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The Catholic Leader, April 21, 2019

www.catholicleader.com.au

Entertainment

Compelling read using theological, biblical and scientific insights

Film

A mesmerising slow-burn film

Thriller:

Ah-in Yoo, Jong-Seo Jun and Steven Yeun star in Burning.

find out who he is and what he wants with Hae-mi

the more mysterious, murky and intriguing things

get.

Settling back where he grew up in Paju, Jong-

Su can’t help put his whole life on pause, despite

his father being tried for assaulting another

farmer, to try and discover what the deal is with

Ben and Hae-Mi’s slow elusiveness.

The film is epitomised by the “great hunger”

in life, a term brought by Hae-mi in her descrip-

tion of the Kalahari’s people dance which begins

with the “little hunger”– a simple hunger for the

material things – to the “great hunger” which is a

search for meaning.

The same great hunger that Jong-Su begins to

experience in his search is reflected by the hunger

for answers that Chang dong-Lee creates for the

audience as the main characters’ motives are for

the most part concealed and alluring throughout

the entire film.

Chang dong-Lee gives the viewers long periods

of stasis where he allows us to make what we will

from the previous scene and the slow unfolding of

undecisive clues.

Steve Yeun gives a collected, ethereal and

unnerving performance as Ben; his facial expres-

sions (mostly tight smiles and empty gazes) and

body language are difficult to decipher.

What’s his purpose?

Is he is just a playboy having a bit of fun? Is he

is a calculating psychopath or just a pyromaniac

who wants friends?

An-in Yoo is nearly impressive in his rendition

of a poised and apprehensive man with an open-

mouthed stare as his character also holds a few

surprises by the time the end credits roll.

The onscreen performances and compelling

narrative are only enhanced by superior cinema-

tography by Kyung-Pyo Hong; in particular the

breath-taking shots of the South Korea/North

Korea border undulating as Hae-Mi performs

the Kalahari dance at dusk in front of Ben and

Jong-So.

Kyung-Pyo Hong creates a perfect visual

atmosphere to induce more nerves, mystery, and

excitement while the music, especially towards

the end, is equally daunting as it builds into the

final answer the audience is awaiting.

At other times, the background noise includes

traffic, street music, the loudspeaker blaring North

Korean propaganda, President Donald Trump on

the television in the corner of the room, which

makes tricky to keep your thoughts aligned.

Having won a flurry of awards already, Burning

was unlucky to be snubbed at this years’ Acad-

emy Awards for Best Foreign Film which, is my

humble opinion, would have given Roma a good

run for its money.

Based on a story by Haruki Murakami, it’s an

unsettling and intriguing character piece that com-

ments on class division, toxic masculinity, and

consumerism.

With it’s long running time, it’s not likely to be

everyone’s cup of tea because the South Korean

director’s work isn’t simplistic in any way, but a

mesmerising and mind-boggling slow burn that

will leave you feeling strangely satisfied.

Verdict:

4.5/5– Incredible

BURNING. Written and direct-

ed by Chang-dong Lee, co-

written by Jungmi Oh. Starring

Ah-in Yoo, Steven Yeun and

Jong-Seo Jun. Rated: M for oc-

casional coarse language. In

selected cinemas

this Easter. Run-

ning time: 148

minutes

By Arnie Hurdoyal

YOU just never

know what can happen

when somebody walks into your life.

For Jong-Su (Anh In-Yoo), it’s an old child-

hood friend, Hae-Mi (Jong-Seo Jun) that he runs

into while doing a part-time delivery job while

she is dancing around trying to sell some raffle

tickets.

Jong-Su doesn’t recognise her but “plastic sur-

gery,” she says as the dazed man understands why

he’s paying a lot of attention to her now. The two

hit it off at a café and again at a restaurant where

they talk about their plans for life.

Hae-Mi reveals her upcoming trip to Africa

coming up as she talks about her interest in the

Kalahari desert people and asks Jong-Su to mind

her cat.

While visiting her tiny apartment in Seoul,

the two let go of their inhibitions but for some

reason, there is a sense of suspicion and confusion

in Jong-Su even though he is clearly “falling in

love” with her.

Hae-mi kindly asks him to visit her apartment

when overseas to feed her cat that is always

unseen to Jong-Su and the audience.

Somehow the food that he puts out disap-

pear each time he visits. From this point begins

a haunting mystery that is only enhanced when

Hae-mi comes back from Kenya with another

Korean friend named Ben (Steven Yeun).

