Decision To Leave Fans Are Upset About The Oscars' Decision To Snub

Excitement woke up Hollywood this morning as Oscar nominations were announced. This is the day when many deserving, hard-working industry folk find out if their efforts are recognized by their peers or not. This is also the time when some of the best films of the year are snubbed, not receiving what many believe is a much deserved spot in the race. One of these unfortunate productions is "Decision to Leave."

Fans of Park Chan-wook know his previous films represent nothing short of stylized, dramatic excellence. With the 2022 South Korean mystery film "Decision to Leave," the filmmaker has another piece of cinematic mastery to add to his catalog. Told in a classic film-noir style, the movie follows Hae-Joon (Park Hae-il), a detective investigating a murder and the victim's wife, who is a possible suspect. Just like in plenty of film-noir classics, the investigation turns complicated when the case gets intertwined with romance and obsession. With a solid nod to this specific genre combined with brilliant filmmaking, "Decision to Leave" seemed like a lock for an Oscar nomination, but that wasn't the case, and fans are vocal about their displeasure.

It is difficult to track down a poor review for "Decision to Leave," and based on Park Chan-wook's track record, that's no surprise. Chan-wook planted his flag with his popular Vengeance trilogy, which included fan favorite "Old Boy," and he followed that with several other successes, like "The Handmaiden." The latter proved that his films can touch upon other genres which do not feature bloody rampages. "Decision to Leave" is another example of a different flavor that the filmmaker can take on as the thriller has deservingly caught the attention of moviegoers. This is proven with how fans are reacting to its Oscar snub.

In contrast to the difficulty of finding bad reviews of the film, the opposite can be said about finding frustrated comments about the snub. "Park Chan-wook's 'Decision to Leave' getting snubbed at the Oscars across the board, and especially in Best International Feature, is really frustrating," @isaacfeldberg said on Twitter. This sentiment is shared by @pahwa_nitish, who's frustrated over one of the best movies of the year — in their opinion — being overlooked, even when they do not care for the Oscars anymore. Even Reddit has discourse over this snub. 

"I can't believe 'Decision To Leave' didn't get a single nomination," u/OneOfTheLostOnes posted. "That movie is so full of brilliant details. It's ridiculous."