Image to help understand the article
Four Conversations in One Cafe
South Korean director Kim Jong-kwan’s new film, “Day and Night Are for Each Other,” opens in theaters on the 4th, following its sold-out premiere as the opening film of the 31st Busan International Film Festival.
The omnibus drama follows four pairs of men and women who visit the same cafe over the course of a season. The characters — middle school classmates, two people whose paths briefly cross, a web novel writer and an independent filmmaker, and longtime partners facing a breakup — talk about dreams and the mysteries of the world.
The pairings feature Minha Kim and Joo Jong-hyuk, Han Sun-hwa and Chang Ryul, Shim Eun-kyung and Lee Hee-joon, and Jeon So-young and Kim Dong-hwi. The film’s English subtitle, “The Table: Day and Night,” links it to Kim’s 2017 movie “The Table,” another conversation-driven work centered on encounters in a cafe.
Kim said the pleasure of making “The Table” inspired him to revisit the format as a signature project. He described the new film as an effort to find beauty in small, seemingly ordinary moments. Although filming took only 11 shooting days, the project required four to five years to move from its initial conception to release.
Shim Eun-kyung Takes On a More Direct Character
Shim plays Hye-jin, a successful web novel writer who clearly demands the overseas business trip she wants from her production company and initially refuses to meet a director interested in adapting her work. Shim said the character’s blunt personality and way of expressing herself differed from her own, making the role a challenge.
At a Seoul event on the 2nd, Shim said Kim’s calm presence helped ease her nerves before filming. His encouragement, she said, gave her confidence to improvise and offer ideas on set.
Kim continued his practice of keeping stage directions to a minimum, leaving actors room to interpret the screenplay. Shim and Lee used that freedom to fill in the emotional spaces of their segment, titled “E.S.B.”
A Film Built on Subtle Performances
Kim said he prioritized casting actors who could enjoy the demanding, highly focused process. Jeon encouraged audiences to listen closely to the dialogue while also watching the performers’ smallest facial expressions.
Comments
Post a Comment