Decision to Leave (South Korea) (6/24)

Competing against All Quiet on the Western Front and Argentina, 1985 for this year’s Best International Feature Oscar is South Korea’s submission, this noir detective thriller. Director Park Chan-wook added the Best Director prize at Cannes this year to his ever-expanding shelf of accolades for films like The Handmaiden, Thirst, and Stoker. In his latest mystery, Park Hae-il plays a detective who falls in love with the widow of a man who mysteriously fell to his death while rock climbing. Tang Wei is haunting as the widow, and the pair’s cat-and-mouse game is hauntingly sexy. A series of twists and one of the year’s most riveting endings make this a must-see for any thriller junkies, but the gorgeous cinematography elevates it out of its genre-only appeal. The drone shot on the causeway? Stunning! *in Olivia Cooke’s voice*.