''Moonlit Winter'' () is a 2019 South Korean film written and directed by

Lim Dae-hyung Lim Dae-hyung (; born 28 July 1986) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Personal life Born in 1986, Lim graduated from Geumsan High School. He majored in Theatre & Film at Hanyang University Hanyang University (HYU, ) is a P ...

. It stars

Kim Hee-ae Kim Hee-ae (; born April 23, 1967) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in Korean dramas such as ''Sons and Daughters'' (1992), ''Perfect Love'' (2003), '' My Husband's Woman'' (2007), '' How Long I've Kissed'' (201 ...

. It had its world premiere as the closing film for the

24th Busan International Film Festival The 24th Busan International Film Festival was held from October 3 to October 12, 2019 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea. A total of 299 films from 85 countries were screened at the festival, including 118 world premieres and 27 in ...

Plot

Following her divorce, Yoon-hee (

) and her teenage daughter Sae-bom (

Kim So-hye Kim So-hye (; born July 19, 1999), known mononymously as Sohye, is a South Korean actress and singer under S&P Entertainment. She is a former member of the girl musical group I.O.I, finishing fifth on Mnet's survival show ''Produce 101''. She ...

) live together in the Korean countryside. Sae-bom discovers a romantic letter written to her mother by Jun (

Yūko Nakamura is a Japanese actress, born on 7 January 1975 in Fukui, Japan. She won the award for best actress at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema 2001 for the film ''Firefly (Hotaru)'' and the award for best supporting actress ...

), 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 is a Cities of Japan, city and Seaports of Japan, port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical ...

. 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 Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, where Sae-bom attends university and Yoon-hee uses her newfound courage to open a restaurant.

Cast

as Yoon-hee *

as Jun Katase *

as Sae-bom *

Sung Yoo-bin Sung Yoo-bin (born 25 July 2000) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Web series Awards and nominations References External links

* * * 2000 births Living people Male actors from Seoul ...

as Kyung-soo * Hana Kino as Masako

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moonlit Winter 2019 films 2010s Korean-language films South Korean LGBTQ-related films 2019 LGBTQ-related films 2010s LGBTQ-related drama films Little Big Pictures films Films set in Otaru 2010s South Korean films