KD_’s review published on Letterboxd:
BURNING deals with a variety of topics — not one of them being less relevant than the other — ranging from consumerism, inequality and class differences in South Korean society and from gender to the political situation of both past and present. Invoking Miles Davis and Murakami on whose short story the film is based, Lee Chang-dong also ponders concepts like love, desire and existentialism in a slow-burning, subtle way.
Jong-su drives an old truck while Ben drives a Porsche 911. The former has a rural background, the latter lives a lavish lifestyle in trendy Gangnam. Yet, both are united by their toxic masculinity. With BURNING, Lee has cemented his place among the greatest living filmmakers.
It’s 03:38 AM and I’m hungry.
