Slow is the new action that only few proven masters can pull off, and Park Chan-wook is one of them. In “Decision to Leave”, his marvelous detective drama that competed in Cannes official selection, he has proven that the film’s length has nothing to do with the degree of the comfort of a chair. And trust me, I know what I am talking about, because I watched the film from one of the most uncomfortable sitting opportunities in the Salle Debussy, those reserved for the late-commers, right at the end of the regular sitting rows.

Decision to Leave at Red Sea International Film Festival

How is it possible that the time flows so smoothly when drama takes over action, and there is less going on from minute to minute, but we still feel like there is so much happening that we can barely hold our breath? I have no answer to this question,...