Decision to Leave
All actors and roles (10)
Short description
A man is found dead at the foot of a mountain in South Korea, and the circumstances point to either an accident, a suicide or a crime. Detective Hae-joon takes charge of the case and questions those closest to the deceased. His attention settles on Seo-rae, the dead man's wife, whose calm manner and alibi do not quiet his doubts. He begins keeping watch over her, and the distance between investigator and suspect gradually collapses as his feelings for her grow. The film moves between the murder inquiry and the emotional pull that undermines it.
Park Chan-wook directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Chung Seo-kyung, and he also produced it with Ko Dae-seok. It followed The Handmaiden in his filmography and came before No Other Choice. Tang Wei plays Seo-rae and Park Hae-il plays Hae-joon, with Lee Jung-hyun, Go Kyung-pyo, Park Yong-woo and Kim Shin-young in supporting roles. The production involved 48 credited cast members and 54 credited crew members, and it took about 17 million dollars worldwide.
On IMDb the film holds 7.3 out of 10 from around 68,000 votes, and on TMDB it also holds 7.3 out of 10, from roughly 1,626 votes. A critics' rating of 8.3 out of 10 from 246 reviews places it noticeably higher with reviewers than with general audiences.
What's left behind the scenes
- Initially, the film had an epilogue showing Chan Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) having lost his job as a police officer and being emotionally devastated, but the director ultimately decided that the character had suffered enough, as he doesn't know what happened to his beloved.
- The character of Jang Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) was inspired by Martin Beck, the main character in the detective novel series by Per Wahlöö and Maj Sjöwall.
- The wallpaper design in So-rae's house is made to appear both blue and green, and one could see both sea waves and mountains within it.
- Tang Wei refused to memorize lines without understanding their meaning and nuances, so she intensely studied Korean with two tutors. Nevertheless, the actress found it difficult to fully rely on pronunciation and instead "refined" the emotional delivery through her facial expressions.
- Unlike his previous films, in this picture director Park Chan-wook uses smartphones and other "smart" devices as important means of communication between the characters.
- Although many critics saw references to Alfred Hitchcock's noir "Vertigo" in the film, director Park Chan-wook denies using it as a source of inspiration.
- Director Park Chan-wook came up with the film's ending (the protagonist burying himself) in the early 1990s for a short film he never made, but remembered the idea when writing the script for "Decision to Leave." Since So-rae (Tang Wei) loves the sea, the director decided she would dig a hole on the shore, and the tide would wash away all traces.
- To immerse herself in the role, Tang Wei lived and acted as So-rae would for a time. The actress also invented a backstory for her character, filling in gaps in her past.
- Director Park Chan-wook wanted to work with Chinese actress Tang Wei ever since he saw the film 'Lust, Caution'.
- Screenwriter Jung So-kyung was against casting Chinese actress Tang Wei in the lead female role, but director Park Chan-wook managed to convince her. As a result, the role of So-rae was written specifically for Tang Wei.
- Screenwriter Jeon So-yeong admitted in an interview that the film was inspired by a popular song, but she didn't base the script on its meaning, instead deciding to convey its mysterious atmosphere.
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