

Two strangers, one motel room, 13 minutes—your assumptions about them are already wrong.
Albert Shin demonstrates all his directorial prowess and knack for creating stark yet vivid characters with this remarkable drama about two strangers who convene at a seaside motel in South Korea with very particular intentions in mind.
Acting
Ahn So-yo delivers a masterclass in micro-expressions.
Direction
Shin builds entire lives in glances and silences.
Writing
The twist hits harder for being earned, not cheap.

Director
Albert Shin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
South Korea's 'love motel' culture provides the perfect liminal space for this story—seedy yet anonymous, intimate yet transactional.
Shin revealed he wrote this after witnessing a similar encounter, then spent years fictionalizing it to protect the real woman's dignity.