(Movie Review) Ambience takes center stage at BIFF opener 'The Table: Day and Night'

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BUSAN, Oct. 9 (Yonhap) -- As director Kim Jong-kwan noted, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) opening film, "The Table: Day and Night," is dedicated to the beauty of the fleeting little moments in life.

The romantic anthology film, starring a solid ensemble of actors including Kim Min-ha, Shim Eun-kyung and Han Sun-hwa, portrays the conversations between four different couples who visit the venue through summer and autumn.

Kim marvelously crafts the warm and brisk air of a cafe probably located in a quiet neighborhood in Seoul, spending quite some time capturing the tables, the cups and saucers and the portraits of the diverse customers visiting the venue.

Strangers come and go, having conversations on everything from getting loans to finding the right person. Spoken language is not the only means of conversation in the cafe, with a group of lively girls who use sign language appearing to be regulars.

This still, provided by K-Movie Entertainment, shows Kim Min-ha in the Korean film "The Table: Day and Night." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The first vignette features "Pachinko" star Kim and Joo Joong-hyuk, as Yoo-jin, a young woman who wears a broken watch gifted by a relative, and Hyeon-oh, a young man fascinated with the small world that exists inside old watches, respectively.

As its title "A Midsummer Night's Dream" suggests, it proceeds in a dreamy and forlorn mood, featuring scenes where they talk about night walks and dreams, which seem to overlap with one another at times without the protagonists being aware of it.

The second story featuring Sang-mi (Han) and Young-min (Chang Ryul) continues with the enigmatic ambience but bursts with energy. A frantic-looking Sang-mi appears at the cafe where Young-min is and mentions how they got tutoring lessons together as middle school students.

In a performance that is mostly driven by Sang-mi's long talks and Young-min's dazed response, she continues to resolutely talk about keeping oneself and not being caught off guard by unseen enemies.

Her seemingly bizarre lines make viewers suspect whether they knew one another in the first place at one point but what appears to be certain is that Sang-mi is firm on protecting and believing people she says are "still ourselves."

This still, provided by K-Movie Entertainment, shows Chang Ryul (R) and Han Sun-hwa in the Korean film "The Table: Day and Night." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The third story, "T.P.A.," stands out with its witty conversations that ping-pong between successful writer Hye-jin (Shim) and ambitious filmmaker Dong-nam (Lee Hee-jun), who is set on making an adaptation of Hye-jin's works.

Shim, who has earned accolades for her acting in South Korea and Japan and starred in the Locarno-winning Japanese film "Two Seasons, Two Strangers," delivers another excellent performance as an anxious yet plucky writer. Lee returns that energy with his wonderfully sly and playful acting that makes the story one of the most engaging conversations in the film.

This still, provided by K-Movie Entertainment, shows Shim Eun-kyung (R) and Lee Hee-jun in the Korean film "The Table: Day and Night." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The final story tones down the energy by portraying the bittersweet breakup of young lovers -- K-pop idol trainee Na-kyung (Jeon So-young) and her boyfriend Jong-su (Kim Dong-hwi).

While the stories are physically set at the single venue -- except for scenes in the first story that show Kim taking a nighttime walk -- the mood of the stories quickly diverges, from poetic to offbeat, to daring and to tender.

In fact, although conversations drive the film, it is not certain lines from the dialogue, but the ambience and energy that comes from the exchanges that dominate it. A significant amount of background music adds to that emphasis on ambience.

The film comes to an end with the film adaptation of Hye-jin's story being shot at the cafe where she met Dong-nam, and the final scene fading out like a blackout in a theatrical play.

For audiences eager to immerse themselves in a stroll across varying moods, "The Table: Day and Night" will be a delightful watch, but for those seeking more of the interesting characters Kim has sculpted, it may feel too fleeting.

