If there is one film from Cannes 2022 that I am very much looking forward to rewatching, it’s Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave.” (being released this Friday in L.A. And NYC).
Park’s film was screened on a Wednesday night at Cannes. It was the ninth day of the festival, attendees were tired and there were people sleeping all around me. It recently screened at TIFF and NYFF in September.
The film is a convoluted detective noir that probably benefits from multiple viewings. Park uses bizarre zoom ins, POV shots, and character's recreating crimes in their mind and being shown in the action (even though they weren’t part of it).
The amount of critics who fell asleep or left during the Park screening is ridiculously high. At some point, I’d say 90% of the people around me were sleeping, and someone I know saw an artisticdirector from a big festival leaving way before the ending, out of boredom they told him afterwards.
The trades got to see it in the morning that day, well-rested, whereas we second-tier peasants had to contend with the 9pm screening. I also noticed a vast difference of critical opinion between the English and non-English press. The former loved it, the latter not as much.
An 85 on Metacritic and 92% on Rotten Tomatoes is utterly baffling acclaim, Ditto the film finishing second on IndieWire’s Cannes critics poll. I’m willing to give it another shot, but, at first glance, the film was way too long and tedious.
An actual review will be published after tonight’s rewatch.
Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.