Moonlit Winter, directed by Lim Dae-hyung, is a remarkable and distinctive work from South Korean cinema.
With its poetic and gentle atmosphere, it distances itself from intense romantic dramas and quietly explores themes of memory, lost love, and the possibility of reconciling with the past.
Kabul 24: Moonlit Winter tells the story of Yoon-hee, a middle-aged woman living in solitude and silence. She receives an anonymous letter from Japan, which rekindles memories of a past lover in the snowy, small town of Otaru.
Her teenage daughter discovers the letter and, unexpectedly, decides to take her mother on a winter journey to Japan—a trip that promises to unveil hidden secrets, old loves, and unspoken truths of life.
More than a conventional romance, Moonlit Winter is a meditation on remembrance, posing the question: Can past loves, even if unfulfilled, still give meaning to life?
The snow-covered landscapes of Otaru serve as a metaphor for silence and coldness, while also symbolizing purity, reconciliation, and the possibility of a fresh start.
