Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master ListCannes · 1
Spoiler-free premise
A young man reconnects with a former classmate and becomes unsettled by the wealthy stranger she brings into his life.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
Aspiring writer Jong-su reconnects with childhood acquaintance Hae-mi in Seoul and cares for her cat while she travels. She returns with wealthy, enigmatic Ben, whose ease, habits, and unsettling confession deepen Jong-su's class resentment and uncertainty.
Why it belongs
Lee Chang-dong transforms jealousy and class invisibility into slow-burning mystery through empty space, dusk light, withheld evidence, and three unreadable performances.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
Lee Chang-dong's ambiguous structure and Hong Kyung-pyo's cinematography keep Paju border fields, Seoul apartments, a greenhouse confession, Miles Davis, yawns, a missing cat, and a twilight dance tangible but inconclusive. Yoo Ah-in, Jeon Jong-seo, and Steven Yeun carry incompatible realities.
