Chang-dong. The film was produced by Chang-dong and Lee Joon-dong. The deal was negotiated by Doris Pfardrescher for Well Go USA and Youngjoo Suh for Finecut Co LTD on behalf of the filmmakers.
Its so hard to see most of the work from Asia.Asia cinema should really be distributed far more consistently in the UK than it is because there's some fantastic films that have been made and I think audiences,who want to witness creative work which is fresh, are missing out.
Still,I hopefully I'll get to see this.Story sounds intriguing and it's from the same Director,as I've just recently found out,that did Green Fish.
Anyone who has the chance to see this in cinemas, please do so. Extraordinary stuff and one of the top movies of 2018 easy. By far the best thing Lee Chang Dong's done (and I really like Secret Sunshine and Poetry), a near masterpiece.
Yeun should be up for supporting actor. He's extraordinary in this. Between this and Sorry to Bother You, dude's had hell of a year.
What’s you’re take on the ending and overall kind of outlook on what’s taking place? Glad you liked it!
well,
Not only is more than one interpretation possible, I think they're probably necessary. Lee Jong-su may have murdered an innocent man and confused Ben's bored, boogie and soulless lifestyle with that of a sociopathic serial killer. An easy mistake. Or, not only is Ben a serial killer, but a straight up metaphysical vampire that consumes young lower class women out of existence to sustain his own beauty, status and sense of power. Full tilt magical realism or potent metaphor on the nature of class? You decide.
Either way, Lee Jong-su acted out of limited evidence, an unknowable truth, and provoked by multi-faceted reasons. He's a passive and burdened character, confronted with a reality he cannot understand let alone control, born into the dark shadow of North Korea, a father full of anger and pride, and imprisoned in a social system he cannot escape.
Ben in many ways is a manifestation of everything Lee Jong-su wishes he was, wishes he had, like another Gatsby, yet something he paradoxically can't help but resent and even hate. Ben's first real act of agency in the entirety of Burning is a murder and a catharsis, and all of these issues are as meaningful to the reason as to whether Ben is an innocent "guy she tells you not to worry about" or a killer. He needed to burn a greenhouse down.
this also pretty much summarizes why I loved Burning so much. I'm a huge fan of Murakami in general, Wind Up Bird Chronicle is top 5, and this film captures nothing but the best of his work. The dream-like elasticity of reality, theme and haunting feelings in his books are extremely hard to describe let alone convey in a film, but Burning nailed it.
What’s you’re take on the ending and overall kind of outlook on what’s taking place? Glad you liked it!
well,
Not only is more than one interpretation possible, I think they're probably necessary. Lee Jong-su may have murdered an innocent man and confused Ben's bored, boogie and soulless lifestyle with that of a sociopathic serial killer. An easy mistake. Or, not only is Ben a serial killer, but a straight up metaphysical vampire that consumes young lower class women out of existence to sustain his own beauty, status and sense of power. Full tilt magical realism or potent metaphor on the nature of class? You decide.
Either way, Lee Jong-su acted out of limited evidence, an unknowable truth, and provoked by multi-faceted reasons. He's a passive and burdened character, confronted with a reality he cannot understand let alone control, born into the dark shadow of North Korea, a father full of anger and pride, and imprisoned in a social system he cannot escape.
Ben in many ways is a manifestation of everything Lee Jong-su wishes he was, wishes he had, like another Gatsby, yet something he paradoxically can't help but resent and even hate. Ben's first real act of agency in the entirety of Burning is a murder and a catharsis, and all of these issues are as meaningful to the reason as to whether Ben is an innocent "guy she tells you not to worry about" or a killer. He needed to burn a greenhouse down.
this also pretty much summarizes why I loved Burning so much. I'm a huge fan of Murakami in general, Wind Up Bird Chronicle is top 5, and this film captures nothing but the best of his work. The dream-like elasticity of reality, theme and haunting feelings in his books are extremely hard to describe let alone convey in a film, but Burning nailed it.
-Vader
Great writeup Vader. Never thought of it from that angle
I saw this movie three weeks ago and I can't get it out of my head
He deff killed her
I pretty much view this exactly as Vader described and clearly the directors intention. Although if we were to dissect everything and the film taking mostly through Lee Jongs perspective I think it gets murky. I would lean closer to saying Ben didn’t kill her.
that Ben's aimless and Antonioni-esque lifestyle can so closely mimic and convince us he's a killer is a point in itself, and i think that innuendo is a powerful one. Same as Lee Jong-su's own baggage leading him to the ending. The "truth" is as unknowable, and even immaterial, to us as it is Lee Jong-su. Ultimately though, plot-wise between the cat and the watch and the bag still there, and the green-houses stuff I think Ben did it. But again, the plot-level is perhaps the least meaningful.
that Ben's aimless and Antonioni-esque lifestyle can so closely mimic and convince us he's a killer is a point in itself, and i think that innuendo is a powerful one. Same as Lee Jong-su's own baggage leading him to the ending. The "truth" is as unknowable, and even immaterial, to us as it is Lee Jong-su. Ultimately though, plot-wise between the cat and the watch and the bag still there, and the green-houses stuff I think Ben did it. But again, the plot-level is perhaps the least meaningful.
Have you guys read any Murakami?
-Vader
I'm thinking of reading a Murakmai book sometime soon. I'm not a big fiction guy tbh
