Riceboy Sleeps

So-Young is a Korean single mother raising her adolescent son Dong-Hyun in the suburbs of Canada during the 90s. Determined to provide a better life for him than the one she left behind in her native country, she does her best to overcome the constant racial and cultural challenges that confront them.

As Dong-Hyun gets older, he becomes increasingly curious about his Korean heritage and in particular, about his deceased father – a topic that So-Young refuses to address. Instead, she is set on continuing to build on her new life which now includes a relationship with a kind Korean-Canadian man who is eager to take on the role of Dong-Hyun’s surrogate father. This only exacerbates their tense relationship. Then, sudden devastating news prompts the mother and son to return to South Korea for the first time since their initial departure with hopes of reconnecting to their roots and reconciling their tragic past.

“A stunning, intensely moving drama that is rich in period detail and human gesture, and brilliantly staged and shot by a near constantly roving camera.” ~AroVideo

“There is no trickery or artifice behind or in front of the camera and the locations on-screen are as genuine as the characters. But Shim and his cast strike their notes perfectly.” ~Graeme Tuckett, Stuff

“A familiar immigrant song sung in such an elegant, sincere voice that it feels like a whole new arrangement.” ~Jessica Kiang, Variety