Decision to Leave (Korean: 헤어질 결심; Hanja: 헤어질 決心; RR: Heeojil gyeolsim; lit. "Resolution to Break Up") is a 2022 South Korean neo-noirromanticmystery film directed, co-written and produced by Park Chan-wook. The film follows married detective Jang Hae-jun (Park Hae-il), whose investigation of a man's death leads him to the man's widow, Chinese immigrant Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei). Hae-jun's investigation of Seo-rae as a suspect gradually leads him to develop feelings towards her.[3]
In April 2022, Decision to Leave was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival,[4][5] where Park Chan-wook won Best Director.[6] The film was released theatrically on 29 June 2022 in South Korea.[7]Mubi acquired the distribution rights for several territories, including North America, where it was released theatrically on 14 October 2022.[8] Its streaming premiere began in Mubi on 9 December 2022,[9] where it would later become the company's most streamed film.[10]
Insomniac detective Jang Hae-jun works in Busan and only sees his wife, Jung-an, a nuclear power plant worker residing in Ipo, once a week. Hae-jun and his partner, Soo-wan, encounter a case where a retired immigration officer, Ki Do-soo, is found dead at the foot of a mountain he often climbed. They interview his much younger wife, Song Seo-rae, an emigrant from China who works as a caretaker for seniors. They suspect her because of her insufficient displays of grief, a scratch on her hand, bruises on her legs and torso, broken ribs, and a tattoo of Ki's initials in the manner that he also marked his belongings.
Hae-jun conducts further interviews with Seo-rae and conducts nightly stakeouts outside of Seo-rae's apartment building, becoming infatuated with her in the process. Seo-rae observes him outside her building, and witnesses one of his other investigations in turn. Seo-rae's Monday client says Seo-rae was with her on the day that Ki died, and camera footage is found showing Seo-rae outside her Monday client's home shortly before Ki's time of death. Questioned about her background, Seo-rae admits that in China she killed her terminally ill mother with fentanyl pills when requested to do so. Before dying, she told Seo-rae to go to Korea to climb the mountain her Korean grandfather, an independence fighter in Manchuria, had left her. Seo-rae gives Hae-jun letters written by Ki admitting to corrupt business dealings, including a letter sent to a subordinate that Hae-jun interprets as a suicide note. Hae-jun rules that the death was a suicide despite Soo-wan's doubts and informs Seo-rae that she is no longer a suspect.
Seo-rae and Hae-jun go on a date at a Buddhist temple, visit each other's homes, and become close. At his apartment, Seo-rae burns Hae-jun's photo evidence from her husband's case, reasoning that Hae-jun's insomnia is caused by his haunting cases. One day, substituting for Seo-rae at her Monday client, Hae-jun learns that Seo-rae and the client have the same model of cell phone, and that the client has dementia and does not know the day of the week. On the client's phone, he sees that the housebound woman apparently walked up 138 flights of stairs on the day of Ki's death. Hae-jun realizes Seo-rae switched her phone for her client's and then climbed the mountain to push Ki off. Confronting Seo-rae in her apartment, he concludes that she also forged the suicide note and, to her consternation, accuses her of getting close to him to destroy his evidence. Hae-jun says Seo-rae has destroyed his pride in his job and that, since meeting her, he has become "shattered"; nevertheless, he has covered up the evidence and instructs her to throw the incriminating phone into the sea before leaving.
Thirteen months later, Hae-jun has moved to Ipo to live with Jung-an after developing depression and more severe insomnia. At a fish market with Jung-an, he encounters Seo-rae with her new husband Im Ho-Shin, a business investor. The next day, Ho-Shin is found dead in his mansion's swimming pool. Hae-jun takes on the case and is convinced Seo-rae is the culprit. She admits only to draining the pool so that Hae-jun would not be disturbed by the blood. Sa Cheol-seong, a Chinese immigrant, soon confesses to killing Ho-Shin for defrauding his late mother of millions of dollars. Sa denies that Seo-rae played any role and reveals he had installed a tracker on Seo-rae's phone so he could find where Ho-Shin lived.
Hae-jun confronts Seo-rae at the mountain her grandfather left her. She reaches Hae-jun at the edge of the mountain and hugs him. Seo-rae reveals that she kept the phone with incriminating evidence from Ki's case and proposes that he use it as a way to "reinvestigate" her. They kiss passionately. Hae-jun returns home, where Jung-an suspects him of having worked with Seo-rae to murder Ho-shin, and leaves him.
