Overview of Decision to Leave
‘Decision to Leave’ is a 2022 South Korean neo-noir movie directed by Park Chan-wook. The movie is starring by Tang Wei and Park Hae-il, where Tang Wei plays the role of a murderess (Song Seo-rae) and Park Hae-il plays the role of a detective (Jang Hae-jun).
Jang Hae-jun meets Song Seo-rae as part of a case investigation. As the investigation proceeds, the suspicion that Jang Hae-jun has about Song Seo-rae’s involvement in the crime turns into a hopeless romance.
Profile
- Name: ‘Decision to Leave’
- Starring: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il
- Genre: Neo-noir, Crime thriller, Romance
- Directed by: Park Chan-wook
- Produced by: Park Chan-wook
- Written by: Chung Seo-kyung, Park Chan-wook
- Cinematography: Kim Ji-yong
- Music by: Jo Yeong-wook
- Edited by: Kim Sang-bum
- Production Company: Moho Film
- Running time: 139 minutes
- Release dates: 23 May 2022 in Cannes, 29 June 2022 in South Korea
- Distributed by: CJ Entertainment
- Language: Korean
- Country: South Korea
Cast
- Tang Wei as Song Seo-rae
- Park Hae-il as Det. Jang Hae-jun
- Park Jeong-min as San-oh
- Jung Young-Sook as Granny Hae Dong/Monday granny
- Park Yong-woo as Im Ho-shin
- Jung Yi-seo as Yoo Mi-ji
- Lee Jung-hyun as Jung-an
- Kim Shin-young as Yeon-su
- Yoo Seung-mok as Ki Do-soo
- Go Kyung-pyo as Soo-wan
Synopsis
Jang Hae-jun works as a detective in Busan and travels once a week to Ipo to see his wife Jung-an. Soo-wan is Hae-jun’s partner in case investigations. One day, the two are assigned to investigate the death of Ki Do-soo, a retired immigration officer. He is found dead at a mountain base where he frequently goes mountaineering.
As an investigation procedure, the detective questions Song Seo-rae, the young wife of Ki Do-soo. Song Seo-rae is a Chinese woman, who works as a caregiver in Korea. The detectives become suspicious of her because of her lack of sorrow and the marks and tattoo on her body.
Sceptical of Song Seo-rae’s involvement in Ki Do-soo’s death, Hae-jun goes for stakeouts at her residence at night. In his pursuit to unwrap her role in Ki Do-soo’s death, Hae-jun becomes fond of her.
His investigation leads him to the Monday client of Seo-rae. The camera footage and statement of the client showed the innocence of Seo-rae in her husband’s death. As said by the client, Seo-rae was caught on the camera outside the client’s residence on the day Ki Do-soo died.
Furthermore, Seo-rae discloses the incidents that happened in her past life like killing her grandmother by overdosing her with fentanyl pills. She committed the crime because it was the wish of her grandmother. In addition, the grandmother asked her to climb a mountain in Korea to carry out the request of her Korean grandfather as a death wish.
She claims her innocence by submitting a pile of letters written by Ki Do-soo in which he agrees to taint the business’s dealings. From the letters, Hae-jun finds a letter which resembles a suicide note written to a subordinate. From the light of the evidence gathered, Hae-jun announces the innocence of Seo-rae and declares Ki Do-soo’s death as a suicide.
Later, Seo-rae and Hae-jun get to know more about each other when they go on a date to a Buddhist temple. One day, Seo-rae sets fire to the evidence collected by Hae-jun about her husband’s death claiming his insomnia is caused due to the work that he does.
Hae-jun learns Seo-rae is the murderer of Ki Do-soo when Hae-jun goes in place of Seo-rae to help the Monday client. The Monday client is a dementia patient who has no knowledge of the days or weeks.
Both Seo-rae and the client have the same model phone. On examining the client’s phone, Hae-jun understands that Seo-rae steals the client’s phone to trick the signal. She then climbed the mountain to kill her husband causing scratches and marks on her body.
Later, he discovers the letters that she once showed were originally composed by Seo-rae to escape from getting caught. He complains to Seo-rae for manipulating him and leaves her by cursing her to throw away the phone. A depressed Hae-jun goes to see his wife Jung-an.
One day he bumps into Seo-rae with her new husband Im Ho-Shin. On the next day, he dies and Hae-jun takes up the investigation. Though his investigation ends in a man named Sa Cheol-seong comes and confesses to the crime.
Hae-jun meets Seo-rae at the mountain mentioned by her grandfather and indulge in a passionate kiss. When Hae-jun reaches back home, his wife leaves him doubting his assistance in Seo-rae’s crimes.
One day Hae-jun figures out that Seo-rae is the cause of Ho-shin’s death. She visits Sa Cheol-seong’s mother and pills him causing her death. This incident triggered Sa Cheol-seong to kill Ho-shin.
Hae-jun traces Seo-rae’s phone and finds her at the beach, but he finds her empty car with her cell phone inside. Through the phone, she discloses her reason for killing Ho-shin was his discovery of the illicit relationship that Hae-jun and Seo-rae once had.
She commits suicide by digging a pit in the sand and placing herself in it allowing the tide to bury her when it rises. Hae-jun screams feeling tormented standing on the beach all alone.
