The depiction of the female character Hae-mi in the film attracted some criticism . Tom Augustine of '' The New Zealand Herald '' wrote " The film 's sweltering tension and commitment to its lack of easy answers is commendable , but less so is its treatment of women . The character of Hae-mi while well-performed is let down by writing that paints her as the worst kind of male-driven sexual fantasy . She only really exists to develop the male characters ' arcs and to allow the camera to artfully leer over her . " However , Adam Nayman from '' Film Society of Lincoln Center '' argued and emphasized for '' The Ringer '' that the story is " told fully from Jongsu 's point of view , " so " it 's fair to ask whether Lee Chang Dong is cultivating true audience solidarity or urging us to understand the story exclusively through the lens of his hero 's prejudices : to see Haemi and Ben as idealized and demonized figures , respectively . " Phoebe Chen of the '' Film Feminist Journal : Another Gaze '' , analyzed that Haemi 's existence had a grander purpose in the film , and wrote , " If you know '' Burning '' is adapted from a Haruki Murakami short story , however loosely , you know that Haemi will vanish . The trope of the missing woman is built into Murakami 's narrative DNA : her vanishing will preoccupy the protagonist , neurotically at first , then fade over the months and years to a dull malaise " , and " The mystery of Haemi ’s disappearance is technically ' solved ' , but becomes supplanted by one grander : the mystery of a world that tantalises with the hope of futurity while locking its millions of subjects in a cold impasse . " Alexandra Heller-Nicholas of '' Alliance of Women Film Journalists '' emphasized that the character of Hae-mi is much more than simply a missing woman as plot device but one of the most powerful parts of a film that casually yet firmly addresses the pressures on women , " While the film ’s well-executed action and unflinching , profound exploration of its deeper thematic questions circle Jong-su and Ben with increasing intensity , it is this question of Hae-mi that drives the story . This is much , much more than simply a missing woman as plot device : one of the most powerful parts of a film that can comfortably boast a range of achievements is how casually yet firmly the film addresses the pressures on women – not just Hae-mi and her colleagues , but Jong-su 's own mother – to live up to financially unsustainable images of femininity in contemporary South Korea . " '' Burning '' won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival . It became the highest-rated film in the history of Screen International ’s Cannes jury grid . '' Burning '' also won Best Foreign Language Film in Los Angeles Film Critics Association , Best Foreign Language Film in Toronto Film Critics Association and National Board of Review 's Top Five Foreign Language Film . It went on to be nominated for three Asia Pacific Screen Awards , winning the Jury Grand Prize . It was included on Roger Ebert 's Great Movies . It was nominated for eight Asian Film Awards , including Best Film , and won Best Director award
2018 Cannes Film Festival
2018 Cannes Film Festival
Burning (film)