Director Kim Dae-hwan has set Sept. 10 for the theatrical release of his new feature, “Homeward Bound.”
The film has been a buzzy draw on the festival circuit, selling out every screening after back-to-back invitations from major domestic events including the 26th Jeonju International Film Festival, the 13th Muju Film Festival, the 12th Chuncheon Film Festival and the 20th Busan International Kids & Youth Film Festival.
The newly unveiled main poster strings together a range of character expressions to underline the film’s core theme: family as the closest of strangers. Taglines like “Family, Uncomfortable Because We’re Together” and “To the Closest Stranger” capture the irony of ties that are both familiar and alien―all while sparking instant curiosity.
The main trailer kicks off with a secret involving schoolteacher Jung-ha (Jang Young-nam), then spikes the drama when her son Jin-woo (Ryu Kyung-soo) returns from Canada without warning and drops a bombshell: he’s marrying his girlfriend, Jenny (Stephanie Lee). When Jenny’s parents suddenly enter the picture, the two families are thrust into an awkward meet-the-parents―and an unexpected period of living under one roof.
Paired with the line “Family, Uncomfortable Because We’re Together,” the quick cuts, darting glances and colliding values build tension and intrigue, revealing the characters’ subtle shifts in temperature. Beneath the trailer’s brisk rhythm, the cracks and lingering aftertaste distill the film’s mood, highlighting the humanity that surfaces through secrets and conflict.
The trailer also leans into the copy “Maybe This Is Our Family’s Story,” weaving together friction, tension and empathy to convey the film’s emotional texture and ramp up anticipation for the feature.
Kim Dae-hwan, acclaimed for “End of Winter” (2014) and “The First Lap” (2017) and a contributor to “Parasite” (2019), shifts gears here. He amplifies dramatic beats while observing relationships and interior lives with care, filtering moments where generations, cultures and values collide through humor and warmth.
An ensemble led by Jang Young-nam, Ryu Kyung-soo, Stephanie Lee, Ok Ji-young, Park Ji-il and Park Ji-a brings layered characters to life with conviction. The accumulation of glances, pauses and dialogue builds scenes that capture the meaning of family―and the texture of human connection―in a changing era.
Peering into the hidden truths and layered emotions tucked inside our closest bonds, “Homeward Bound” opens in theaters Sept. 10.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)