Burning

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1:44

Burning

2018

2h 28m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

196 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Jong-soo runs into Hae-mi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood, and she asks him to watch her cat while she's out of town. When she returns, she introduces him to Ben, a man she met on the trip. Ben proceeds to tell Jong-soo about his hobby.

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Critics Consensus

Burning patiently lures audiences into a slow-burning character study that ultimately rewards the viewer's patience -- and subverts many of their expectations.

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David Stratton

The Australian

Apr 25, 2019

4.5/5

Burning...refers to the resentment and the anger felt by the young and struggling towards the rich and overbearing. Revelations like these hover just beneath the surface of this beautifully directed mystery.

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Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

Apr 21, 2019

4.5/5

Lee hypnotises with his story of a love triangle, crafting a movie that could be described as visual poetry.

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

Apr 19, 2019

4/5

This is the kind of film that all but demands a second viewing in order to appreciate the complex elegance of the design, assembled from details systematically calculated to lend themselves to more than one interpretation.

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Bianca Garner

Filmotomy

Oct 10, 2024

Burning still holds up to multiple viewings, because it’s not really about one particular mystery regarding a missing young woman. The film is dealing with a much bigger mystery…what is our purpose in life?

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

Jul 14, 2024

4/5

But no matter which way you choose to interpret the film, we’re left with a hauntingly engrossing experience that’s going to gnaw away at my psyche for weeks to come.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 4, 2022

4/4

Perfectly calibrated as a piece dependent on nuanced performances and an exacting tone, Burning rewards those willing to invest and engage in all that Lee refuses to spell-out or show to his audience.

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Brian T

@RT94656683 Oct 16, 2026

Return of Poetic Korean Film Master.

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El N

@movievibes972 Sep 14, 2025

Save yourself from this agony. This movie is slow. And pretty bad. But hidden in pretentious metaphors and nonsense scenes. The story is simple. A man meets a childhood friend. She recognizes him. Seduces him. Has sex with him and leaves for a trip. When she comes back she comes with a wealthy man. He obsesses with this man until she disappears. He starts to trail the man until he eventually confronts him and invites him in. Then he invites the wealthy man and brutally murders him. Burns the car and burns his clothes. The story is slow, pointless and offers no payoff. The pacing is horrible! Hard pass.

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Madam D

@Madam1948 Sep 10, 2025

This film was delightful as I couldn't tell what might happen next. Many plots are too obvious. Steven Yeun drew me to the movie, good acting & a well written plot kept me watching, despite the length & subtitles.

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Kyle C

@kylekc Jul 28, 2025

A slow burn (ha!) that really takes its time to get going. I found it rewarding, though some might lose interest. What begins as a straightforward drama/romance gradually veers into darker, mystery-thriller territory, keeping you guessing the whole way. Steven Yeun is a standout, somehow managing to be both disgustingly likeable and subtly creepy. While an epilogue could have added some much-needed resolution, Burning remains a well-made, engaging film—even if it tests your patience.

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Patrick G.

@wastrre Jul 22, 2025

8.2/10 Good movie and very interesting character dynamics. Only problem was that it seemed like an attempt to stray from cliche portrayals, which it did a good job of, aside from the portrayal of the antagonist.

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Dani G

@RT81139271 Jul 7, 2025

Honestly, the first time I saw it I didn't find this that cool or interesting. The second time (and until somebody told me something I was missing), that was when I said "whoooa, now that's intriguing"

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Lee Chang-dong

Director

Yoo Ah-in

Jong-soo

Steven Yeun

Ben

Jeon Jong-seo

Hae-mi

Kim Soo-kyung

Yeon-ju

Choi Seung-Ho

Yong-seok

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Synopsis

Jong-soo runs into Hae-mi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood, and she asks him to watch her cat while she's out of town. When she returns, she introduces him to Ben, a man she met on the trip. Ben proceeds to tell Jong-soo about his hobby.

Director: Lee Chang-dong
Producer: Lee Chang-dong, Lee Joon-dong, Ok Gwang-hui
Screenwriter: Oh Jungmi, Lee Chang-dong
Distributor: Well Go USA
Production Co: NHK, Pine House Film, NOW Films
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 29, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $715.0K
Runtime: 2h 28m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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