Sharjah24: Movie enthusiasts at the 9th Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth enjoyed their second ‘Green Carpet’ screening on October 12 with the MENA premiere of the beautiful and quietly powerful South Korean movie Croissant, at VOX Cinemas in Al Zahia, Sharjah.
SIFF’s debut Green Carpet event, which introduces international films on socially relevant themes, has given the Korean movie with its realistic portrayal of balancing life and career choices a unique reception. The film’s audiences were welcomed with individually wrapped croissants – just like the ones made by Sung-eun, who is living her passion as a baker. Each croissant sported a sticker that asked: ‘Have you ever tasted a film?’
Directed by Sung Kyu Cho, Croissant presents the narrative of two young people caught between reality and ideality. The protagonists Sung-eun (Nam Bo-ra) and Heejun (Hyuk) have aspirations that are polar opposites. While the lady has quit a stable government job to start her own bakery, the man is preparing for tests to enter public service so that he does not have to face a lay-off like he experienced at his previous private company. In the end, it is Sung-eun’s croissant business that unites them in career and life.
During an interaction with the audience following the screening, Sung Kyu Cho told the audience at VOX that the intense performances of the lead actors Nam Bo-ra and Hyuk helped solve the flatness of a simple plot that made heavy use of indoor spaces and featured a minimal cast. Shot during the pandemic period, Croissant is a perfect example of the innovative craft adopted by many directors across the world.
“My advice to young people is to choose adventure over job stability and security. This is a privilege they must have,” said Cho to the youth at VOX Cinema in Al Zahia. “I want every young person to know that it is possible to achieve what you dream of.”
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