The film's strength lies in its pervasive ambiguity, where the line between reality and fiction is constantly blurred.

Motifs like a "Schrödinger’s cat" that is never seen and a well from Jong-su’s childhood that may not exist challenge the viewer’s trust in the protagonist's perspective.

Set in modern-day South Korea, Burning follows Lee Jong-su, an aspiring writer living on a run-down farm near the North Korean border. The film is less a traditional mystery and more a slow-burn exploration of the "Great Hunger"—the search for life's meaning—amidst a backdrop of stark class inequality and toxic masculinity.

The plot centers on the disappearance of Shin Hae-mi, a childhood friend of Jong-su. Her absence becomes the film's central mystery, but director Lee Chang-dong intentionally leaves her fate unconfirmed.