Decision to Leave
Decision to Leave (Korean: 헤어질 결심; RR: Heojil kyolsim) is a 2022 South Korean neo-noir romantic thriller film written, produced, and directed by Park Chan-wook.[1] The film stars Park Hae-il as Detective Jang Hae-joon and Tang Wei as Song Seo-rae, the enigmatic widow of a man who falls to his death from a mountain peak.[2] As Hae-joon investigates whether the death was suicide or murder, he becomes increasingly obsessed with Seo-rae, complicating his own marriage and professional duties.[3] The film premiered in competition at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 23, where it won the Best Director Award for Park Chan-wook.[3] It was theatrically released in South Korea on June 29, 2022, by CJ Entertainment, and later distributed internationally by MUBI in select territories, including a limited U.S. release on October 14, 2022.[1] Selected as South Korea's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, it received widespread critical acclaim for its intricate plotting, visual style, and performances, earning a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 246 reviews.[4] The film also garnered multiple nominations and wins at prestigious awards, including six at the 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards, such as Best Picture.[5]Synopsis and cast
Plot
Detective Jang Hae-joon, a meticulous investigator plagued by insomnia that he alleviates by playing Go on his phone, is assigned to probe the suspicious death of Ki Do-soo, a scuba diving instructor who plummeted from a cliffside in Taejongdae Park, Busan, suffering a fatal head injury.[6] The apparent accident raises doubts due to the victim's familiarity with the terrain and the presence of his smartwatch, which stopped at the moment of impact, suggesting possible foul play.[7] Hae-joon's partner, Detective Kang Soo-wan, immediately suspects the victim's widow, Song Seo-rae, a multilingual Chinese immigrant fluent in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, who communicates via sign language with her deaf stepdaughter and displays an unnervingly calm demeanor during interrogation.[8] Seo-rae, working as a caregiver, provides an alibi but her ambiguous responses and lack of overt grief fuel the investigation, prompting Hae-joon to surveil her covertly from his car, where he becomes increasingly captivated by her routines and enigmatic allure.[9] As the probe deepens, Hae-joon's professional detachment erodes into obsession; he inserts himself into Seo-rae's life under the guise of routine checks, sharing meals and intimate conversations that reveal her strained marriage to the abusive Do-soo, marked by his tattoo of her initials on his chest as a possessive claim.[10] Their interactions evolve into a passionate, illicit affair, with Hae-joon forgoing logic in favor of desire, even as forensic evidence—like scratches on Do-soo's body and Seo-rae's contradictory statements—hints at her potential complicity in pushing him off the cliff to escape his control.[6] Despite closing the case as a suicide, Hae-joon's clouded judgment leads to errors in an unrelated gangland murder probe, resulting in his demotion and forced relocation from Busan to the coastal town of Ipo, where he reunites more frequently with his estranged wife, who prefers the stability of mountain hikes—a metaphor Hae-joon later associates with their grounded but passionless life.[7] The narrative shifts to a dual-timeline structure, flashing forward three years to Ipo, where Hae-joon, now leading a quieter existence, investigates the murder of Lim Ho-shin, a wealthy businessman found dead with his body floating in a pool, a case that unexpectedly reconnects him with Seo-rae, who has remarried the victim and emerges as a prime suspect due to her connections to him.[8] Confronting her again reignites their unresolved longing, with Seo-rae confessing fragments of her motives—revealing she orchestrated Do-soo's death by luring him to the cliff and striking him, driven by years of entrapment—while Hae-joon grapples with his lingering insomnia and the pull between duty and desire.[11] In the climax, Seo-rae confesses her role in past events via a hidden voice message and buries herself alive in the wet sand on the beach as the tide rises, staging her own disappearance to remain an eternal unsolved case. Hae-joon arrives too late, searching desperately along the shore but finding only her abandoned car, left haunted by the ambiguity of her fate and their doomed romance, echoing the irreconcilable metaphors of sea and mountains.[6][12]Cast
