While Park Chan-wook’s masterful cinematic trickery has a great deal to do with the in-camera feats he pulls off, the director also weaves in visual effects quite seamlessly. Thanks to a new VFX breakdown (courtesy of 4th Creative Party) for his new romantic mystery thriller Decision to Leave, we can get an inside look at the process.
The four-minute reel showcases how a number of locations and setpieces integrate visual effects, from the stunts on the mountaintop peak to creating a specific mood on the beach of the climactic finale. In between we can see a handful of inventive, VFX-supported camera set-ups, notably during the interrogation sequences.
Luke Hicks said in his Cannes Film Festival review, “Decision to Leave isn’t the kind of movie that benefits from too much plot description. Not for fear of spoilers. If anything it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, giving plotless meandering mood films a run for their money in a new genre. It’s a movie that keeps you guessing until you realize you’ve over-guessed. It could make a frustrating experience for some, but take a thematic cue from the dense ocean mist that characterizes Ipo and the futility of guessing sinks in: answers are as plain as they seem.”
Watch the visual effects breakdown below (via Art of FX), along with an NYFF60 Q&A, and read our interview with Park here.
Decision to Leave is now in theaters and expands this Friday.