Theme
‘Decision to Leave’ is an anguished love between Song Seo-rae and Jang Hae-jun. However, they intentionally hold back their true feelings for each other until the very end. Though in the movie, Song Seo-rae tells about Jang Hae-jun’s love confession, a kind of disbelief can be seen in Jang Hae-jun’s expressions. Jang Hae-jun’s love vanishes in front of his eyes like how Song Seo-rae faded away in the tide. Their untold love grants Song Seo-rae an awful death and leaves Jang Hae-jun in distress.
Furthermore, Song Seo-rae is a tactical player who plans the murders of three people including her husband. Finally, she sketched out her own suicide in a dreadful way. In one way or another, the movie tells the courage needed to kill people is nothing compared to the courage needed to admit one’s true feelings.
Awards
- Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2023
Best Non-English Language Film - Asian Film Awards 2023
Best Actress – Tang Wei
Best Screenplay – Chung Seo-kyung, Park Chan-wook
Best Production Design – Ryu Seong-hee - Austin Film Critics Association 2023
Best International Film - Baeksang Arts Awards 2023
Grand Prize – Film
Best Director – Park Chan-wook
Best Actress – Tang Wei - Director’s Cut Awards 2023
Best Director in film – Park Chan-wook
Best Screenplay – Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung
Best Actress in film – Tang Wei
Best Actor in film – Park Hae-il
Best New Actor in film – Seo Hyun-woo - London Film Critics’ Circle 2023
Foreign Language Film of the Year - Online Film Critics Society 2023
Best Film Not in the English Language - San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle 2023
Best International Feature Film - Seattle Film Critics Society 2023
Best Film Not in the English Language - Asian Journalists Association 2022
AJA Awards – Park Hae-il - Blue Dragon Film Awards 2022
Best Actor – Park Hae-il
Best Actress – Tang Wei
Best Director – Park Chan-wook
Best Film – ‘Decision to Leave’
Best Music – Jo Yeong-wook
Best Screenplay – Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung
Popular Star Award – Go Kyung-pyo - Boston Society of Film Critics 2022
Best Editing – Kim Sang-bum - Buil Film Awards 2022
Best Actor – Park Hae-il
Best Actress – Tang Wei
Best Cinematography – Kim Ji-yong
Best Film
Best Music – Jo Yeong-wook - Busan Film Critics Awards 2022
Best Actor – Park Hae-il - Cannes Film Festival 2022
Best Director – Park Chan-wook - Chicago Film Critics Association 2022
Best Cinematography – Kim Ji-Yong
Best Foreign Language Film – ‘Decision to Leave’ - Chunsa Film Art Awards 2022
Best Actor – Park Hae-il
Best Actress – Tang Wei
Best Director – Park Chan-wook - Cine21 Awards 2022
Actor of the Year – Park Hae-il
Actress of the Year – Tang Wei
Critics Choice Awards (Asian Pacific Cinema & Television) 2022
Director Award – Park Chan-wook - Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association 2022
Best Foreign Language Film – ‘Decision to Leave’ - Florida Film Critics Circle 2022
Best Director – Park Chan-wook
Best Cinematography – Kim Ji-yong
Best Foreign Language Film – ‘Decision to Leave’
Best Original Screenplay – Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung - Golden Cinematography Awards 2022
Best Director – Park Chan-wook
Best Actor – Park Hae-il
Best Actress – Tang Wei - Grand Bell Awards 2022
Best Actor – Park Hae-il
Best Film – ‘Decision to Leave’
Best Screenplay – Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung - Korean Association of Film Critics Awards 2022
Best Actress – Tang Wei
Best Cinematography – Kim Ji-young
Best Director – Park Chan-wook
Best Music – Jo Yeong-wook
Best Picture – ‘Decision to Leave’
Best Screenplay – Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung
Korean Association of Film 10 selections of Kim Hyun-seung - Korean Film Producers Association Award 2022
Best Film – ‘Decision to Leave’
Best Screenplay – Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung
Best Actress – Tang Wei
Best Supporting Actress – Kim Shin-young
Best Music and light- Jo Yeong-wook, Shin Sang-yeol - LACMA Art + Film Gala 2022
Art+Film Gala – Park Chan-wook - National Board of Review 2022
Top Five Foreign Language Films – ‘Decision to Leave’ - New Mexico Critics Awards 2022
Best Supporting Actress – Tang Wei - St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association 2022
Best International Film – ‘Decision to Leave’ - Valladolid International Film Festival 2022
José Salcedo Award for Best Editing – Kim Sang-bum - Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association 2022
Best International/Foreign Language Film – ‘Decision to Leave’ - Women in Film Korea Festival 2022
Best Screenplay – Chung Seo-kyung
Interesting Facts about ‘Decision to Leave’
- In the second week of its release, ‘Decision to Leave’ beat the sail of 1 million tickets.
- As per the survey of 7 January 2023, ‘Decision to Leave’ is the tenth highest-grossing Korean film of 2022.
- The National Board of Reviews enlisted ‘Decision to Leave’ in the list of top 5 international movies of 2022.
FAQs
- Who is the director of the movie ‘Decision to Leave’?
Park Chan-wook directed the movie ‘Decision to Leave’.
- Who played the lead roles in ‘Decision to Leave’?
Tang Wei and Park Hae-il played the lead roles in the movie ‘Decision to Leave’. - What is the Instagram ID of Tang Wei?
@tangwei_mbox - When is the film ‘Decision to Leave’ released in South Korea?
‘Decision to Leave’ was released on 29 June 2022 in South Korea.