The next day, Hae-jun learns from Sa that Seo-rae visited Sa's mother in the hospital on the day that she died. He concludes that Seo-rae slipped the mother the remaining fentanyl pills she had in her possession, knowing Sa would kill Ho-Shin as soon as his mother died. Hae-jun tracks Seo-rae's phone via the tracker Sa installed and chases her to a beach. Over the phone, she tells him that Ho-Shin had discovered a phone recording where Hae-jun told Seo-rae that he loved her, and that Ho-Shin had planned to expose their illicit relationship. Hae-jun does not recall telling Seo-rae that he loved her, though she says she began loving him as he stopped loving her. At the beach, he finds her empty car and the cell phone, which contains the recording of his instructions for Seo-rae to destroy the phone with evidence from Ki's case. Further out on the shore, Seo-rae digs a pit in the sand and gets in it as the tide rises, letting it drown and bury her. Hae-jun arrives at the beach and is unable to find Seo-rae, unaware that she is buried in the sand beneath him. He searches desperately for her and cries in anguish.
The film is produced by Moho Film and is financed and distributed by CJ Entertainment. It began principal photography in October 2020.[20][21]
Release
Decision to Leave was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival to be held from 17 to 28 May 2022.[22] It screened for the first time at the Lumière Grand Theater on 23 May 2022 and was subsequently released theatrically in South Korea on 29 June 2022.[23] According to CJ E&M, the film was sold to 192 countries ahead of its premiere in competition at Cannes.[24][25]
In April 2022, streaming service Mubi acquired distribution rights to the film in North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, India, and Turkey, with a theatrical release preceding its streaming debut.[26]
Decision to Leave held its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022,[27] and its US premiere at Fantastic Fest Film Festival took place in the same month.[28] It was released theatrically in the United States and United Kingdom on 14 October 2022,[29] and was released in Australia theatrically by Madman Films on 20 October.[30]
Reception
Box office
The film was released on 29 June 2022 on 1,374 screens.[2][31] It opened at first place on Korean box office with 114,592 admissions.[32][33] On 13 July, after two weeks of release, the film surpassed one million cumulative admissions.[34]
On Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 239 reviews of the film are positive, with an average rating of 8.30/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "If Decision to Leave isn't quite on the same level as Park Chan-wook's masterpieces, this romantic thriller is still a remarkable achievement by any other metric."[35]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 44 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[36]
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter, praising the director Park Chan-wook, wrote: "A world-class artist at the top of his game...all while navigating multilayered plots that continue to deliver surprises right up until the end. It's a luxury to put yourself as a viewer in such capable hands."[37]
Peter Howell of Toronto Star rated the film four out of four, and wrote: "Every frame is like a painting, with hints to character motivation and plot twists."[38]
Rafael Motamayor of Slashfilm rated the film seven out of ten, and wrote: "This [the film] is not as surprising or innovative as director Park's earlier work, but it is still a fascinating and exquisitely directed film about desire, regret, and love."[39]
Luke Goodsell of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation called the film "a testament to Park's undimmed talent...Decision to Leave is one of his best".[30]
Wendy Ide gave it five stars out of five in The Observer, describing it as an "enthralling, serpentine crime drama" that possesses "dangerously handsome cinematography, as precise as it is playful, is full of layers and flipped mirror images.[40]
The Mountains and the Sea
Park Chan-wook has said that with Decision to Leave, he "wanted to film a Korean movie."[41] This is clear in that much of the movie is driven by imagery of either the sea or mountains, both very common elements on the Korean peninsula. The imagery is also made explicit by Seo-rae's character when she tells Hae-jun the following line from Confucius: "The wise man admires water, the kind man admires mountains." In Asian philosophy, the mountain symbolizes Confucius and upright virtuousness; meanwhile, water is the symbol of Lao Tzu and Taoism. The two elements, despite complementing each other, are also opposed to each other and unable to come together, like the symbols of Yin and Yang. However, ultimately, the sea has the ability to beat the mountains by eroding them over time. Seo-rae's character is symbolized by the sea. Despite killing three people (her mother and two husbands) she is not captured by the detective. Notably, she kills her first husband atop a mountain and her second in a swimming pool. She then ultimately takes her own life at the end in the sea. Hae-jun, meanwhile, is the previously upright character symbolized by the mountains but now shattered. The two locations, Busan and Ipo, are also referenced as a sea and mountainous town, respectively. This imagery has been analyzed and debated online, including by both Korean and Chinese participants in the Korea Deconstructed series.[42]
Accolades
Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination
^Jung Yu-jin (29 June 2022). '헤어질 결심', 반짝이는 박찬욱의 클래식 로맨스 [시네마 프리뷰] ['Decision to break up', Shining Park Chan-wook's classic romance [Cinema Preview]]. News 1 (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
^ abcdeJo, Yeon-kyung (24 May 2022). 마침내 공개된 박찬욱표 新멜로…칸 녹인 '헤어질결심' 8분 기립박수 [Park Chan-wook's new melodrama finally revealed... Khan's 'decision to break up' 8-minute standing ovation] (in Korean). JTBC. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022 – via Naver.