This still, provided by K-Movie Entertainment, shows Kim Dong-hwi (R) and Jeon So-young in the Korean film "The Table: Day and Night." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr (END)

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(Movie Review) Ambience takes center stage at BIFF opener 'The Table: Day and Night'

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

釜山，10 月 9 日（韩联社）——正如导演金钟冠所指出的那样，釜山国际电影节（BIFF）开幕影片《餐桌：日与夜》献给生活中转瞬即逝的美好瞬间。

这部浪漫爱情故事集锦电影由金敏荷、沈恩京和韩善花等一众实力派演员主演，描绘了四对不同的情侣在夏秋两季造访同一地点时发生的对话。

金以精湛的技艺，营造出首尔某个安静街区咖啡馆温暖清爽的氛围，他花了相当长的时间拍摄桌子、杯碟以及光顾这家咖啡馆的形形色色的顾客的肖像。

陌生人来来往往，谈天说地，从贷款到寻找真爱，无所不谈。咖啡馆里不仅有口语交流，还有一群活泼的女孩用手语交流，她们似乎是这里的常客。

这张由K-Movie Entertainment提供的剧照展示了金敏荷在韩国电影《餐桌：日与夜》中的剧照。（图片非卖品）（韩联社）

第一个小故事由《柏青哥》主演金和朱中赫主演，分别饰演戴着亲戚赠送的坏手表的年轻女子宥真和对旧手表内部的小世界着迷的年轻人贤五。

正如其标题“仲夏夜之梦”所示，该剧以梦幻而凄凉的气氛展开，其中穿插着他们谈论夜间散步和梦境的场景，这些场景有时似乎相互重叠，而主人公们却浑然不觉。

第二条故事线以尚美（韩饰）和英敏（张烈饰）为主角，延续了第一条故事线神秘的氛围，但又充满活力。神情慌张的尚美出现在英敏所在的咖啡馆，并提起他们中学时一起上过补习班。

在以尚美的长篇独白和英敏茫然的回应为主的表演中，她继续坚定地谈论着要保护自己，不要被看不见的敌人偷袭。

她看似古怪的言辞让观众怀疑他们是否曾经认识，但可以肯定的是，尚美坚定地保护和相信她认为“仍然是我们自己”的人。

这张由K-Movie Entertainment提供的剧照显示了韩国电影《餐桌：日与夜》中的演员张烈（右）和韩善花。（照片非卖品）（韩联社）

第三个故事《TPA》以其诙谐的对话脱颖而出，这些对话在成功的作家惠珍（沈）和雄心勃勃的电影制作人东南（李熙俊）之间来回穿梭，东南决心将惠珍的作品改编成电影。

沈靖萱凭借在韩国和日本的精湛演技赢得了广泛赞誉，她曾主演荣获洛迦诺电影节奖项的日本影片《两个季节，两个陌生人》。此次，她再次奉献了精彩的表演，饰演一位焦虑却又勇敢的作家。李敏镐以其机智诙谐的表演与沈靖萱相得益彰，使这段对话成为影片中最引人入胜的亮点之一。

这张由K-Movie Entertainment提供的剧照显示了韩国电影《餐桌：日与夜》中的沈恩京（右）和李熙俊。（照片非卖品）（韩联社）

最后一个故事通过描绘年轻恋人——K-pop偶像练习生娜京（全素英饰）和她的男友钟秀（金东辉饰）——苦乐参半的分手，缓和了气氛。

虽然故事的场景都设定在同一个地点——除了第一个故事中金在夜间散步的场景——但故事的氛围很快就发生了变化，从诗意到另类，从大胆到温柔。

事实上，虽然对话推动着剧情发展，但真正主导影片的并非具体的台词，而是对话中产生的氛围和能量。大量的背景音乐也进一步强化了这种氛围。

影片以惠珍的故事改编电影在她与东南相遇的咖啡馆拍摄结束，最后一幕像戏剧中的灯光熄灭一样逐渐淡出。

对于渴望沉浸在不同情绪氛围中的观众来说，《餐桌：日与夜》将是一部令人愉悦的作品；但对于那些想要了解更多金所塑造的有趣角色的观众来说，这部电影可能会显得太过短暂。

这张由K-Movie Entertainment提供的剧照显示了韩国电影《餐桌：日与夜》中金东辉（右）和全素英的剧照。（照片非卖品）（韩联社）

mlee@yna.co.kr (完)

（导语）釜山电影节首次以“A级”规格开幕

釜山国际电影节开幕影片《餐桌：日与夜》聚焦日常生活

《贝德福德公园》导演讲述了她想看到的韩裔美国人故事

釜山国际电影节评审团主席在韩国电影争议中表示“创作就是创作”。

奥斯卡影后杨紫琼表示“不怕失败”

（影评）氛围在釜山国际电影节开幕影片《餐桌：日与夜》中占据中心地位