Decision to Leave (2022)

by Mark Murton

Original Title: Heojil kyolshim

Directed by: Park Chan-wook

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Investigating the death of a man who fell from a mountain, Korean Detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) starts to suspect the dead man’s wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei), which plunges him into a spiral of deceit and desire.

Kitty Cameo: As Hae-joon stakes out Seo-rae’s apartment she is seen taking a bag of cat food from the boot of her car and pouring some into a nearby bowl for the as yet unseen cat.

Decision to Leave - cat food in car

The next night Hae-joon finds a dead crow by the cat’s dish and when Seo-rae returns home she buries it nearby at which point the inquisitive tuxedo cat arrives to see what she is doing.

Decision to Leave - Seo-rae Tang Wei in yard with tuxedo cat

Seo-rae strokes the cat while talking in her native Chinese as the watching Hae-joon records her words so he can later use an audio app to translate them. “Another crow? To thank me for feeding you? No need for that. If you must give me a present bring me the head of that kind detective, that’s what I want.” When quizzed about it later, Seo-rae says she actually said “bring me the heart of that kind detective.”

Decision to Leave - tuxedo cat being petted
Decision to Leave - tuxedo cat being petted
Decision to Leave - Seo-rae Tang Wei in yard petting tuxedo cat animated gif

Final Mewsings: Cats bring you what they want; they don’t take requests.

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