It’s been 6 years since Park Chan-wook’s last feature-length film, “The Handmaiden,” swept critics’ groups and became an instant classic among erotic thriller fans. In that time he’s made several successful forays into TV, directing the 2018 BBC drama series “Little Drummer Girl”—a John Le Carré adaptation starring Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgård, and Florence Pugh—and producing 20 episodes of TNT’s “Snowpiercer.” He was also recently announced as the director for the upcoming A24 TV adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner “The Sympathizer” starring Robert Downey Jr. (release date TBA). But for fans of “The Handmaiden,” “Oldboy,” and “Joint Security Area” (a personal favorite of Quentin Tarantino) the wait for a new feature is finally over as his new movie, “Decision To Leave,” is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
READ MORE? Park Chan-Wook’s Cannes Title ‘Decision To Leave‘ Sells To Mubi In North America
“Decision To Leave” stars Park Hae-il (“Memories of Murder,” “The Host”) as a detective who is sent to investigate a suspected murder in which a man fell to his death from a mountain peak. But the circumstances surrounding the man’s death aren’t what they seem, nor is the dead man’s mysterious wife, played by Tang Wei (“Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” “Blackhat”), in whom the detective takes a special interest.
Park is no stranger to the Cannes limelight, having previously premiered “Oldboy” there in 2003, “Thirst” in 2009, and “The Handmaiden” in 2016.
Last week it was announced that MUBI, the popular indie streaming service, had acquired “Decision To Leave” for distribution in North America—a deal negotiated by CJ ENM, one of Korea’s biggest studios (“Parasite”), who are also premiering another film at Cannes: Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Broker.”
“Decision To Leave” will be released sometime this fall. Watch the new trailer below: