i think i'm obligated to give this film a perfect rating given that i adore it so much and could talk about it for hours. i watched it for the second time with some friends and noticing all the implications of seemingly mundane moments, and discussing it all with some friends after, was super enlightening. i think my inital review on instagram mostly covers my analyses (little hunger vs great hunger, poor vs rich, "it's not about pretending it's there, it's about forgetting it's not there") but here's some new stuff:

1. there's a certain metaphysical element to Jong-su's character, him mostly observing until the end, representing the audience and their passivity before the covered-up crimes of the rich

2. director Lee Chang-dong's immaculate restraint: Ben is never seen 'burning' the girls, Ben says its too early to give Hae-mi's cat a name, Hae-mi's story of the well - the ambiguity is so frickin consistent, that even after Jong-su has his very poetic revenge, we still aren't sure whether or not it was real / imagined

3.  the significance of Jong-su's parents, Jong-su's father's legal trouble signifiying the struggles of the poor, them having burned his mother's clothes, Ben laughing through it all

4. the sheer number of subtly controlled long-takes, the slow pacing: above everything, time is portrayed with the most verisimiltude, which is extremely essential for one's realisation of mundanity deteriorating into insanity

in conclusion, this film is fucking fire and i love it a lot.