Busan Film Festival Opener
Kim Jong-kwan’s Intimate Drama ‘Day and Night’ Opens the 31st Busan Film Festival
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Han Sun-hwa said she was surprised to learn that her character, Sang-mi, was very different from the calm, elegant women she had expected from Kim Jong-kwan’s earlier films. She also recalled receiving the script while visiting Busan and being excited because she had watched films such as “The Table” several times.
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Kim Min-ha said she had followed Kim Jong-kwan’s work since she was young and attended his Q&A sessions, so receiving the script from a director she admired felt like a dream. She also compared reading it to reading someone’s diary and described the film as a gift that prompted her to think about small happiness and the small fluctuations of life.
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Kim Min-ha hosted the festival’s opening ceremony. The festival was scheduled to run for ten days, through October 15, and present 246 official selections.
Kim Jong-kwan's intimate drama "Day and Night Are for Each Other" opened the 31st Busan International Film Festival, featuring four conversations in a café unfolding across a season. Sportscho Chosun reported that the film showcases performances from Kim Min-ha, Joo Jong-hyuk, Han Sun-hwa, Jeon So-young, and Kim Dong-hwi. Festival programmer Jung Ji-hye praised it as a mature expression of the director's distinctive style, saying strong direction and performances hold viewers' attention despite the limited setting.
Director Kim said he hoped the focus on small, fleeting moments would prompt audiences to imagine the characters' lives beyond the café conversations. The festival runs ten days through October 15 and presents 246 official selections. Cast members described the experience as deeply personal—Kim Min-ha called it a gift, while Han Sun-hwa celebrated opening the festival in her hometown.
A Director's Signature Style in Intimate Spaces
Star News Korea noted that the film was completed based on Director Kim Jong-kwan's unique perspective and trust among collaborators. The limited café setting becomes the entire world of the story, with no elaborate sets or busy action sequences. Kim's previous work has established him as a director who finds depth in stillness and simplicity.
Festival programmer Jung Ji-hye highlighted how the film transcends its modest scale. She said the mature execution shows why the director's approach works—viewers lean in because the performances and direction demand their full attention in the quiet space.
Cast Members Find Unexpected Dimensions in Their Roles
Kim Min-ha had followed director Kim Jong-kwan's work since she was young and attended his Q&A sessions. When she received the script, it felt surreal—a dream come true from a director she deeply admired. She described reading it like reading someone's diary, finding it prompted her to think about small happiness and the tiny fluctuations of everyday life.
Han Sun-hwa was surprised to discover her character Sang-mi was very different from the calm, elegant women in Kim Jong-kwan's earlier films. She received the script while visiting Busan and was thrilled because she had watched his film "The Table" multiple times. The chance to appear in the festival's opening film in her hometown made the role especially meaningful.
Audiences Invited to Imagine Lives Beyond the Café
Director Kim hopes viewers will use the four conversations as a starting point, then imagine who these characters are when they leave the café. What do they do? What do they think about? The small moments—a pause, a glance, a word choice—carry weight that extends far beyond the scene. This approach trusts audiences to complete the story in their minds.
Sportscho Chosun highlighted that scale is irrelevant when value is sufficient. The film proves that a simple setting and focused performances can deliver profound moments. By stripping away everything unnecessary, Kim Jong-kwan creates space for meaning to emerge from everyday details.
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