Dong-gyu, who resides in Gimcheon, travels to Seoul to show his mother's Itaewon house to potential renters. There, he meets Shinji, a Japanese national reportedly involved in human rights activism in Korea. During their second meeting at the house, Dong-gyu discovers that Shinji is staying in the country illegally. Even after returning to Gimcheon, Dong-gyu is unable to shake his concern for Shinji and proposes they meet again in Itaewon, specifically on Halloween night.

This film originates from a persistent question that arose from Itaewon, where I walked daily with friends. The reasons and desires that draw us to that place cannot be reduced solely to categories like class or gender identity. What matters is the attempt to understand each individual's unique circumstance and inner state, rather than simply reducing people to a background or a single demographic group. Like the inexplicable desire to connect with someone else, Itaewon acts as a nexus where diverse expectations and possibilities converge. By observing the Itaewon Halloween tragedy, this film seeks to reflect on the immense complexity and emotion of an event that cannot be reduced to any single, unifying cause.

2025년 제15회 서울국제프라이드영화제