“Burning” has stunning cinematography, great lighting, a wonderful score, a mesmerizing atmosphere, fascinating characters, and three outstanding lead performances from Yoo Ah-in as the shy and introverted Lee Jong-su, Steven Yeun as the charming and charismatic Ben, and Jun Jong-seo as the mysterious Shin Hae-mi. The film is full of symbolism and metaphors and you could interpret it for hours. Still, for my taste, it is a bit too ambiguous and leaves too many unanswered questions. Furthermore, the pacing is extremely slow, and the film is clearly too long for the story it tells.

“Burning” is well-crafted, thought-provoking, and aesthetically pleasing, but it didn´t completely connect with me. After all the praise I heard, I am a bit underwhelmed, but I would still recommend it to fans of Korean cinema.