^Yoo, Byung-chul (30 May 2022). 정이서, 영화 '헤어질 결심'으로 스크린 복귀…박해일X고경표와 호흡 [Jeong Yi-seo returns to the screen with the movie 'Decision to break up'... Breathing with Haeil Park and Kyungpyo Go] (in Korean). Korea Economy TV. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022 – via Naver.
^ abcJeong, Hee-yeon (5 July 2022). 헤어질 결심'에 유태오 나옵니다 [Yoo Tae-oh appears in 'Decision to break up] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee, Jae-eun (8 July 2022). 헤어질 결심' '우영우' 최대훈, 임팩트 제조는 한컷으로 충분 ['Decision to break up' 'Woo Young-woo' Choi Dae-hoon, one cut is enough to make an impact] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022 – via Naver.
^Jo, Hyun-na (25 August 2022). "[WHO ARE YOU] '카터' 배우 정소리" [[WHO ARE YOU] Actor Jung So-ri of 'Carter] (in Korean). Cine21. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee Jong-gil (12 May 2022). 박찬욱 '헤어질 결심' 23일 칸에서 공개 [Park Chan-wook's 'decision to break up' was released in Cannes on the 23rd]. Asia Economy (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
^실시간 예매율 [Real-time reservation rate (box office)]. Korean Film Council (in Korean). KOBIS. 29 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^Park Seol-i (30 June 2022). '헤어질 결심', 개봉 첫날 韓 영화 박스오피스 1위 등극 [공식] ['The Decision to Break Up' topped the Korean movie box office on the first day of release [Official]]. TV Report (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
^Kim Kye-yeon (13 July 2022). '헤어질 결심' 개봉 2주만에 관객수 100만명 넘겨 ['Decision to Leave' surpassed 1 million viewers in 2 weeks of release]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
^Lee, Se-won (10 November 2022). 배우 박해일, 아시아기자협회 선정 'AJA 어워드' 수상 [Actor Park Hae-il won the 'AJA Award' by the Asian Journalists Association]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022 – via Naver.
^Oh Seung-hyun (7 April 2023). '더 글로리'·'우영우' 박 터졌네…59회 백상예술대상 후보 공개 ['The Glory' and 'Woo Young-woo' exploded... Candidates for the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards revealed] (in Korean). Xports News. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023 – via Naver.
^Park Soo-in (29 April 2023). '헤어질 결심' 대상→더 글로리' 3관왕, 이변 없는 수상[백상예술대상①] ['Decision to break up' Daesang→The Glory' 3 crowns, no surprises [Baeksang Arts Awards ①]] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2023 – via Naver.
^Yang Yu-jin (25 November 2022). '헤어질 결심', 청룡 휩쓸었다…박해일X탕웨이 주연상→작품상까지 6관왕 영예 [종합] [Decision to break up', Blue Dragon swept... Park Hae-il X Tang Wei Actor Award → Best Picture Award, 6 crowns [Comprehensive]]. My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022 – via Naver.
^43회 청룡영화상 후보 발표, 박찬욱 감독 '헤어질 결심' 13개 부문 최다 노미네이트 [Nominations announced at the 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards, Director Park Chan-wook's 'Decision to break up' received the most nominations in 13 categories]. KBS Star (in Korean). Naver. 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
^Kim, Na-ra (6 October 2022). 헤어질 결심' 박해일X탕웨이, 男女주연상→'월드 ★' 이정재, 신인 감독상 수상 [2022 부일영화상](종합) [Decision to break up' Park Hae-il X Tang Wei, Best Leading Actress → 'World ★' Lee Jung-jae, Rookie Director Award [2022 Buil Film Awards] (Comprehensive)]. My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022 – via Naver.
