GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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great film.

Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #403 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View Burning film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

A young man reconnects with a former classmate and becomes unsettled by the wealthy stranger she brings into his life.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Aspiring writer Jong-su reconnects with childhood acquaintance Hae-mi in Seoul and cares for her cat while she travels. She returns with wealthy, enigmatic Ben, whose ease, habits, and unsettling confession deepen Jong-su's class resentment and uncertainty.

Why it belongs

Lee Chang-dong transforms jealousy and class invisibility into slow-burning mystery through empty space, dusk light, withheld evidence, and three unreadable performances.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Lee Chang-dong's ambiguous structure and Hong Kyung-pyo's cinematography keep Paju border fields, Seoul apartments, a greenhouse confession, Miles Davis, yawns, a missing cat, and a twilight dance tangible but inconclusive. Yoo Ah-in, Jeon Jong-seo, and Steven Yeun carry incompatible realities.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Cannes1 win2018 · official festival record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.0
Engagement8.8
Ease7.5

Korean · Not Rated
Narrative Feature
Mood: Slow-Burn & Hypnotic