This blog post examines how the symbolism of fire and the uncertainty of existence in the film ‘Burning’ reveal the characters’ inner worlds.
What the film title ‘Burning’ suggests
In the film, ‘Burning’ primarily represents two actions by the characters on the surface. First, it signifies the act of Ben, who is wealthy despite having no job, burning a useless vinyl greenhouse as a hobby. Second, it signifies the act of Jong-su, who grew up in an unfortunate environment, stabbing Ben to death in the latter part of the film and then stuffing all his own clothes into Ben’s car before setting the vehicle ablaze. These two scenes carry symbolic meaning beyond mere actions. The act of burning is not merely the incineration of material objects; it is a process of exploding the suppressed emotions, desires, and anger latent within them. Fire signifies destruction, yet simultaneously carries the meaning of regeneration for creating something new. This serves as a crucial theme running through the characters’ lives and emotions in the film.
It struck me that the emotions Jong-su feels toward Haemi and Ben, respectively, could be likened to fire more than any other substance. To put it bluntly, Jong-su primarily feels attachment toward Haemi and suspicion and inferiority toward Ben. Here, I wanted to focus less on whether Jong-su’s suspicion and inferiority toward Ben were justified—particularly whether his suspicion that Ben killed Haemi was correct—and more on the specific nuances of those feelings. It was quite striking how Jong-su, with his stifled personality unable to confront Ben, ultimately exploded like fire meeting oxygen. This emotional outburst may have stemmed from the helplessness and inferiority he had suppressed all along.
Additionally, I noticed various fire-related motifs and symbols scattered throughout the work: Haemi vanishing ‘like smoke,’ Ben and Jong-soo each handling fire while cooking—Ben as a hobby, Jong-soo for livelihood. Among the various drugs administered through different bodily routes, the fact that Ben happened to give Haemi marijuana that produced ‘smoke’ when he lit it made it seem directly connected to Haemi’s smoke-like disappearance and the subsequent events. Additionally, Ben showed a light intoxication while cooking, enjoying the feeling of controlling and creating something. Later, when he recalled Jong-su burning it, it evoked the limitations of Prometheus, who brought fire to mankind. These images of fire further highlight each character’s actions and psychological state, deepening the exploration of the film’s themes.
Belief in Existence
In the film, Haemi explains mime to Jongsu, stating that one must not believe the tangerine exists, but rather forget that it doesn’t. This connects to Haemi’s experience with the well she describes to Jongsu. The contrast between Jongsu’s mother and Haemi acknowledging the well’s existence, while Haemi’s family treats it as if it were her delusion, was striking. This scene raises questions about how subjective and uncertain human memory is. How do they remember existence? Furthermore, Jong-su struggles to confirm the existence of the cat ‘Boil’ until he sees it appear at Ben’s house, then becomes convinced it’s evidence of Haemi’s murder—evoking Schrödinger’s cat. Here, the film speaks to how ambiguous and uncertain the world we experience and perceive truly is.
Haemi’s trip to Africa, taken despite her credit card debt and without any plan, can be understood in a similar context. Haemi shows herself traveling to Africa impulsively rather than considering taking responsibility for her life, while also uttering the line, “I want to vanish like smoke,” a statement confronting reality. The trip allows Haemi to forget the fact that her unhappy life exists. Mime is a trick that only works when you forget it’s not real, but travel makes you forget that unhappiness ‘exists’. In this way, Haemi’s actions reveal the human psychological desire to evade reality, exposing how easily we distort and manipulate the very existence of our being in the process. Through this, the film prompts the audience to deeply contemplate the issues of existence and belief.