Nothing is talked about as the three begin an

odd group of friends with no clarification as to

where they stand with each other and whether

there’s been a shift in romantic involvement.

There isn’t much that can be made from Ben’s

character other than he what Jong-So describes a

“Great Gatsby” of Gangnam; a nice guy, rich with

no apparent occupation, living a high life but is

possibly hiding something.

In their conversations, Ben reveals to Jong-Su

that his occupation is burning down greenhouses,

which is off-putting as the more Jong-Su tries to

WHY GOD HIDES. AND

WHERE TO FIND HIM. By

Fr John Portavella. Sophia

Institute Press. Manchester,

New Hampshire. NH. 2018

Reviewed by Barbara Flynn

WITH broad experience in pastoral ministry

Fr John Portavella has much time in personal

prayer listening to God’s silence, after and

during events in his own life and in the trials

and joys experiences by

parishioners.

From years of listen-

ing, prayerful reflection on

the scriptures, the writing

of popes and pondering

Church traditional beliefs,

he confidently proposes that

God is not a silent spectator

on the human condition nor

is He hidden.

His recent book is a compelling read as Fr

Portavella uses theological, biblical and scien-

tific insights to explore the positive aspects of:

“Why God hides and where to find Him”.

People of faith, when confronted by natu-

ral disasters, Father John asserts, may often

impatiently ask, “whether God even exists”, or

“where was God when these disastrous events

happened; does God really care?”

Pope Benedict cautions of such expectations

saying, “we would be wrong to set ourselves up

as judges of God and history”.

Meanwhile, St John Paul II offers these con-

soling remarks: “When God seems to be silent

amid oppression, injustice, and suffering He

still loves human beings and comes to their aid

when invoked – God’s silence does not indicate

an absence.”

Depending on whose point of view and

experience is being expressed, God’s veiled

presence is either recognised and accepted, or

rejected outright.

Writing from scholarly and meticulous

research, Fr John investigates at length “the

remarkable mystery of our transcendent sup-

posedly hidden God”.

He uses the scriptures extensively and the

writings of recent popes and some canonised

saints to give constructive insights into the per-

ennial human question of “why God remains

hidden to our current earthly situation”.

Since Moses (in Hebrew scriptures) ad-

dressed God in the burning bush there has been

a constant unsatisfied longing in the human

heart to probe the mystery of why God does not

make Himself visible to the human race.

Many Hebrew psalms express the longings

of people crying out to a veiled or hidden God

in circumstances where their faith and trust are

challenged.

The identity of Jesus and examples of His

ministry are discussed particularly in Chapters

12 and 13, titled respectively

God and Man, Friends; and

Jesus Christ the Ultimate Rev-

elation.

The teaching in Deus Caritas

Est by Pope Benedict XVI takes

us back to the importance of

scripture in reaching conclu-

sions “True no one has ever

seen God as He is.

And yet God is not totally

invisible to us. He does not

remain completely inacces-

sible – God has made Himself

visible. In Jesus, we are able to

see the Father.”

The first most important mani-

festation or revelation of God to humanity, Fr

Portavella points out is the incarnation.

“God facilitated man’s discovery and love

for Him through His sacred humanity at the

incarnation when the Word became flesh in the

womb of the Virgin Mary”.

Some other scriptural examples are: the

baptism of the Lord; the marriage feast of Cana;

the multiplication of the loaves and fish; the

transfiguration.

The essential teaching offered by popes and

Fr Portavella is that to grasp this truth is to be a

person of faith and wisdom and insight from the

indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

The content of this faith-enriching book

challenges the reader to their understanding of

God’s veiled presence in the

world that He created.

The author emphatically

states that God does not normal-

ly manifest Himself to us in any

visible form, but His transcend-

ent presence can be experienced

most definitely through his

gift of the Holy Spirit and the

sacraments – particularly in the

Eucharist.

Human beings are gifted by

God with freedom of choice and

freewill.

There they can reject or

accept God’s presence in His

created world.

Fr Portavella assures his readers that; “God

loves the human race and is always seeking a

relationship with his people”.

But a response in faith, love and trust is

called for to deepen their personal relationship

with God who always “acts discreetly in respect

for man’s freedom”.

The determining factor to bring understand-

ing as to “why God hides and where to find

Him” is a personal choice of faith.

Fr Portavella concludes, “The life we have

in relationship to God, our Creator, is based on

faith”.

This book is available through St Pauls Book

Centre, Elizabeth Street, Brisbane.

Book