The principal cast of Decision to Leave is led by Park Hae-il, who portrays Detective Jang Hae-joon, a meticulous and insomniac investigator grappling with sleepless nights amid his professional duties.[13] Tang Wei stars as Song Seo-rae, the enigmatic widow whose composed demeanor draws scrutiny during the investigation.[4] Lee Jung-hyun plays Jeong-ahn, Hae-joon's supportive wife, a shift worker at a nuclear power plant whose long-distance marriage adds layers to their relationship.[6] Supporting the leads are Go Kyung-pyo as Soo-wan, Hae-joon's quick-witted and loyal colleague on the police force, and Park Yong-woo as Lim Ho-shin, a wealthy businessman murdered in the second case.[13] Seo Hyun-woo appears as Sa Cheol-seong, a volatile local gangster nicknamed "Slappy" for his penchant for violence.[14] Yoo Seung-mok portrays Ki Do-soo, the scuba diving instructor whose death initiates the central investigation.[13] Director Park Chan-wook cast Tang Wei after harboring a long-standing desire to work with the Chinese actress, drawn to her international presence and her proficiency in performing scenes in both Mandarin and Korean to authentically represent her character's immigrant background.[15] Decision to Leave marks the first on-screen collaboration between Park Chan-wook and Park Hae-il, despite the two having first met two decades earlier, with the director tailoring the detective role to leverage the actor's nuanced emotional range from prior films.[16]Production
Development
"Decision to Leave" was developed as an original screenplay co-written by director Park Chan-wook and his frequent collaborator Jeong Seo-kyung, marking their fourth joint project following "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" (2006), "Thirst" (2009), and "The Handmaiden" (2016).[17] The script originated from Park's desire to craft a classical detective story infused with romantic elements, deconstructing traditional film noir archetypes such as the hard-boiled detective and the femme fatale.[18] The narrative explores moral ambiguity and the blurred lines between love and suspicion.[19] The project was formally announced in October 2020, with Park intending to commence principal photography later that month after a four-year hiatus from directing features since "The Handmaiden."[17] This film represented Park's continued evolution in examining obsession, shifting from the hate-fueled intensity of earlier works like "Oldboy" (2003) to a more melancholic, love-driven variant complicated by ethical dilemmas.[18] Pre-production emphasized meticulous planning, including storyboards and dialogue refinements to heighten tension through subtlety, aligning with Park's vision of "pure cinema" via restrained visual and narrative techniques.[19] Financing came primarily from CJ ENM as the key backer and domestic distributor, alongside Moho Film as the production company, with a budget of approximately ₩13.5 billion (US$10 million).[17][14] Key conceptual decisions included setting the story across dual locations—Busan for the initial investigation and the fictional coastal town of Ipo to mirror the protagonist's shifting emotional landscape—and incorporating multilingual dialogue for the character Seo-rae, reflecting her immigrant background and adding layers to her enigmatic persona.[14] These choices aligned with the film's noir framework.[18]Filming
Principal photography for Decision to Leave commenced on October 19, 2020, and spanned 76 days, concluding on March 12, 2021.[20] The production was primarily shot on location across South Korea to capture the film's dual settings of the coastal city of Busan and the fictional coastal town of Ipo. Coastal scenes, including urban and beach sequences, were filmed in Busan, with additional beach work at Hakampo Beach in Chungcheongnam-do and Bunam Beach in Gangwon-do. Mountainous interiors and climbing sequences for Ipo were captured at sites such as Geumjeongsan Mountain in Busan and Songgwangsa Temple in Jeollanam-do, supplemented by visual effects for atmospheric elements like mist.[20][21][22] The film was shot digitally on the ARRI Alexa Mini using Cooke Anamorphic lenses to evoke a classic noir aesthetic through a filmic look, emphasizing deep depths of field and restrained camera movements that mirrored the characters' emotional restraint. Innovative techniques included handheld point-of-view shots, a body cam for the chase sequence, and subjective POVs from inanimate objects like monitors or a deceased body to heighten immersion. Limited shallow focus was employed sparingly—fewer than ten instances—to avoid romantic clichés, with rotating and circling camera work integrated into intimate scenes for dynamic tension.[21][23][24] Production faced significant challenges from weather-dependent sequences, particularly the cliff climbing and death scenes on Geumjeongsan Mountain, where variable conditions required flexible scheduling. The finale's beach confrontation demanded precise alignment of high tide, mist, and sunset, offering only two 10-minute shooting windows every three months, complicated by crane setup logistics on the sand.[21][22][20] Cinematographer Kim Ji-yong collaborated extensively with director Park Chan-wook during a three-month pre-production phase, including detailed shot-by-shot storyboarding, and continued into post-production for color grading with colorist Jin Young Park. This partnership focused on using subtle color shifts and contrast to delineate timelines and settings, employing cooler tones for Busan's urban vibrancy and warmer, diffused hues for Ipo's misty interiors to enhance narrative layering.[21][23][22]Release
