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Burning
Movie

Burning

2018 • Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Woke Score
6.8
out of 10

Plot

Deliveryman Jongsu is out on a job when he runs into Haemi, a girl who once lived in his neighbourhood. She asks if he'd mind looking after her cat while she's away on a trip to Africa. On her return, she introduces to Jongsu an enigmatic young man named Ben, who she met during her trip. One day Ben tells Jongsu about his most unusual hobby.

Overall Series Review

The film is a slow-burn psychological thriller centered on class resentment and existential malaise in contemporary South Korea. The narrative establishes a stark contrast between the two male protagonists and the vanished woman who links them. The story is an exploration of the widening social inequality, using the enigmatic, affluent Ben and the struggling, aspirational Jongsu to represent the "golden spoon" and "dirt spoon" classes. The film directly critiques this social structure, portraying the wealthy elite as amoral exploiters who "burn down" the vulnerable parts of society for sport and pleasure. This critique of the home culture's endemic class oppression, coupled with the protagonist's emotional and financial impotence, forms the core of the drama, which operates in a highly ambiguous, postmodern moral vacuum where objective truth is elusive. The central female character is a point of contention, embodying a search for meaning ("Great Hunger") but ultimately functioning as a mysterious object of male obsession and potential violence, which the narrative also frames as a commentary on the dismissal and objectification of women in a patriarchal, capitalist system.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics8/10

The plot centers on a strict social hierarchy based on wealth, directly mapping to the Korean terms 'geumsujeo' (golden spoon) and 'heoksujeo' (dirt spoon) to illustrate systemic oppression. The wealthy, privileged male antagonist is depicted as a casually amoral predator who exploits the lower-class protagonists for his own amusement. While race is not the axis of conflict, the film relies heavily on an intersectional lens of class/privilege to vilify the elite and justify the violence enacted against them.

Oikophobia7/10

The film frames contemporary South Korea as 'Hell Joseon,' explicitly comparing its modern social and economic inequality to the rigid, oppressive hierarchies of the historical Joseon Dynasty. The exploitation of the weak is presented as endemic and a 'natural order' within the society. This narrative constitutes a severe civilizational self-hatred by framing the home culture as fundamentally corrupt and predatory.

Feminism6/10

The narrative highlights the oppression of women within the film's class and gender structure. The male protagonist, Jongsu, is emasculated, impotent, and resentful, which the film critiques as a psychological consequence of the patriarchal-capitalist system. The female character, Haemi, is a victim of both economic struggle and potential male violence/exploitation, serving as a catalyst for the male protagonist's development, but the movie also calls attention to the misogynistic stereotypes used to dismiss her disappearance.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative and character development contain no discernible focus on centering alternative sexualities, deconstructing the nuclear family, or promoting gender ideology. The core conflict is a traditional male-female-male love triangle driven by class and jealousy.

Anti-Theism10/10

The film explicitly embraces postmodern moral relativism, stating there is 'no diegetic truth to be uncovered' and only 'different narratives' regarding the disappearance and possible murder. The wealthy antagonist, a hedonistic figure of amoral power, is shown attending church and speaking with clergy, suggesting a theme of hypocrisy or spiritual void within institutional religion. The existential 'Great Hunger' for meaning emphasizes a profound spiritual vacuum.