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The Catholic Leader, April 21, 2019
www.catholicleader.com.auEntertainment
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