Premiere
The world premiere of Decision to Leave took place at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 23, in the Competition section, where it received an eight-minute standing ovation from the audience.[25] The screening was followed by a director Q&A session with Park Chan-wook, who discussed the film's intricate blend of mystery and romance.[26] Following its Cannes premiere, the film was released theatrically in South Korea on June 29, 2022. It had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022, its New York premiere at the New York Film Festival in October 2022, and was screened at the Busan International Film Festival in October 2022, marking a significant homecoming event for the production.[27][28][29] Promotional events emphasized the film's romantic noir elements, with cast members including Tang Wei and Park Hae-il making appearances alongside director Park Chan-wook to highlight the story's themes of obsession and deception.[30] These engagements helped build anticipation ahead of wider distribution.Distribution
In South Korea, Decision to Leave had its theatrical debut on June 29, 2022, distributed by CJ Entertainment.[31] The film was selected as South Korea's official entry for the Best International Feature category at the 95th Academy Awards.[32] Internationally, MUBI acquired distribution rights for North America and the United Kingdom, releasing the film theatrically and on its streaming platform starting in October 2022.[33] CJ ENM handled sales and distribution across Asia, while various deals facilitated limited theatrical releases in Europe, including through Bac Films in France following its festival circuit exposure.[34] For home media, the film received a Blu-ray and DVD release in the United States on January 10, 2023, followed by a 4K UHD edition on September 4, 2023, both distributed by MUBI.[35] By 2024, it became available for streaming on platforms including Netflix in select regions, with its initial streaming premiere on MUBI occurring on December 9, 2022; no significant distribution updates have emerged as of November 2025.[36][35]Reception
Box office
Decision to Leave earned $13,541,137 at the South Korean box office, attracting 1,909,938 admissions as of November 17, 2025, following its initial release on June 29, 2022, and a re-release in 2025.[37] This performance placed it as the ninth highest-grossing Korean film of 2022 domestically.[37] Internationally, the film grossed $19,531,055 across various markets, contributing to a worldwide total of $21,710,919.[38] It performed strongly in North America, where it earned $2,179,864 following its October 14, 2022, theatrical release.[38] In France, released simultaneously with South Korea on June 29, 2022, it accumulated $2,075,613 and 303,187 admissions.[39][40] The film's earnings occurred amid South Korea's post-COVID box office recovery, with total national admissions reaching 109.6 million in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels, while facing competition from Hollywood blockbusters such as Top Gun: Maverick.[37] Relative to director Park Chan-wook's prior works, Decision to Leave's worldwide gross was lower than The Handmaiden's $38 million in 2016, reflecting the evolving market dynamics.[38][41]Critical response
Decision to Leave received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, earning a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 246 reviews, with critics praising its intricate storytelling and stylistic flair.[4] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 85 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim" from 52 critics.[42] Reviewers frequently lauded director Park Chan-wook's masterful direction, Tang Wei's captivating performance as the enigmatic widow Seo-rae, and the film's stunning visual style, which blends meticulous cinematography with innovative editing techniques.[7][6] Critics highlighted the film's innovative fusion of neo-noir elements with romantic tension, subverting traditional detective tropes through a lens of obsessive desire and moral ambiguity. The narrative's playful misdirection and emotional depth drew comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, with reviewers noting its exploration of infatuation as a form of psychological unraveling.[43][44] Similarly, the understated romance between the leads evoked Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love, capturing a simmering, unfulfilled longing amid cultural and professional barriers.