Decision To Leave is a new haunting romantic thriller from acclaimed director Park Chan-Wook

If you’re the kind of moviegoer who loves a dark romantic thriller then then decision to go should be 100% on your must-see list this year.

decision to go is the latest work from acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook – perhaps best known for his stunning performance old boy (2003) and the more recent erotic thriller The maid (2016), the last film he directed before this one.

Park’s latest film stars Tang Wei and Park Hae-il and explores the unraveling of a police officer who slowly falls in love with his suspect while investigating her possible involvement in her husband’s death.

And by the way, decision to go was released in South Korea this summer and is currently that country’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming 95th Academy Awards. So, you know, that already has a lot of ~prestige~ talk going around.

Well, if the story of a detective who falls in love with his suspect sounds familiar, that’s because it’s quite a popular trope in movies. Whether it is an erotic thriller primal instinct and Jagged edge or classic noir movies like dizziness and The Maltese Falcon, a cop who falls in love with a femme fatale is a story we’ve seen many times before. And Park’s latest film follows in those famous footsteps.

decision to go tells the story of Hae-joon (Park Hae-il), a detective at the highest level who is so engrossed in his work that he maintains an apartment in the city and only goes home to his wife on weekends. Hell, he even keeps a vision board with all the unsolved cases he’s had in his apartment over the years.

The mystery begins when Hae-joon and his young but eager partner begin to investigate the death of a man who fell from a mountaintop.

At first glance, most people would probably dismiss the incident as an accident (after all, he had apparently climbed the very steep mountain).

However, when Hae-joon meets the dead man’s wife, Seo-rae (Tang), he begins to suspect her. She does strange things like laugh while being interrogated…

…but he’s also starting to be attracted to her. In fact, one could easily conclude that he hopes to impress her by treating her to an expensive sushi lunch during the interrogation. 👀 👀 👀

What unfolds is a slow-burning mystery and romance designed to make the audience wonder alongside Hae-joon if Seo-rae was involved in her husband’s death or if she is an innocent victim herself.

Kim Ji-yong’s beautiful cinematography adds to the film’s noir flavor. It is beautifully shot and underscores the intricate, dark nature of the hapless lovers’ journey.

Well, if you’re familiar with Park’s more ~shocking~ works like the one above old boy and The maidbe ready to find out decision to go doesn’t quite pack the same OMG punch as its previous titles.

While it’s still a compelling story, for a story that’s semi-mysterious, there’s never really a sense of much mystery. Similar to im primal instinct (except without all the sex) it seems pretty obvious throughout the story that our femme fatale is just that… and that our heroine is easily blinded and ruined by love.

By the end of the film you won’t be wondering what the truth is. Both the main puzzle and one that develops later are pretty easy to solve. Instead, you are left with a haunting image and ending. And maybe that’s even better…if you’re into tragic romance.

Despite a touch of noir, comedy and murder, decision to go is essentially a love story. It’s an exploration of just how tragic it can be, and Park’s portrayal of what loss can do to a person is a truly fascinating ride. It’s a slow but subtle, elegant and rewarding watch.