MIFF 2022 Film Review - Decision to Leave
Images courtesy of the Melbourne International Film Festival.
Seo Rae (Tang Wei) sits alone on her couch, mouthing along to a melodramatic TV show. This seems innocent enough. But considering she’s a murder suspect in her husband’s death (a grisly fall while rock-climbing) and repeats some of these lines while fluttering her eyelashes at the investigating detective, something feels off. Therein lies the mystery of Decision to Leave, Park Chan-wook’s new neo-noir thriller; can we trust anything Seo Rae says? And what does she have to gain by lying?
The man tasked with answering these questions is Hae-jun (Park Hae-il), an insomniac detective who is well revered in local circles for becoming the “youngest inspector in Busan”. At first suspicious of Seo Rae – a wife seemingly nonplussed by the death of her beloved husband – he becomes fascinated with her openness during their first interview. A few more meetings and some late-night stakeouts later, and the two form a dangerously intimate relationship of the watcher and the watched – a theme that permeates throughout the film.
With the introduction of this complicated romance, Chan-wook looks to highlight the flaws of the two characters in order to solve the overarching mystery of Seo Rae. Sauntering around with the confidence of a traditional femme fatale, she dodges and dives around Hae-jun’s questions effortlessly, slowly taking control of the investigation. However, Tang Wei’s portrayal is so delightfully unreadable that it’s unclear whether she’s dodging anything at all. These interactions and the sense of dread hanging over the film are captivating, heightened by some effortlessly enchanting cinematography. Each frame feels like a meticulously planned set piece, with hints at character motivations and plot-twists.
The film’s multilayered mysteries are ultimately resolved, courtesy of some surprising revelations, but Decision to Leave leaves far more questions than answers. Motivations remain unclear, and a belated reveal of an untrustworthy character means we know even less than we thought. This form of fragmented storytelling might frustrate some, but to me it was refreshing to know the movie didn’t end when I left the cinema. While Decision to Leave might not be Park Chan-wook’s best, it is still an original mystery by a world-class artist at the top of his game.
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Decision to Leave is screening as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival, running in cinemas August 4-21 and online August 11-28. For tickets and more info, click here.