Middle-aged couple Heung-ju and Eunju visit Cheongpyeongsa. Losing Eun-ju´s mobile, they return to the temple. Staying the night in the town where they spent their first night, they realize what they’ve really lost is not the mobile, but the “present.”

Following A Fresh Start (2014) and Autumn, Autumn (2016), JANG Woojin offers his third feature, Winter's Night. The film weaves a dual narrative, one thread following Heung-ju and his wife Eun-ju as they wander around Cheongpyeongsa Temple in Chuncheon, searching for a lost mobile phone, where they spent their first night together 30 years ago. The other thread follows a soldier in his twenties and a woman visiting him wandering in the same space. The film is divided into four chapters, each quoting The Ten Ox-Herding Murals. The years 1988 and 2018 are connected through the mysterious encounter and intersection of the characters. The steps of the two couples overlap in unusual ways due to the limited and repeated spaces, such as Songhak Garden, Cheongpyeongsa Temple, restaurant inn, and frozen waterfalls. The minimalistic ‘one-scene-one-cut’ style, strictly-controlled production, and elusive struggles offer unique experiences. Despite the passing of time and memories, the film doesn't reach a conclusive end. Director JANG ambitiously attempts to shape a reality formed by the interplay of indefinable life, coincidence, and chronology that is hard to coexist. The film hints at a bright future for this talented young auteur. (JANG Byungwon)