Can the theme of the division of the Korean Peninsula still be cinematically valid in this day and age? Pyeongyang Naengmyeon makes an attempt to renew the stagnant imagination with a pace that suits a short film alongside a specific narrative and clear temporal and spatial limitations. Its identity comes from the tenacity of creating and telling a cinematically intensive story based on the factual account in which North Korea brought a noodle maker to the inter-Korean summit held at Panmunjom to serve naengmyeon (cold noodles) to the attendees. The presence of actor Baek Il-seop, who celebrates his 60th debut anniversary this year, silently breathes a sense of time into the film. When his wrinkled and desperate face revives heavy emotions on the screen, the hard exterior of the audience’s heart is softened. [KIM Somi]