Picture of the film HEOJIL KYOLSHIM (DECISION TO LEAVE) by PARK Chan-Wook © 2022 CJ ENM Co., Ltd., MOHO FILM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Heojil Kyolshim (Decision to Leave): romantic investigations
Winner of the 2004 Grand Prix for Old Boy (Oldeuboi) and the 2009 Jury Prize for Thirst (Bak-Jwi), Park Chan-wook is back in Competition six years after The Handmaiden (Agassi) (2016) with the hotly-anticipated Heojil Kyolshim (Decision to Leave), a crime thriller-romance hybrid that delves beneath the layers of a complex relationship between a detective and his prime suspect.
When a man falls to his death in the mountains, detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) is put on the case. He questions Seo-rae (Tang Wei), the victim's wife, who seems unmoved by her husband's death – making her the perfect culprit. But the detective is thrown off balance by the budding feelings he is beginning to have for her…
"The closer you look, the harder you fall": the trailer serves up a tantalising taste of a thrilling reunion with Korea's master of suspense. But this time around, Park Chan-wook has us hooked in the subtle exploration of Hae-joon and Seo-rae's mutual fascination. One is a methodical, proud, and ambitious up-and-coming police officer. The other is a woman who is unhappy in love, but honest and brave in the face of suspicions surrounding the part she had to play in the case.
“Rather than tell the story of loss from a tragic perspective, I chose a more grown-up angle that puts the emphasis on subtlety, humour, and elegance.”
The characters' psychology lies at the heart of the narrative. Without ever realising it, the viewer is slowly immersed in the tale, led deep into a setting where sea and mountain collide. The director is joined by the loyal team that helped catapult him onto the global stage: Chung Seo-kyung for the screenplay, Kim Ji-yong on photography, and the talented Cho Young-Wuk for the score.