^Nam, Yoo-jung (28 August 2022). 헤어질 결심 브로커 둘 다 8개 부문 후보 올라 [Decision to break up and Broker both nominated for 8 categories] (in Korean). Busan Ilbo. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee Jung-min (29 November 2022). 제23회 부산영화평론가협회상 대상에 '당신얼굴 앞에서 ['In front of your face' at the 23rd Busan Film Critics Association Awards] (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim, Jeong-jin (30 September 2022). '헤어질 결심', 춘사국제영화제서 감독상 등 3관 ['Decision to Leave' wins 3 awards including Best Director at Chunsa International Film Festival] (in Korean). k-odyssey. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
^Lee, Ji-yul (26 August 2022). 제27회 춘사국제영화제 각 부문별 후보자 공개 [The 27th Chunsa International Film Festival nominees for each category revealed] (in Korean). Beyond Post. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
^Yoon, Ki-baek (1 October 2022). 박은빈·박찬욱·황동혁, 美 비평가협회 주관행사서 나란히 수상 [Park Eun-bin, Park Chan-wook, and Hwang Dong-hyeok were awarded side by side at an event hosted by the American Critics Association] (in Korean). E-Daily. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Ki-baek (24 February 2023). 박찬욱 '헤어질 결심', 디렉터스컷 어워즈 5관왕 [Park Chan-wook's 'Decision to Break Up' wins 5 Director's Cut Awards] (in Korean). E-daily. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023 – via Naver.
^Kim, Bo-young (9 February 2023). 제21회 '디렉터스컷 어워즈', 3년 만에 오프라인 개최 [공식] [The 21st 'Director's Cut Awards' held offline for the first time in 3 years [Official]] (in Korean). E-Daily. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023 – via Naver.
^제42회 황금촬영상영화제 시상식 성료...'헤어질 결심' 3관왕 [The 42nd Golden Cinematographer Awards Ceremony Successfully Completed... 'Decision to Break Up' Won 3 Crowns]. Interview365. 20 December 2022. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee, Mi-ji (9 December 2022). [제58회대종상]'헤어질 결심' 작품상 포함 3관왕..박해일·염정아 남녀주연상(종합) [[58th Grand Bell Awards] 'Decision to Break Up' 3 awards including best picture... Park Hae-il · Yeom Jeong-a Best Male and Female Leading Actor (overall)]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2022 – via Naver.
^Park, Jae-hwan (12 October 2022). 제 58회 대종상 영화제 내달 9일 개최... '헌트' 12개, '헤어질 결심' – '한산' 11개 부분 노미네이트 [The 58th Daejong Film Festival to be held on the 9th of next month... 12 nominations for 'Hunt', 'Decision to break up' – 11 parts for 'Hansan] (in Korean). KBS Media. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via Naver.
^Park, Mi-ae (24 October 2022). 헤어질 결심', 영평상 최우수작품상 선정…공로상 안성기 ['Decision to break up' selected for Best Picture at the Youngpyeong Awards... Achievement Award Ahn Sung-ki] (in Korean). E-Daily. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim Kyung-hee (5 December 2022). 한국영화제작가협회상, 마동석-탕웨이 주연상, 이정재 감독상 수상 [Korean Film Producers Association Award, Ma Dong-seok-Tang Wei Best Actor Award, Lee Jung-jae Best Director Award]. iMBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022 – via Naver.
^Han, Hyun-jung (6 November 2022). 헤어질 결심' 박찬욱, LA미술관 아트·필름 갈라 수상 [Chanwook Park, 'Decision to break up' wins Art and Film Gala at Los Angeles Museum of Art]. Maeil Star Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022 – via Naver.
^Yoo Eun-bi (12 December 2022). 문근영·이정은·하윤경, 여성영화인상 수상→공로상은 故 강수연 [Moon Geun-young, Lee Jeong-eun, and Ha Yoon-kyung receive the Female Film Award → The late Kang Su-yeon received the Achievement Award]. SpoTV News (in Korean). Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022 – via Naver.
^Staff, Polygon; Robinson, Tasha; Volk, Pete (2 March 2022). "The best movies of 2022". Polygon. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
^Ehrlich, David; Erbland, Kate; Kohn, Eric (1 December 2022). "The 25 Best Movies of 2022". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
