[Lee Jong-gil's Film Reading] Breaking Free from the Guilt Chain... The Turning Point of Park Chan-wook's Films

Movie 'Decision to Leave', Similar Yet Different from Previous Work 'Bakjwi'

※ This article contains many potential spoilers for the movie.

There is a commonality in director Park Chan-wook’s films. Most protagonists suffer from guilt. It is his unique way of portraying noble characters. He believes that the true humanity lies in not forgetting or burying the mistakes and wrongdoings committed in life. In a past interview, Park stated, "If asked who is noble, I would say it is the person who suffers with a sense of guilt."

In Decision to Leave, there are also characters who appear to have a potential for nobility. Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei) is set to be translating the Chinese classic Shan Hai Jing into Korean. This hints at a dreamlike journey starting from the folds of mountains and ending with the waves of the sea. The guide is the dignified and gentle detective Jang Hae-joon (Park Hae-il). He views Song Seo-rae as a potential suspect in a death case and proceeds with the investigation, but he is emotionally shaken throughout.

The process of being swept into dramatic situations against one’s will closely resembles Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) in Thirst (2009). Sang-hyun frequents his friend Kang-woo’s (Shin Ha-kyun) house and becomes passionately attracted to Kang-woo’s wife Tae-joo (Kim Ok-bin). He escapes from his helplessness and responds faithfully to his rising desires and anger. Jang Hae-joon is similar. He puts down his hypersensitive antenna-like senses and steadily exchanges emotions with Song Seo-rae.

Sang-hyun is later crushed by guilt. He senses the carnivorous energy from Tae-joo, who cannot suppress the inertia of desire. The essence is murder. Craving fresh blood, he harms people he knows. Before being a vampire, Sang-hyun is a clergyman who does not condone this. He takes only as much blood as necessary from his friend Hyo-sung’s body, who is unconscious and ill. He even rationalizes his bloodsucking by saying he drank the blood of a suicide victim. However, since he is the one who turned Tae-joo into a vampire and caused Kang-woo’s death, he tries to take responsibility somehow.

Jang Hae-joon’s decision to leave is somewhat different. While sorting out his feelings for Song Seo-rae, he also shirks his responsibilities as a police officer. After being transferred to Ipo, reminiscent of Mu-jin in the film Mist (1967), he withers away as his wife Jeong-an (Lee Jung-hyun) says. He anxiously waits for another murder case, a chance to revive. Unaware that Song Seo-rae is there. "Let’s not talk about our work like that." "Our work? What work? The fact that I lingered in front of your house every night?" "I thought of you."

The conflicts and guilt that surged when Jang Hae-joon decided to leave evaporate instantly. Even the barrier of language breakdown collapses, and he becomes deeply trapped in Song Seo-rae’s world. At that moment, Ipo transforms from everyday life into a space where one can dream. It is just obscured by mist, making it hard to recognize at a glance. Director Park said, "I wanted to capture both sides of the mist."

"The mist that blurs vision can also be subtle and atmospheric when seen from afar. I hoped the latter would gradually envelop the two protagonists. I wanted them to simultaneously face reality and their inner selves in the dim and hazy aura."

Their final destination is the sea. Another ‘collapse’ awaits. Director Park said, "Please interpret the meaning of breaking down and shattering as ‘disappearing’," adding, "I wanted to depict the state of vanishing as if they never existed in the world." He also portrayed a catastrophe at sea in Thirst. On the face of Sang-hyun, who is facing death, there was a clear expression of failing to find a reason to exist beyond guilt. Song Seo-rae and Jang Hae-joon in Decision to Leave are different. Especially the former has never revealed guilt. She simply decides to part ways with the world as her new dream collapses. Neither noble nor sublime. Only the damp and dark aura of love is mixed in the mist.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.