LKFF 2023 Special Screenings: Riceboy Sleeps

  • Director

    Anthony Shim

  • Cast

    Choi Seung-yoon, Ethan Hwang, Dohyun Noel Hwang

  • Release Date

    2022

  • Runtime

    117 mins

  • Cert

    15

Set in the suburbs of Canada in the 1990s, So-young (Choi Seung-yoon) is a single mother to Dong-hyun (Dohyun Noel Hwang), her teenage son. So-young is determined to give him a new and better life than the one she left behind in her Korea, all the while striving to overcome the racial and cultural challenges they now face overseas. When sudden news triggers an unexpected return to Korea for the first time an opportunity arises for them to reconnect with their identity and roots.

This family drama with excellent thematic consciousness and artistic achievement is a stunning second feature from Korean-Canadian writer-director Anthony Shim, about his autobiographical story. The film has swept numerous awards since its debut at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.