Burning cast: Steven Yeun and more star in this excellent drama

Are you in need of something good to watch? If so, we highly recommend checking out the film, Burning. It’s currently streaming on Netflix, and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Burning is a South Korean psychological thriller film written, directed, and produced by Lee Chang-dong. Lee is best known for directing other South Korean feature films such as Green Fish, Peppermint Candy, Oasis, Secret Sunshine and Poetry.

It’s a movie based on the short story “Barn Burning” from Haruki Murakami’s collection of short stories, The Elephant Vanishes. It follows a man named Lee Jong-su who spends his days working odd jobs. One day, he runs into a childhood neighbor named Hae-mi and is asked by her to watch her cat while she’s away on a trip to Africa. Jong-su accepts her request and makes sure to feed her cat while she’s gone.

Flash forward some time later, Hae-mi finally returns to South Korea but with a mysterious man in tow. The man’s name is Ben and Jong-su soon starts to suspect that something isn’t quite right about him and that he’s dangerous.

Who stars in the thriller film?

Well-known South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in stars in the leading role of Lee Jong-su, an aspiring novelist. Some of his other work includes roles in the South Korean movies Punch, Secret Affair, Veteran, The Throne, #Alive, Voice of Silence and Seoul Vibe. He also had roles in the Korean series Six Flying Dragons and Hellbound.

Academy-nominated actor Steven Yeun plays the role of Ben, the mysterious man whom Jong-su suspects is dangerous. Yeun is best known for his role as Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead. He also played the protagonist in the drama film Minari. Some of his other work includes roles in the movies Okja, Sorry to Bother You, The Humans and Nope. His most recent role was starring in the leading role of Danny Cho in Netflix’s BEEF.

Jeon Jong-seo portrays the role of Shin Hae-mi, a free-spirited woman who is Jong-su’s old classmate and neighbor. You might recognize Jong-seo from her role as Oh Young-sook in the Netflix Korean thriller film The Call. She also played the role of Tokyo in Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area. Her most recent role was in the Netflix action thriller film Ballerina.

Here’s more of the cast and who they play:

• Kim Soo-Kyung as Yeon-ju
• Choi Seung-ho as Lee Yong-seok
• Lee Joong-ok as Patrolman
• Moon Sung-keun as Lawyer
• Min Bok-gi as Judge
• Ban Hye-ra as Jong-su’s mother
• Lee Soo-Jeong as Prosecutor
• Lee Bong-ryun as Hae-mi’s sister
• Cha Mi-kyung as Hae-mi’s mother

The film is rated TV-MA, meaning it’s meant to be watched by mature, adult audiences only. It was given this maturity rating for strong language, nudity, and smoking. Obviously, this type of content is not appropriate for kids. So, we recommend watching this film when they’re not around.

When Burning came out in 2018, it received critical acclaim from critics. It even became the first Korean film to make it to the 91st Academy Awards’ final nine-film shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film. Overall, it’s definitely a must-watch movie, so make sure to add it to your watchlist.

Check out the gripping official trailer below!