Kim Jong-kwan’s café anthology takes Busan’s opening spotlight

Kim Jong-kwan’s The Table: Day and Night took the opening slot at the 31st Busan International Film Festival in South Korea on October 6, bringing an 80-minute Korean café anthology to the festival’s world-premiere programme. Festival audiences have another listed opportunity to see it on October 10 at LOTTE CINEMA Centum City.

A review published by Yonhap’s Lee Minji on October 9 offers a fresh assessment of the film, emphasizing its atmosphere and performers while questioning whether its brief encounters give viewers enough time with the characters. The review follows the opening presentation; the festival announced its selection on August 19.

Four encounters inside a single café

The film follows four pairs of characters through summer and autumn, using a café as the shared setting for meetings, recollections and separation. Its ensemble includes Kim Min-ha, Joo Joong-hyuk, Han Sun-hwa, Chang Ryul, Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Hee-jun, Jeon So-young and Kim Dong-hwi.

In the first episode, titled A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kim Min-ha plays Yoo-jin, who wears a broken watch given to her by a relative. Joo Joong-hyuk’s Hyeon-oh is fascinated by old watches. Lee describes their conversations about dreams and nighttime walks, with the two subjects appearing to overlap.

The third episode, T.P.A., turns to a discussion about adapting writing for the screen. Shim Eun-kyung plays Hye-jin, a writer, opposite Lee Hee-jun as Dong-nam, a filmmaker intent on adapting her work. Lee singles out the exchanges between them in her assessment of the film.

The final episode concerns idol trainee Na-kyung, played by Jeon So-young, and her boyfriend Jong-su, played by Kim Dong-hwi. Yonhap describes their breakup, completing a set of stories that moves between new connections, an uncertain shared history, creative interests and a relationship ending.

Yonhap’s assessment of atmosphere and character

In Lee’s account, the café is more than a backdrop for the principal conversations. Her review describes attention to tables, cups, saucers and passing customers. Among those customers are girls communicating in sign language, alongside the spoken exchanges taking place elsewhere in the room.

Most scenes remain inside the café, according to Yonhap, although the first episode includes nighttime walking scenes. Lee emphasizes mood, music and the energy between the performers. Her reservation concerns the brevity of the encounters: viewers seeking fuller exploration of the characters may find that approach limiting.

How the film connects to Kim Jong-kwan’s earlier work

In its August announcement, BIFF explicitly connects the new film’s four stories in one location to Kim’s earlier The Table. That work appeared in the festival’s Korean Cinema Today – Panorama section in 2016; the announcement identifies it as a 2017 title.

The festival’s biography traces Kim’s career from the short How to Operate a Polaroid Camera in 2004 to his feature debut Come, Closer in 2010. It also lists Worst Woman, Josée and his participation in the omnibus film The Killers, providing context for his return to the shared-location format.

Busan screening schedule and release information

The official programme lists the October 6 opening presentation at Busan Cinema Center Roof Theater. It also records October 8 and October 9 screenings at Sohyang Theatre Woori Bank Hall and LOTTE CINEMA Centum City 4 respectively. Those listings alone do not confirm that the later screenings occurred.

The next listed showing is October 10 at 22:40 Busan local time at LOTTE CINEMA Centum City 3. Ticket availability has not been established. The festival runs through October 15, and screening details are available in its official film entry.