Decision To Leave is the story of a police officer who during a murder investigation falls for one of his suspects. What happens next? Do not go by the two lines of the story which I have mentioned. There is so much more to it in this layered story and screenplay which is perhaps one of the most challenging pieces of cinema that I have witnessed recently. The screenplay standing at almost 140 minutes is on the longer side but it forms one of the most satisfying and immersive movie watching experience like no other. And I will be letting out MAJOR SPOILERS, so if you haven’t watched the film then do skip this section and move to the “Dialogues, Music & Direction” section.

One of the most unique things about the screenplay is that there is zero buildup. So the audiences are entrusted with keeping pace with the story right from frame number one without actually settling in to the film. This could so easily have backfired but it is the genius of Park Chan-Wook who shines through here.

On the go, you are given a glimpse of the mundane life of the protagonist who we get to know is an insomniac despite being the youngest investigator to rise up the ranks. We also do get to know that he is a loner despite being married and probably a further indication that he visits his wife on weekends and stays in a different city on weekdays. A possible murder investigation fuels his life once again until he meets the suspect with whom he forms an unusual bond.

In erotic films like Vertigo or Basic Instinct, we have seen a similar plotline which results in quite a few intimate scenes. But here, there is s*xual tension which is palpable between the two leads but it doesn’t result in any steamy scenes. Instead what we get is a magical spell of comfort between the two characters despite being at two separate spectrums of a murder investigation. The plot consistently keeps you guessing on whether this was a murder or a suicide and if Seo-rae(the suspect) was involved in it.

There are innumerous use of symbolisms that demands an unwavering attention from the user. This is a layered drama over another layer that the writers keep piling on. The drama is niche and requires a lot of patience to sit through its leisurely pacing. So much so that the twist in the tale is rather unassuming leading to another investigation. But the drama is essentially a love story and quite a unique one.

The depth of the two protagonists overpower the depth of any of the other characters on the film. The love story is really heartfelt and it also shows that love isn’t only about being physical but more of a spiritual bond. So over conversations, Seo-rae stimulates sleep for Park Hae-jun(the cop) in a beautifully soothing scene where their breaths are in sync with one another. Another conversation reveals that Hae-jun is terrified of blood, only for a later reference to be of Seo-rae cleaning the blood around the corpse of her second husband. Another tender moment included Seo-rae handing over an old cell phone to Hae-il so that a reinvestigation begins and things stand as they were earlier between them. All these moments are tender and beautifully integrated in the screenplay depicting their beautiful bond with beautiful cultural references(Korean and Chinese, notice the dragon shaped road at the end) which was crucial for the final act.

Another gentle spoiler before revealing the final act being that she hadn’t killed her second husband who had later discovered a voice note of Hae-jun professes his “love” for Sae-rae. So she had killed a gangster’s mother(who had lent her husband a hefty amount), only for the gangster to kill her second husband.

The beauty of the drama is always in the final reveal and here it is perhaps the most shocking final act that I have seen in a while. And if you are still with me then here is a major spoiler. The act of suicide by Seo-rae was an act of love. It was at the halfway mark where Hae-jun had told Sae-rae to throw the cell phone to the deepest end of the sea thereby implying his love for her(so that she isn’t caught and tried for the murder of her first abusive husband). And that was the moment when she says, “the time when you confess your love to someone, it ends. And that is when my love begins”, implying that she was ready to bury herself in the sea(a reference at the halfway mark) so that it is said that she has disappeared without the police questioning Hae-jun thus making it her ‘Decision To Leave’. A beautifully poignant screenplay that requires multiple viewings to discover a new layer every time.