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Film short abstract:

Waltz for the Shore (2024) follows a young woman who visits her grandmother’s house on the southern coast of Korea. She encounters reclaimed land, where the sea is out of reach. Through her awkward reunions and fragmented experiences, the film explores the loss of belonging and identity.

Film long abstract:

The film examines the socio-spatial disconnection caused by urbanisation and land reclamation in Korea. Haerim’s journey to her grandmother’s coastal home uncovers a transformed landscape where the once-accessible sea is now out of reach, symbolising themes of displacement, belonging, and loss. Summer imagery—facial blush, canned peaches, and the rhythmic soundscape of cicadas and ocean waves—deepens these themes. Film is the ideal medium to convey this narrative as its audiovisual elements capture both the physical and emotional essence of place. The auditory dimension, particularly the machinery noises, coastal echoes, and local dialect between Haerim and her grandmother, immerses the audience in the locality of Masan’s summer. The film explores how socio-spatial transformations like land reclamation erode cultural memory and identity while highlighting the significant perspectives of women. It sparks dialogue on sustainable development, spatial justice, and the effects of coastal landscape changes in Korea.