The World Before

In her second narrative feature, The World Before, Yoon Dan-bi turns from the childhood perspective of her acclaimed debut Moving On to the emotional volatility of adolescence. Set over one summer on a remote Korean island, the film follows two childhood friends who reunite as teenagers, only to discover that their relationship has been transformed by time, desire, and the knowledge that their days together are limited.

Yoon approaches first love not as a simple romantic awakening, but as an encounter capable of reshaping an entire understanding of the world. The intensity of teenage feeling emerges through awkward gestures, uncertain voices, shifting loyalties, and desires that arrive suddenly and may disappear just as quickly. Her lens sits closer to the characters than in Moving On, while the amplified sound and naturalistic performances create a raw, intimate sense of their inner lives.

The film’s distinctive rhythm finds drama within the everyday. Although the camera often remains still and attentive, events unfold with surprising speed, allowing moments of loss and change to register with quiet force. Yoon’s months spent living on the island bring authenticity to its landscapes, homes, and community, grounding the story in the textures of local life.

Winner of Rotterdam’s Bright Future Award and four prizes at Busan for Moving On, Yoon confirms herself here as one of the most compelling emerging filmmakers in contemporary Korean cinema. Tender, bittersweet, and beautifully observed, The World Before captures the moment when first love becomes inseparable from the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

GIOVANNA FULVI