From the brief encounter between Yoo-jin (Kim Min-ha) and Hyeon-oh (Joo Jong-hyuk), who find themselves at the same cafe at different times, to the sudden reunion of middle-school friends Sang-mi (Han Sun-hwa) and Young-min (Chang Ryul); from the electric first meeting of web novelist Hye-jin (Shim Eun-kyung) and film director Dong-nam (Lee Hee-jun) to the tender moment shared by idol trainee Nakyung (Jeon So-young) and her boyfriend Jong-su (Kim Dong-hwi) - The Table: Day and Night is a film of delightful, unpretentious, and lovely conversations shared by four couples at a single cafe, somewhere between summer and autumn. Making full use of the cafe as a space where strangers come and go, the film delicately renders each character’s narrative, personality, mood, and nuance with a light rhythm and a thoughtful gaze. This is a defining work from director Kim Jong-kwan, who has continually experimented with and expanded his distinctive cinematic language through films such as Worst Woman (2016), The Table (2016), and Josée (2020). The cinematic concerns, style, perspective, and world he has pursued with unwavering dedication reach their culmination here. Without excessive contrivance or dramatic turns, the film beautifully captures the subtle tremors of human relationships. The ensemble performances of its outstanding cast - Kim Min-ha, Joo Jong-hyuk, Han Sun-hwa, Chang Ryul, Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Hee-jun, Jeon So-young, and Kim Dong-hwi - are equally flawless. That such a formidable cast has come together is a testament to the director’s exceptional skill and clear evidence of the film’s worth.
Kim Jong-kwan has made feature films such as Worst Woman (2016), The Table (2017), Shades of the Heart (2020), and Josée (2020), participated in the omnibus film The Killers (2024), and directed "Walking at Night," one of the segments in the Netflix original film Persona (2019). He is currently preparing for the release of Frosted Window (2026).
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
