Moonlit Winter
| Moonlit Winter | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Hangul | 윤희에게 |
| Literal meaning | To Yoon-hee |
| Revised Romanization | Yunhui ege |
| Directed by | Lim Dae-hyung |
| Written by | Lim Dae-hyung |
| Screenplay by | Lim Dae-hyung |
| Produced by | Park Doo-hee |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Moon Myung-hwan |
| Edited by | Park Se-young |
| Music by | Kim Hae-won |
| Distributed by | Little Big Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
Moonlit Winter (Korean: 윤희에게; RR: Yunhuiege; lit. 'To Yoon-hee') is a 2019 South Korean film written and directed by Lim Dae-hyung. It stars Kim Hee-ae. It had its world premiere as the closing film for the 24th Busan International Film Festival.[1]
Plot
[edit]Following her divorce, Yoon-hee (Kim Hee-ae) and her teenage daughter Sae-bom (Kim So-hye) live together in the Korean countryside. Sae-bom discovers a romantic letter written to her mother by Jun (Yūko Nakamura), a Korean-Japanese woman who went to school with Yoon-hee in her youth. Though the relationship is long in the past and remains a deep secret, Sae-bom recognises her mother's unrelenting loneliness and hopes to comfort her.
Upon graduating high school, Sae-bom insists she and her mother take a celebratory holiday to Japan, knowing Jun resides in the quiet and snowy village of Otaru. There, Yoon-hee immediately seeks out Jun's home but is unable to approach her. Soon after, Yoon-hee reveals that she knows Sae-bom is aware an "old friend" lives in the village but admits they haven't reconnected.
In the local cafe, Sae-bom meets Jun's aunt Masako and asks her to tell Jun to come to the cafe the next morning. At home, Jun confesses to her aunt that she and Yoon-hee are together in her dreams. Meanwhile, Yoon-hee discovers Sae-bom's boyfriend Kyung-soo has secretly come along to Otaru.
The next day, Sae-bom meets Jun and lies that her mother is not with her. She coordinates for Jun to "meet her for dinner" and Yoon-hee to "pick her up" at the same time and location. Saebom's plan works: the two women meet, overwhelmed by emotion, and walk along the canal together.
A final letter from Yoon-hee to Jun is revealed, in which she shares that she confessed her love for Jun to her parents, who sent her to a mental hospital. Later, she married a man set up for her by her brother, who she resents. On her wedding day, she thought of Jun; when strangers wish her happiness, she thinks of Jun. She concludes the two were never wrong for their love and should feel no shame.
Yoon-hee and Sae-bom move to Seoul, where Sae-bom attends university and Yoon-hee uses her newfound courage to open a restaurant.
Cast
[edit]- Kim Hee-ae as Yoon-hee
- Yūko Nakamura as Jun Katase
- Kim So-hye as Sae-bom
- Sung Yoo-bin as Kyung-soo
- Hana Kino as Masako
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Cine 21 Awards | Best Film | Moonlit Winter | 8th place |
| 2020 | 56th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hee-ae | Nominated |
| 7th Wildflower Film Awards | Grand Prize | Lim Dae-hyung | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Best Producer | Park Doo-hee | Won | ||
| 25th Chunsa Film Art Awards[2] | Best Director | Lim Dae-hyung | Nominated | |
| Best Actress | Kim Hee-ae | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Lim Dae-hyung | Nominated | ||
| Best New Actress | Kim So-hye | Nominated | ||
| 56th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hee-ae | Nominated | |
| Best New Actress | Kim So-hye | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Lim Dae-hyung | Nominated | ||
| Florence Korea Film Fest | Best Film | Moonlit Winter | Won | |
| 29th Buil Film Awards | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Lim Dae-hyung | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Kim Hee-ae | Nominated | ||
| Best New Actress | Kim So-hye | Nominated | ||
| 40th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Director | Lim Dae-hyung | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | |||
| Best Soundtrack | Kim Hae-won | Won | ||
| Top 10 Films | Moonlit Winter | Won | ||
| 21st Busan Film Critics Awards | Best New Actress | Kim So-hye | Won | |
| 7th Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hee-ae | Won | |
| 2021 | 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | Moonlit Winter | Nominated |
| Best Director | Lim Dae-hyung | Won | ||
| Best Leading Actress | Kim Hee-ae | Nominated | ||
| Best New Actress | Kim So-hye | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Lim Dae-hyung | Won | ||
| Best Editing | Park Se-young | Nominated | ||
| Best Music | Kim Hae-won | Nominated | ||
| 40th Golden Cinema Film Festival | Best New Actress | Kim So-hye | Won |
References
[edit]- ^ Scott, Mathew (10 October 2019). "Busan: Festival Closing Film Moonlit Winter Showcases Diversity of Korean Cinema". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ Park, Ah-reum (9 March 2020). "'엑시트' 개최 연기 춘사영화제 6개 부문 최다 노미네이트" [Held 'Exit' Acting Chunsa Film Festival's 6 Nominations]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020 – via Naver.
External links
[edit]- Moonlit Winter at IMDb
- Moonlit Winter at HanCinema
- Moonlit Winter at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)