Park Chan-Wook’s “Decision to Leave”

Decision to Leave (2022)

Subtly but masterfully crafted visual storytelling in the same vein as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” is a mystery of human emotion and motivation whose narrative burns a sinewy path from beginning to end

Layered, subtle and mastfully crafted, this reminded me a lot of Pedro Almodovar’s “Broken Embrances” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” twisting its way toward a conclusion that becomes increasingly inevitable while remaining unpredictable. Though there’s a mystery at its heart, it’s very much a noire romance and deals with human connection, trust, and desire.

As with a lot of Korean cinema, it’s very skilled at misdirection and is very thrifty in its use of dialogue leaving plenty to be told cinematically through perspective, colour and focus. Unfortunately, there are parts which western audiences won’t understand (with a couple of notable exceptions) where Chinese actress Tang Wei as recent widow Song Seo-rae occasionally struggles with Korean and thus makes mistakes in her communication that are significant to the storyline. That said, the important elements are communicated though clever translation. Translator Darcy Paquet said, “Even more so than in a typical Park Chan-wook film, the dialogue in Decision to Leave feels like the intricately fashioned springs and wheels of a wristwatch. It's not just that each sentence is perfectly formed, but that they fit so neatly into the overall structure of the movie.”

The film itself is multilayered not only in the narrative but in the way these narratives are told. Use of colour and elevation, reflection and focus become part of the language of the film. I’ll admit, it took a second viewing to fully appreciate everything that Park is doing here but effort is rewarded and the film stands up detailed scrutiny.