Winter in Sokcho

In a snowy seaside town on South Korea’s east coast, a mysterious new guest at her boardinghouse upends an introspective young woman’s life. Soo-ha (newcomer Bella Kim) is restless to experience more of the outside world that for now she can only glimpse through the tourists who visit. She’s also hungry to solve the mystery of her paternal parentage, a secret her mother never divulged. When moody French artist Kerrand (played by the venerable Roschdy Zem) arrives for a long-term stay, his presence upends Soo-ha’s life as she wrestles with her sense of self and finds herself drawn to the enigmatic guest. Writer/director Koya Kamura makes an impressive feature debut with this adaptation of Elisa Shua Dusapin’s award-winning novel, skillfully rendering the story’s perceptive intricacies to bring forth a visually alluring meditation on identity, longing, and the ephemeral nature of life. —Jordan Klein