[45] These elements contributed to a consensus that the film represented a triumphant return for Park, blending genre conventions with profound thematic insight.[9] Despite the praise, some critics pointed to flaws in the film's pacing, particularly in the second half, where deliberate repetition of motifs occasionally felt stifling and protracted.[46] A minority found certain plot twists predictable within the noir framework, diminishing the surprise for genre-savvy viewers.[6] Additionally, Western audiences and reviewers noted that subtle cultural nuances, such as linguistic formalities and Korean-Chinese relational dynamics, were sometimes lost in translation, affecting the full emotional resonance.[47] Central to critical interpretations was the film's recurring metaphor of "the mountains and the sea," symbolizing the irreconcilable desires and worlds separating the protagonists—the detective rooted in the steadfast mountains and the widow drawn to the fluid sea. Reviewers saw this imagery as a poignant emblem of their doomed romance, underscoring themes of isolation and unattainable connection that permeate Park's oeuvre.[48][49]Accolades
At the 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards held in November 2022, Decision to Leave won six awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Park Chan-wook, Best Actor for Park Hae-il, Best Actress for Tang Wei, Best Screenplay for Park Chan-wook and Jeong Seo-kyeong, and Best Music for Jo Yeong-wook.[50][51] The film also earned recognition at the 58th Grand Bell Awards in December 2022, securing Best Film, Best Actor for Park Hae-il, and Best Screenplay for Park Chan-wook and Jeong Seo-kyeong, while receiving nominations for Best Director and Best Actress.[52] On the international stage, Decision to Leave competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where Park Chan-wook won the Best Director award.[53] At the 16th Asian Film Awards in March 2023, the film won Best Actress for Tang Wei and Best Screenplay for Park Chan-wook and Jeong Seo-kyeong, with additional nominations for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor.[54][5] Decision to Leave represented South Korea in the Best International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards, advancing to the shortlist of 15 films in December 2022 but not securing a final nomination.[55] The film also received nominations for Best Director (Park Chan-wook) and Best Film Not in the English Language at the 76th British Academy Film Awards in 2023.End-of-year lists
Decision to Leave topped numerous end-of-year lists for 2022, reflecting its critical acclaim as a standout neo-noir romance. Sight & Sound ranked it number three in their poll of the 50 best films of the year, praising its innovative blend of genre elements and visual storytelling. IndieWire placed it fifth on their list of the 25 best movies of 2022, highlighting director Park Chan-wook's masterful direction and the film's seductive narrative twists. It also earned top-10 spots from prominent critics and outlets, including number nine on The Guardian's best movies of 2022 in the US, where it was lauded for its playful and slinky take on noir conventions,[56] a position in Manohla Dargis's New York Times best movies of 2022, and inclusion in Cahiers du Cinéma's top 10 films of 2022. Internationally, the film performed strongly in aggregated and regional polls. It secured fourteenth place in BBC Culture's list of the 20 best films of 2022, based on selections by critics worldwide, underscoring its global appeal as a romantic mystery thriller. In Asian cinema-focused rankings, it ranked second on a list of the 10 best Asian films of 2022 compiled by Southeast Asian media outlet Seasia.co, emphasizing its stylistic prowess among regional productions.[57] Screen Daily editors included it in their top five films of 2022, noting its seductive neo-noir qualities and Park's directorial finesse. In subsequent retrospectives, Decision to Leave continued to garner recognition without significant shifts in its esteemed status. It featured prominently in Collider's 2024 ranking of the 15 best psychological thrillers of the last five years, topping the list for its thrilling romantic procedural elements.[58] No major new end-of-year placements emerged in 2023, 2024, or 2025 lists, maintaining its position as a high-impact 2022 release in ongoing critical discourse.| Publication | Ranking | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sight & Sound | #3 | 2022 | Top of 50 best films poll. |
| IndieWire | #5 | 2022 | In 25 best movies. |
| The Guardian | #9 | 2022 | Best movies in the US.[56] |
| The New York Times (Manohla Dargis) | Top 10 | 2022 | Best movies selection. |
| Cahiers du Cinéma | Top 10 | 2022 | Annual top films. |
| BBC Culture | #14 | 2022 | List of 20 best films. |
| Seasia.co | #2 | 2022 | Best Asian films.[57] |
| Screen Daily | Top 5 | 2022 | Editors' selection. |
| Collider | #1 | 2024 | Best psychological thrillers (2019-2023).[58] |