Still from ‘All at Dawn’. Photo = Provided by Jeonju International Film Festival “Without breakfast, countless lives would not be born. But without the night, we would not have understood about the world outside the Earth. “The night allows us to think about how vast the darkness is.”
Fujisawa (Monet Kamishiraishi) suffers from PMS (premenstrual syndrome) every month. Although he is known to have a warm personality, at times he cannot control his emotions and often resorts to impulsive behavior and harsh words. Even if you regret it later, the mistake will be repeated only a month later. Fujisawa, who is always busy bowing down to people, finally comes out on his own, even at the big company he had worked so hard to join.
Five years later, Fujisawa gets a job at Kurita Science, a small business that understands his situation, and there he meets young Yamazoe (Hokuto Matsumura). Fujisawa first comes to Yamazoe and shows her good will, but when PMS symptoms appear, he bursts out all the anger he has built up all at once.
Yamazoe, who has just joined Kurita Science, is embarrassed by everything that happened to him. In fact, he was also unable to carry out his daily life due to panic disorder and turned to Kurita Science as a means of escape. A few days later, Fujisawa, who has found stability, apologizes to Yamazoe, and the two exchange special feelings, pitying each other.
‘All at Dawn’ is a screen adaptation of author Maiko Seo’s novel of the same name, and it is a new work by director Sho Miyake, a symbolic figure in the Japanese film New Generation. Director Sho Miyake, famous in Korea for ‘Your Bird Can Sing’, once again enters the lives of the marginalized in society and takes a close look at the their feelings.
Still from ‘All at Dawn’. Photo = Provided by Jeonju International Film Festival What we focus on is loyalty. Director Sho Miyake alternates between the perspectives of Fujisawa and Yamazoe, focusing on their relationship as they reach out to each other through strange language.
At the same time, they put a lot of effort into reflecting on the people around them who are like air around them. Representative examples include five or so members of the company. They are not quick to offer comfort or encouragement in any situation. Just keep an eye on both at an appropriate temperature and be aware. In the quiet understanding and tolerance of the workers, Fujisawa and Yamazoe learn how to comfort each other, and finally enter the world of light from darkness.
The seemingly forgettable constellation episode turns into a clear message towards the end of the play. While preparing for a show at a planetarium (Kurita Science is a company that manufactures planetariums for children), Yamazoe accidentally discovers artifacts left by a deceased employee, and he write a manuscript for the event based on this. This is a text that Fujisawa read on the day of the show, and it tells the story that in the past stars were guideposts and without darkness, the world outside Earth would have been unknown. ever.
Director Sho Miyake says through Fujisawa’s dialogue that, like the constellations formed by stars, when people come together, they overcome their own wounds and find the courage to live. And it tells us that after the darkness, a bright light will surely come, the day that embraces all possibilities. It is a comfort to all who are struggling alone in this cold world.
To add to the old feeling, this movie is not a romance. Usually, stories about overcoming ‘hate’ and understanding others end in love, but their stories lead to a wider and deeper world than this. .
It is the opening film at the 25th Jeonju International Film Festival and is expected to be officially released in Korea within the year.
Reporter Jang Ju-yeon [email protected]
