Burning

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2h 28m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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List

95%

197 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Jong-soo runs into Hae-mi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood, and she asks him to watch her cat while she's out of town. When she returns, she introduces him to Ben, a man she met on the trip. Ben proceeds to tell Jong-soo about his hobby.

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Critics Consensus

Burning patiently lures audiences into a slow-burning character study that ultimately rewards the viewer's patience -- and subverts many of their expectations.

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Caleb J

Patient. Dark. Gritty. Intense. Lee Chang-dong delivers an enthralling drama mystery that'll leave you feeling broken inside, but also with so many questions. Steven Yeun is deliciously good in this.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/18/24

Full Review

Ian W

It's not brilliant, or anywhere near as good as the critics think it is. Kind of one of those films that if it was shot in London / NY with English dialogue, probably a 7 or 8 out of 10 job at best. But it's South Korean and sub-titled, so gets an additional score from the critics. But hey, it's a decent film. A little bit draggy at times. Leaves quite a lot of questions unanswered. But worth a watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

Full Review

Online A

the best directed South Korean movie I've seen. I really expected and hoped it would've become more of a "thriller" about halfway through. My only criticism is I think they waited too long for the ending climax instead of basing an entire act & tone to it. the director is brilliant, it's beautifully shot & I'd love to see him make a Thriller like Midsommar or Psycho.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/31/24

Full Review

Alec B

Ostensibly this is three kinds of movies in one (a character study, a mystery, and a revenge thriller) and yet each of these classifications fail to adequately describe all or even part of "Burning" as Chang-dong Lee continually undermines or subverts your expectations. It's a haunting enigma

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Dick C

In this motion picture, Burning, 2018 film...there are many good scripts to show how Yoo Ah-in loves his girlfriend, Jeon Jong-seo, her feature debut...and a villain, Steven Yeun, a Korean American has a wonderful performances...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/26/23

Full Review

Andrea C

Elegantissimo film in cui, grazie alla grande qualità della sceneggiatura tratta da un saggio breve di Murakami, nonostante i ritmi lenti e i pochi dialoghi, l'attenzione resta altissima e il desiderio di conoscere il destino dei personaggi aumenta con il passare dei minuti. Curioso ed originale è l'aspetto per cui numerosi elementi del film restano dubbiosi, senza una spiegazione definitiva che dia certezza, con una cura maniacale nel restare enigmatico nel racconto. Una menzione speciale va naturalmente alla sequenza che spacca in due la pellicola. Una scena onirica, in cui i colori del tramonto si mescolano con la povertà della campagna coreana e con la bellissima protagonista che si spoglia letteralmente e metaforicamente per dare vita ad un ballo allucinogeno e di una bellezza strabiliante; per poi lasciare spazio ai due caratteri maschili e alla conversazione più importante del film, che risulterà però chiara veramente solo dopo l'epilogo; perchè "la serra da bruciare è molto, molto vicina".

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/23/23

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Lee Chang-dong

Director

Yoo Ah-in

Jong-soo

Steven Yeun

Ben

Jeon Jong-seo

Hae-mi

Kim Soo-kyung

Yeon-ju

Choi Seung-Ho

Yong-seok

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Kraben rahu

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Burning: Trailer 1

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Burning: Teaser Trailer 1

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David Stratton

The Australian

Burning...refers to the resentment and the anger felt by the young and struggling towards the rich and overbearing. Revelations like these hover just beneath the surface of this beautifully directed mystery.

Rated: 4.5/5

Apr 25, 2019

Full Review

Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

Lee hypnotises with his story of a love triangle, crafting a movie that could be described as visual poetry.

Rated: 4.5/5

Apr 21, 2019

Full Review

Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

This is the kind of film that all but demands a second viewing in order to appreciate the complex elegance of the design, assembled from details systematically calculated to lend themselves to more than one interpretation.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 19, 2019

Full Review

Juan Pablo Russo

EscribiendoCine

... A captivating film that explores mysteries, class struggles, and fiery love triangles. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 9/10

Jan 2, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Perfectly calibrated as a piece dependent on nuanced performances and an exacting tone, Burning rewards those willing to invest and engage in all that Lee refuses to spell-out or show to his audience.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 4, 2022

Full Review

Taylor Baker

Drink in the Movies

Episode 20: When Jeff Tried To Save The World / Creed II / The Ballad of Buster Scruggs / The World Is Yours / Burning

Rated: 75/100

Sep 3, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Jong-soo runs into Hae-mi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood, and she asks him to watch her cat while she's out of town. When she returns, she introduces him to Ben, a man she met on the trip. Ben proceeds to tell Jong-soo about his hobby.

Director: Lee Chang-dong
Screenwriter: Oh Jungmi, Lee Chang-dong
Distributor: Well Go USA
Production Co: Pine House Film
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 29, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $715.0K
Runtime: 2h 28m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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