If Lee Chang-Dong has already accustomed us to a rather singular approach to subjects of extreme delicacy, this time, he surprises us again with a thriller whose vagueness and ambiguity could give birth to a new genre. The mystery seems to blossom in a contemplative atmosphere, feeding us with a multitude of seemingly innocuous details.
History (Nautiljon)
During a delivery, Jong Su, a young courier, stumbles upon Hae Mi, a young girl who previously lived in his neighborhood. She asks him to take care of her cat during a trip to Africa. Upon her return, Hae Mi introduces her to Ben, a mysterious boy she met there. One day, Ben reveals a strange hobby to them…
Technical fact sheet
Director : Lee Chang-dong Screenplay: Lee Chang-dong, Oh Jung-mi Country of origin South Korea Genre: Drama thriller Duration: 148 minutes Release: 2018 Starring : Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo
Impressions
Burning cloistered us, slowly, in a confined space despite the external views, despite a visual acuity that overflows the screen. The heavy atmosphere is accentuated as a harbinger of a coming catastrophe and these same harmless details become threatening, like a tiger ready to pounce. In paradox, the character of Ben (Steven Yeun), disturbing and charismatic (and the only one who seems to be happy to live), takes his marks at the same rate as the plot. But, which brands are they? Wouldn't it rather be the spectator who enjoys the freedom to give him a role? Questions and doubts multiply in this space where we have been invited without our knowledge. Is there a cat? (This can only remind us that there is always a cat in Japanese stories and that Murakami is behind it) Has Haemi (Jun Jong-Seo) really gone to Africa? Why did Jong-so's father hit an official and what does this event have to do with history? Is aggression hereditary? And above all and above all, why does this Ben from nowhere hit the encrust? 
From the precise moment Ben appears, the scenario forks for good. Several paths present themselves before us and through the eyes of Jong-so (Yoo ah-in) we juggle through a whole bunch of possibilities. Is this reality or have we been taken along by his demons? Are we looking at reality through his eyes as a subjective camera or are we being fooled? It's as if he's telling us a story and we can only trust his point of view. A laconic character, he will claim, on several occasions, his status as a writer concretizing a contrario to himself, this atmosphere of a youth that has completely lost its bearings. We witness his awakening, his rage, his obsession. But, is he right? 
An element as crucial as unexpected is added: greenhouses. Those lonely plastic greenhouses that no one cares about and that no longer serve any purpose. We can only make the amalgam between these talons and Haemi, butterfly with broken wings, fallen angel straight out of a Wong Kar Wai film. Under the watchful eye of the Korean flag, she dances her sadness and despair in a twilight to which only Miles Davis' trumpet can add her ultimate magic. Because this scene of this naked and fragile woman is one of the most beautiful and magical scenes we have ever seen. We salute the performance of the actors. We salute this masterstroke of the director who, with brushstrokes, shows us this gigantic painting, inviting us to any kind of interpretation. 
