By Xu Aiying
Video = Atnine Film's official YouTube channel

Actor Shim Eun-kyung, who expanded her scope by winning major awards in Korea and Japan, has promoted her latest work, "Two Seasons, Two Strangers," by up-and-coming Japanese director Sho Miyake.

Ahead of the film's release, Shim and Miyake on Dec. 2 held a media screening and news conference at the multiplex CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District, discussing anecdotes about their latest work.

"Two Seasons, Two Strangers" is about a screenwriter played by Shim who visits a snowy village as if in an escape because of a slump. The film won the Golden Leopard Award, the top prize at this year's Locarno International Film Festival of Switzerland.

The movie's quality and artistic value have also been recognized at other cinematic events worldwide.

The differentiating aspect of "Two Seasons, Two Strangers" is its weaving together of two languages to convey a single emotional thread. Shim's character speaks Japanese in daily life but uses Korean in narration and screenwriting to express the protagonist's complex inner thoughts.

"At first, I thought of a middle-aged Japanese man as the protagonist but while writing the script, I suddenly thought it would be fun if Shim Eun-kyung played this character," the director said. "What's important isn't nationality, age or sex but how truthfully the character is portrayed."

"I realized this many times in working with Shim, which was a pleasure."

Solidifying her fame in Japan in 2020 by becoming the first Korean to win the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Actress for "The Journalist," Shim shared her thoughts on working in Korea and Japan.

"I think I've had many opportunities to be thankful for over the past several years," she said. "The future is more important and the work that came to me before that time was 'Two Seasons, Two Strangers.'"

"This film became an opportunity for me to set my mind anew and strive toward the acting career I will pursue going forward."

The film depicts the seemingly fleeting trivialities of daily life like the rustling of a pencil while a screenplay is written, subtle movement of rustling grass, and sounds of piled snow and wind.

Miyake concluded the event saying, "The words 'travel' and 'days' (the film's literal Japanese title) might seem like an oxymoron but I think they blend rather than clash."

"I hope that those who live each day working hard and seriously can watch this film, take a break, and resume their earnest and diligent lives the next day."

"Two Seasons, Two Strangers" will be released on Dec. 10 in Korea.

xuaiy@korea.kr