Decision To Leave Review: A Poetic Noir Romance by Park Chan-wook

Decision to Leave (Heojil Gyeolshim, 2022) demonstrates Park’s versatility through an exploration of a noir romance between a detective, Haejoon (Park Hae-il), and his suspect, Seorae (Tang Wei). Haejoon is a devoted detective assigned to investigate the tragic death of a climber. The suspicion immediately surrounds his mysterious wife, who barely grieves upon his death. Was once a proud detective, Haejoon is eventually “shattered” by Seorae’s enigmatic aura. In each stakeout, Haejoon oddly relishes scrutinizing every single movement of Seorae. Conversely, Seorae, who has been deprived of genuine love, finds Haejoon’s surveillance an exhilarating yet intimate experience. Thus, what began as a professional espionage turns into a catastrophic obsession. Park’s decision in casting Tang Wei displays his artistry in building Seorae’s background. As a Chinese immigrant, her Korean sounds awkward yet poetic, complementing her bizarre character. Perhaps it is her “foreignness” that intrigues Haejoon’s instinct, which “at last” culminates in their deceitful affair. Red herrings and moral dilemmas are fundamental in the architecture of mystery and love in Decision to Leave. On the first glance, this film may resemble a cliché: a detective falling in love with his suspect and turning a blind eye. But the second act chronicling a “coincidental” murder committed by the same widow–merely so that she could remain as the beloved detective’s “unresolved case”–attests to Park’s expertise in dark romance.

In synergy with its dramatic lines, Decision to Leave exhibits a visual poetry. The use of unique framing and color scheme highlights the film’s theme and the characters’ deep subconscious connection. Green, red, and blue dominate the film, subtly paying an homage to Hitchcock’s and Wong Kar Wai’s lovelorn riddles. While red symbolizes infatuation, green and blue represent the significant motifs of the mountain and the sea, symbolizing the lovers’ polarity. Despite their awareness of the destructive relationship, they are overly intoxicated to surrender. To signal their incompatibility, the characters are often framed separately instead of coexisting in an eye-to-eye shot. The investigation scene from the control room is a brilliant example: the camera is placed in-between a monitor that shows Seorae’s close up shot on the left, and a two way mirror that shows Hae-joon’s appearance on the right. Albeit facing each other physically, the unorthodox framing ironically implies that they are psychologically fragmented. All in all, Decision to Leave is a classic—a tale of an ill-fated love weaved into a whodunit thrill. It’s not one that gives you the “at last” moment, but rather leaves you endlessly pondering on its beautiful dilemma.

Title: Decision to Leave (헤어질 결심)

Genre: Mystery & thriller, Crime, Drama, Romance

Original Language: Korean

Director: Park Chan-wook

Writer: Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung

Cast: Park Hae-il, Tang Wei, Lee Jung-hyun

Release Date (Theaters): Oct 21, 2022 (United States)

Runtime: 2h 19m

Rating: 7.3/10

(Source: imdb.com)